Day 9.164 A New Project

As a direct result of yesterday's post…..

WE HAVE A NEW PROJECT.

All it took was a little serendipity, some head scratching (while on the trainer) and a comment from one of our, shall I say, more loyal, members of the vast RCVman blogging audience.

Thank you Justin.

Justin suggested that I do what I have long been considering to do. All it took was that seemingly small bit of encouragement. Small my ass, freaking huge. And that, as they say, is all it took. To go from chalkboard, alright whiteboard, to virtual reality.

Yes, it is more of the same…..only different.

How different is (see yesterdays post) up to me. Maybe just better is enough, or newer, or, or...

Another member of the VBA owes me some dough. Guess what he does? If you answered media and web site design, you are getting warm.

That is two of the big creative three. We now have the model, the mission and the money (some anyway), enough to get started. Lord knows I have the content.

As I sat this afternoon on the WSF Tacoma heading home from my check-up at UW Med, I sat and furiously scribbled notes on the scratch pad the receptionist gave me (after a long sales pitch).

I will always remember Steve Rudman telling the story of how the National Sports Review was conceived. Old yarn: On a cocktail napkin in a sports bar - frequented by, but not limited to, columnists, beat writers and assorted members of the local print and broadcast media. Once fully developed it was my job to sell it. Editors note: In 1988 the NSR carried a hefty, for the time, $4.99 cover price. As you can see, the copy on eBay is significantly higher at $19.95. It has aged well.

Looks like we might have come full circle here. With cocktail napkin firmly in hand, an idea comparatively clear and do-able, plus the luxury of a small start-up budget, all that is left is to build and start selling. Are you listening WP Kinsella?

I am excited about all this. It could be fun. It could be a winner.

Either way, it will get all the focus, attention, gumption and enthusiasm I can pour into it.

You will be the first to know. Stay tuned.

Day 9.163 Whaddya Got?

I should thank the collective all of you (ya'll) for allowing me the non-distraction of dealing with offers of employment, affordable housing, dinners on the lake and quiet, contemplative walks on the beach at sunset.

Really, I just don't have the time. I am busy.

Busy trying to figure out how the hell I am gonna get out of this mess.

The mess I have created by choice.

The two schools of thought being,

1) It is all my fault.
2) Some of it is my fault.

Regardless of the paradoxical metaphysics surrounding the karmatic reality of my situation, I have a another card to play, choice, options. You might say I have an ace up my sleeve but that intones cheating and we do not cheat round here!

It is up to me. I can fold the cards, pass, take two or try to draw to an inside straight.

I would like to stay in the game a while longer, meaning that I need to up the ante, raise the stakes, maybe bluff. Pull off a 007.

I am going to say this again, because please remember (should you have glossed over it the several times I have fessed-up to the concept in past posts) that this entire blog is nothing more than me journaling my thoughts. Thoughts becoming actions and actions becoming results. Therefore I write to validate the process of my thinking and actions. Profoundly courageous, IMHO, because I MIGHT BE WRONG, or, worse, I might be boring. OK, OK, the latter is probably closer to the truth than the former, hence the courage reference in keeping on with the good fight. Matter of factly, I could be both. Wrong AND boring. But not this time. I got one thing right.This:

IT IS UP TO ME.

And no one else. Especially you.

There is no need to think you have any responsibility whatsoever to pull a chair at this felt table and push red chips towards the pot. This is not your big top and these are not your chimpanzees. I am the banana, coo-co-ca-choo.

However (you knew there was going to be a however) this game is tons more fun when played with others. I need a game. A mission. An assignment. A chance at the win. And something with meaning. It would be great fun and a noble experiment to dial the epic meter to eleven with a group of adventurous and intrepid gamers. So then...

...Whaddya got?

Day 9.162 Number 12,300

You have to commit.

To it.

Can be the exchange of vows, a terse aggressive (and necessary) confrontation, or an exercise regimen. Why are you climbing that hill? You must know the meaning of why.

Why you, why we, do this.

Maybe you were lucky in the gene pool lottery. Perhaps you were gifted a birth with more athletic DNA than hundreds of others, possibly thousands. This happens.

Those of you in this demo (you know who you are - and we do too) have an even greater responsibility than those of us without the running, jumping, powerful chromosomes that propel, fuel and allow superior athletic performance.

You must live up to it. You must use the gift. You have to be better than the rest. You are destined to over-achieve.

Interestingly, this doesn't always happen. The biggest, strongest, fastest don't always win the race.

The question has always been, why not?

Why does an athlete handicapped by lessor raw physical tools sometimes win? How can his be? Mathematics, evolution, logic and science all indicate that it shouldn't.

But it does. All the time. 50% of the time? I don't know, and there are no stats or data available to validate my assertions, but we all know it to be true. It is why we have underdogs.

I will take a flying stab at it this fine morning and suggest that two elements are crucial in analyzing this scenario.

1) Attitude, and,
2) Level of commitment.

Confidence is one of those conditions that cannot be fully measured. But, much like quality, we know it when we see or feel it. Someone even went so far as to suggest that it is ALL ABOUT attitude. Confidence being the progeny of attitude. This is crucial if we are to succeed. At whatever we chose to put in the cross hairs as our dreams and goals. More colloquially stated, we need to kick some ass. That is the spirit all champions embody and embrace.

