Your Pace. Reflections on Trail Running, and AI Empowerment
Your Pace. Reflections on Trail Running and AI Empowerment
Last year I participated in a trail-running race at a local running festival, and my second time joining the 15 km trail running race which involves two steep peaks. Trail running has been my recent passion developed after decade-long road running. I took it up because I wanted to embrace the challenges of trails, and strengthen different muscle groups for bodily efficiency.
Trail running is definitely at another level compare to road - not only offering the breathtaking scenery and countenance with nature (like meeting clans of kangaroos) but also for its unpredictability. Unlike road running where surfaces are even and predictable, trail running involve sharp rocks and pot holes that demands adaptability and a heightened awareness of the terrains. However, it also comes with new risks such as injuries from missteps or overexertion. I know that to enjoy the new challenge fully, being intentional with my training and preparing my body system are crucial.
And this experience is almost symmetric to introducing AI to any system. I am surprise how the hype has distracted organisations from adoption technology properly, perceiving it as magicial wands rather than enablers.
Building Systems for the Long Run
Over the years, I’ve learned that running - especially long-distance running - isn’t just about setting a goal and hoping to achieve it. It’s about building my body system to increase my pace and stamina for the distance. When I first started running from a couch potato, I couldn’t even sustain 10 minutes. My heart rate skyrocketed, my lungs couldn’t deliver oxygen to my blood fast enough, and my legs were wobbly. All these symptoms told me that my body was super unfit, it could not cope with the goal inspiration I had.
“We don’t rise to the level of our goals; we rise to the level of our systems” - James Clear in Atomic Habits.
I had an inspiration to be a runner, but I had to build up my endurance step by step: one minute of running, one minute of walking, gradually increasing the running intervals until I could sustain a full 10 minutes. Over time, this steady approach allowed me to run longer distances and find joy in the process. So I learnt that regardless running or life in general - is about creating consistent, incremental improvement to toward goals. The result will be the snapshot of our current system.
This principle also applies to Generative AI (GenAI). GenAI is not a silver bullet or a shortcut to guaranteed results. Being probabilistic rather than deterministic, it provides possibilities rather than certainties. Its value lies not in individual moments of brilliance but in its ability to enable and elevate a well-designed system. Much like running, GenAI technologies require thoughtful integration into workflows, deliberate training and people behavioural enablement, and continuous improvement to yield meaningful outcomes.
Listening to the System: Adaptability in Running and AI
In running, I’ve learned to listen to my body - to recognize signs of fatigue, tensions on my muscle, monitor my heart rate and my pace, and adjust my training based on how I feel. This observability is critical, especially when facing the risks of injury. I once strained a tendon in my heel because I overtrained my calf muscle without considering the impact on the rest of my leg and foot. I optimized locally on one muscle group, but increased the stress and pressure of the nearby muscles, and strained my tendon. This experience reminded me of the importance of system thinking - understanding how every part of the system (in this case, my calf muscle and tendon) interacts and contributes to overall performance.
“A system is an interconnected set of elements that is coherently organized in a way that achieves something.” - Donella Meadows in Thinking in Systems.
The same principle applies to systems that use GenAI technology. GenAI is an enabler of systems excellence, not a standalone heroic capability. Its strength lies to the degree of integrating into workflows, adaptability to context, and amplify existing capabilities. For GenAI to be effectively adopted, it requires end-to-end analysis of the current state such as value stream, pinpoints where the challenges are, emulate that if GenAI can apply to each challenge, prioritise according to readiness (not cost) which supporting areas need to be elevated first. Just as over-optimizing one part of a system (like focusing on my calf only) can lead to imbalances (straining my tendons), using GenAI without considering the broader consideration can create unexpected constraints or unintended consequences.
ROI Myth. Excellence Is a Habit, Not an Act
In running, reaching personal record comes from consistent effort. “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit” - Aristotle. This resonates deeply with me in running. Training isn’t about one-off intensive workout; it’s about the discipline of showing up regularly and iterating on what works.
It amuses me when people ask about ROI, treating GenAI if as a capital asset. GenAI achieves its potential not through one-off implementation (CAPEX) but part of the rhythm of the business (OPEX) in continuous learning, improvement, and pivoting. GenAI excels when it is treated as an enabler of systemic innovation. Beyond program delivery, to take advantage of GenAI requires systematic pursue of excellence.
Celebrating Milestones and Incremental Growth
One of the joys of running is celebrating progress. Whether it’s completing a 5K, 10K, or a marathon, every milestone or deserves recognition. These moments keep me motivated and remind me how far I’ve come. For me, running isn’t about winning or ranking over others - it’s about continuously improving my personal best.
In the world of GenAI, we should adopt a similar mindset. Instead of policing and punishing with lagging indicators like DORA metrics, we should progress with leading indicators, and celebrate GenAI role in enabling incremental growth in the system. When GenAI helps an organization to brainstorm better solutions for the market segment, generate content, or automate repetitive tasks, it’s not just a milestone for technology but a demonstration to the strength of the systems we’ve built around it.
What Adopting GenAI Can Learn from Trail Running
Trail running has taught me many valuable lessons that extend beyond running alone. Here’s how these lessons may apply to GenAI adoption:
Focus on Systems, Not Just Goals: Goals steer direction, but systems drive progress. Whether in running or AI, success depends on building habits, workflows, and systems that enable continuous improvement.
Adaptability is Key: Be willing to adjust your approach based on feedback. In running, this means listening to your body; in applying GenAI, it means building observability early, understand what the metrics are saying, welcome feedback, and evolving system and process (and culture) proactively.
Celebrate Progress: Whether it’s completing a race or successfully deploying an GenAI system, focus on leading indicators, recognize achievements along the way. Incremental growth matters more than momentary wins.
Avoid Over-Optimization: Focusing too much on one metric - like one muscle group in running or local optimization in GenAI - can hurt the systems, lead to skewed capability, amd demoted performance. Strive for systematic improvement and alignment with long-term goals.
Generative AI as an Enabler: GenAI should not be seen as a standalone or heroic capability or asset. Instead, it should be viewed as a system enabler - a technology that supports broader system workflows and collaboration.
Final Thoughts
Running has transformed my mind and body. It has taught me to embrace the habits, pace myself, and celebrate along the journey. Similarly, adopting GenAI is not about instant gratification or quick wins; it’s about building systems that enable creativity, innovation, and operational excellence.
Whether you’re running trails or integrating GenAI into your organization, the principles are the same: intentional planning, continuous improvement, and celebrate in the process will carry you farther than you ever imagined. So, what’s your pace? Are you building AI-empowered systems for the long run? Whether it’s for your personal growth or the systems you create, remember: excellence is a journey, not a destination.