Saturday, December 24, 2011

The S word

While I suppose I am not the only one with a lot to do today (and tonight) it is always satisfying to get off to a good start. As in 90 monster minutes in the HoM with the endorfin-charged elves. Way to crank out some horsepower gang!


I was called on the carpet after our super-session by the lead elf who semi-seriously said that my use of the term "sissy" in some way was politically incorrect. Please be advised that I will do (almost) anything, use (almost) any trick, try a novel new approach, or play any card, no matter how potentially insulting to delicate egos, to get you to go harder, longer. So if calling mediocrity "good" in our relentless pursuit of great is un PC, so be it. I don't care. Good is for sissies was the context. If you want good, go to church. If you want GREAT, show up more often and get your weak ass to work, Alice. I am the enemy of good.


Oops.


We went through a rather testing session this morning because I wanted to illustrate a key point. I wanted to suggest that fatigue, the type of red-hot quad burn we felt last night in our 12.5 mile Morgul-Bismark TT, is mostly mental. That there has been recent studies indicating that your perception of effort, and following fatigue, even the burn, is relative to your cerebral evaluation of the work in progress. So Jimi was right (If 6 turned out to be 9) as well as Col. Nate Jessup (You can't handle the truth).


Wrapping up this neat little present with a big red bow, when you think you have maxed out, peaked, or can't take another single pedal rotation, re-think that you can. Change the dialogue, the topic of internal conversation from "This is painful and hurt's like hell", to something like "I can, I will and I am" It isn't suffering then, it's you manufacturing mirth. Do you think that 'good' will get that? You gotta be great to get that. I don't have time for good. Sorry. You want PC and the middle road? Stay home and watch TV.


I want passion. I want effort. I want challenge. I want mountain passes and headwinds. I want more. I want great, superb and exceptional. And I especially want the wisdom to enjoy the pursuit of those goals.


I also want a new bike for Christmas.


As promised, here are the lyrics to Leonard Cohen's stunning tone-poem, Hallelujah A few other non-traditional tunes from this morning:

Jeff Buckley

Adele

Waylon

David Crowder Band

Tom Waits

Warren Zevon

Collective Soul



Pictured above are Chris and Jeff, Gold and Bronze winners on the Morgul-Bismark TT course last night. As disclaimer, I read about the mental-toughness study AFTER the TT and so settled for Silver, some 30 seconds back. What a sissy.


Merry Christmas dear friends.


EDITOR'S NOTE: If you are busy (remember the first sentence?) and have time for just two video stops, watch the scene from A Few Good Men (Col. Jessup) and the Adlel music video. Truth and Passion.


And to all a Good-Night.



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