The Grip

I was feeling the old and familiar. A little bit too much work coupled with a little bit not enough rest. In the old days, under similar circumstances, I used to self-motivate by asking myself,  "What would Mark Allen do"? The Grip, for those of you that don't know, won seven Ironman World Championships from 1989-1995. He was given the nickname, as legend goes, by Scott Tinley after a long day of training which, typically, included a few thousand meters in the pool, a longish ride and a ridiculously fast run. As happens when serious teammates train together, more often than not, these bricks would turn into flat-out contests. Scott commented one sunny San Diego afternoon that there was little hope of besting Mark when he was in the groove, because he had you, firmly, in his grip. And would, simply, not let go. Like those dogs with the clenching, locking jaws, Mark would chomp onto his prey and drag them along at break-neck speed until they cried uncle and collapsed to the pavement, spent, exhausted and thoroughly beaten. 

So I would ask of myself, are you the anti-Grip, so weak and frail that even a minor challenge outside the contort zone will send you scurrying for cover? You cannot muster the energy or awareness to complete the task at hand? HAVE YOU LEARNED NOTHING?

The grip is about will. It is about focus. It is about courage under fire. It is about finding the presence in your mind/soul that allows your body to take you over the hill. You have to keep it together. Independently they are nowhere near as powerful, the old divide and conquer concept, but united, well, now we're onto something. Something BIG. TOGETHER we can do this. You & Me. Us. We. Head, heart and heaven. 

WWTGD. Would would The Grip do? He would endure, outlast, outsmart and outrun you. He set all this up with an impeccable training regimen, a solid (vegetable based) diet and a deep meditation practice that rivaled that of Kwai Chang-Caine. Mind, body and spirit. In the grip.

I don't think we can afford to be one dimensional anymore. The stakes are too high, the cover charge lofty and the penalties severe. 

The Grip would breathe, focus, relax and do what must be done. 

And there was my answer.