TRP

Six time Ironman Champion Mark Allen, is quoted in Matt Fitzgerald's Iron War, as saying, "At Ironman, to do well takes either supreme confidence or calm." He further elaborates by suggesting that rival Dave Scott won six times because of the former and he, via the latter.

Which got me to thinkin'. (The astute VBA will immediately recognize a trend here). What's the difference? And why did Dave prosper with confidence when Mark ran with cruise-control calm? I think it is an interesting psychological study in personal characteristics and personality types. Or what I am now, for the sake of rhetorical comparison, calling your Training and Racing Personality, or TRP.

It is easy with other sports. A smash-mouth football team, the never-say-die-come-from-behind cardiac kids local nine, or the run and gun five. It is also very obvious in tennis and golf. Think of how a players personality became his or her game. Does Roger Federer hit? Can Tiger nail a fairway wood? Does Chrissie Wellington seem to be enjoying herself as she sets record after record? Was Ali The Greatest?

If you answered YES to all those questions, you win. However that is not the win I reference. I mean YOUR win. How do you use your personality strengths to foster or advance your game? At what point do your character flaws (I will assume you have at least one) interfere, diminish or hurt your performance?

Are you, much like Mr. Allen, persistent enough to lose before you win as part of the process? Can you maintain your focus through hardship or defeat? Can you stay strong when facing yet another setback? Under what conditions will you quit?

These traits, habits or tendencies can be changed as we have created the perfect training facility to practice them. Our training and testing. The search for balance. If you are always Ms Happy, maybe it's time you showed some fang. Maybe your obsessive-compulsive tendencies are in need of some long steady distance. Perhaps it is simply the fear of knowing that keeps your power Jekyll a sub-maximal Hyde.

I think I understand Mark's implication. Dave was a hard-ass to his cool-breezier. They were about as opposite as a cheetah is to a barracuda. They took different paths to the same place. But I think that eventually confidence IS calm. They are the same, only manifested that day, uniquely by two outstanding examples of TRP, training and racing personality. It is what makes it fun. It adds emotion. To what do you relate? How does that play? Every time I get into a racing dogfight, where my advisory is keenly aware of my presence and the gamesmanship taking place, I am electrified. That is it. That moment. The 'who am I and who are you?' about to be determined.

Dave's courage and dedication to practice played well against Mark's shamanistic and steadfast resolve. Dave was calm in HIS own way as much as Mark was confident in HIS.

We can learn a lot from watching others, especially when they are the best in the world at what they do, doing what we would like to someday emulate. My take is this: Seeking the balance necessary to come within 170 minutes of Mark's time in winning the 1989 Ironman, aka Iron War, (8:09:15) is going to take BOTH confidence and calm. The Allen shaman must pull back the reins to keep from charging too fast, too soon, AND the Scott warrior must press vigilantly onward, despite pain, suffering or environmental conditions. My race TRP needs to be a Allen-Scott blend.

Every day is a step in that direction. Which suits my personality fine.

Pics: Dave and Mark on the Queen K. Ali and Sonny Liston (on the canvas).