Perspective May Be Your Missing Piece In Performance

When most people think about becoming the best runner they can be, they think about “dialing in.” Becoming a 24-hour athlete. Constantly thinking about training, racing, recovery, and how to improve. Sacrificing time with friends and family. Doing whatever it takes to level up.

But what if a tunnel-vision, single-minded approach is actually the thing holding you back?

This week on The HAX Show, Drew sat down with HAX Coach Reed Fischer for an update on life after running a 2:09 marathon personal best earlier this year and becoming a new father shortly after. Reed shared what it’s been like navigating parenthood and discussed whether or not “Dad Strength” might actually be a real thing. After all, how can someone perform at a high level while getting less sleep and living with a routine that’s more unpredictable than ever?

Reed isn’t new to the idea of zooming out and putting running in its proper place. From supporting his wife Christine through her breast cancer diagnosis in 2023 to now becoming a father, Reed has learned firsthand the importance of perspective— understanding what matters most in life and recognizing that running is not the end-all, be-all.

And that mindset doesn’t have to limit performance.

Instead of viewing life’s interruptions as obstacles to training, Reed shares how athletes can reframe them as a competitive advantage: perspective. Let’s dive into why fulfillment outside the sport may actually help your running more than you think.

For the full conversation, subscribe to @haxtraining on YouTube or follow The HAX Show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Dad Strength?

Most runners have heard the term “Dad Strength” — the idea that becoming a parent somehow unlocks another level of grit and performance. But on paper, it doesn’t really make sense. Newborns bring sleep deprivation, inconsistent routines, and the exact opposite of what most people associate with optimized recovery.

When a reporter once asked Denver Nuggets star player Nikola Jokić whether basketball became easier after having his daughter, he jokingly answered: “Absolutely not. I don’t sleep as much”.

Fair point. From a surface level view, less sleep and more stress are certainly not the recipe to create a better athlete.

“Life gets harder,” Reed says. “Being all-in on running becomes objectively harder when you have a baby who’s depriving you of sleep, routine, and normal mealtimes. All of those things are objectively detracting from performance.”

But for Reed, the real shift comes from how running fits into the bigger picture of life:

"Running becomes another brick in the wall rather than the wall. And I think when you have that sort of macro level zoomed out view... that perspective, for the right person, can lead to big jumps in training. There are some people in this sport who probably could use a little bit less focus on their running... Sometimes it just takes a little bit of a, 'Hey, there’s more going on here than just this,' to be able to force people to take a step back, and sometimes that perspective leads to success."

When your entire identity isn’t tied to every interval session or race result, training often becomes less rigid and racing less emotionally draining. You can show up with more freedom, gratitude, and confidence instead of being tied down by pressure and anxiety.

The Training Takeaway for Everyday Runners

You don’t need a newborn at home to apply the “Dad Strength” concept to your own training.

When life gets chaotic, work or school becomes stressful, or your routine gets thrown off by circumstances outside your control, don’t assume your best running is no longer possible. True high performance rarely comes from acting like a perfect, isolated robot or executing a flawless training build.

In many cases, fulfillment outside of running can become one of your greatest competitive assets.

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Cross country success in the fall is built during the summer

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