Your level of commitment. Seriously, when things get rough, as they are sure to do, without the fundamental strength of core, character and commitment, you will use one of the 14,298* excuses currently known to man, and slow down, back off or flat-out quit and go home. We need to employ a 'whatever it takes' attitude. If progress is our goal.

If you don't want to improve you shouldn't be here. Go ahead and use number 14,299 which I am now adding to this ignoble list:

I just don't have the right attitude, self confidence and level of commitment necessary for progress.. Therefore I give up (pass the Mountain Dew and fire up the X-Box).

I had a guy, a nice guy,  tell me in the locker room this morning after another spectacular round of Super Eights that he doesn't do cardio because he is fearful of getting an enlarged heart. Another fear inducing myth. An excuse.

 Number 12,300.

Commit folks.

* I counted them, and have used most.

Day 9.161 All of the Above

The Dunning-Kruger Effect, rendered down to its most fundamental, says this:

You have no idea what you are talking about.

I am the fist to admit that this is true. We put it on the table for discussion last week with the 'illusion of explanational depth' thread, considering the cerebral levels to which we profess to possess.

Under this scrutiny, we, perhaps suddenly, realize that we don't know Jack. We used to say that the more you know, the more you know that you don't know anything at all. The DK Effect validates this assumption quite nicely.

The most relevant topic in exploring this agenda (for me) is the obvious one:

Diet and exercise.

I know a little about each. I know a little about their combined value. I know a little about what works, what doesn't, how to and how not to. Am I an expert?

NO WAY. NOT EVEN CLOSE.

My knowledge and understanding of the diet & exercise conundrum, and how it (they) are leveraged for success in training and racing, health & fitness, success & victory, goal achievement and  peace of mind, is limited. And flawed.

Armed with this reality, should I:

A) Go back to school and get a degree? Delay application until I know 100% of everything?
B) Continue with the experiment? Be it an experiment  of one - or one hundred?
C) Share whatever wisdom I have, to date, accumulated or stumbled upon?
D) All of the above?

I think I will tackle D, all of the above. By the following methods:

A) Google the shit out of it. Keep talking with coaches, athletes, scientists that continue the search for depth and detail.
B At the very least, my body (mind and spirit) is my laboratory. This is an experiment of one. If others want to join our team, they may. We only have a few rules and they are easy to follow.
C) Yes, everything and all the time.

This might be the Catch-22 of Ocams Razor.

The DK Effect tells me I know very little.

Knowing that, I can advance.

Day 9.160 Pond Scum

So bad that calling it stagnant would be an insult to pond water.

Again, the odd and eerie ways in which apparent unrelated events imitate training. Specifically indoor cycling, although the proxy can be used for many.

Take the above quote. I forced a turnover and took it away from ESPN this morning. And while they really don't need my help promoting their work, the juicy imagery (and absolute metaphoric pleasure) of this phrase actually made me laugh. Something I don't do nearly often enough these days.

Especially when the phraseology is addressing my college football team of choice, the Washington Huskies. More particularly, their offense.

Friday night in Boise against the 23rd ranked team in the nation. They almost pulled off a major upset - without a run game and using a true freshman QB.

Still, they were the proverbial motor running on but one of its available eleven cylinders.

Which takes us (at the half) to the relationship with indoor training.

What is the takeaway here? Other than that I like college football about as much as I like indoor cycle training.

My post game analysis indicates there are several cogent comparisons to consider. Such as:

Being prepared. THIS is why we practice folks. To be ready to play, ready to race, prepped to perform.

Being fearless. Does anyone want the forum floor  to debate what type of warrior is most successful, a timid frightened kitten or a fearless roaring lion?

Making corrections as tactics. The strategy is to win the game. The tactics are how. Training 16-0 at the start of the third quarter, the Huskies could have easily tucked their tails between their collective legs and limped home. They chose (or were inspired) to compete, and they began to play with a purpose, with gumption, with a joy for the game and with focus.

Finding the flow. It took a single play to reverse the negativity and bitter taste of humiliation, then turn the sinking ship to a sleek, efficient sailing machine. I speak of the D here. To find that flow is what we all seek, on the field, in the studio, classroom or on the track.  Flow like a waterfall. Run downhill. Make a splash.

Building momentum. Once the flow has been discovered, sustain it. It will use energy from myriad sources to fuel the charge. Let 'er rip!

Never give up. We talk about this one all the time around here for good reason. It may be the single most important cliche of all time. The Babe Ruth of cliches. Because it is true. You want to win? Or, as we have discussed the last few days, improve, learn and grow? Memorize the acronym NGU. Bambino.

Live to fight another day. It is a long season. We saw several important flashes of brilliance. It is a work in progress. Same with you. Commit to the process of change. Change for the better. One step at a time. Four yards and a cloud of dust. Move towards your goal and keep going.

Or risk being compared to pond scum.

Day 9.159 Mastery requires Endurance

"Mastery requires endurance. Mastery, a word we don’t use often, is not the equivalent of what we might consider its cognate — perfectionism — an inhuman aim motivated by a concern with how others view us. Mastery is also not the same as success — an event-based victory based on a peak point, a punctuated moment in time. Mastery is not merely a commitment to a goal, but to a curved-line, constant pursuit." Sarah Lewis.

"We thrive, in part, when we have purpose, when we still have more to do. The deliberate incomplete has long been a central part of creation myths themselves. In Navajo culture, some craftsmen and women sought imperfection, giving their textiles and ceramics an intended flaw called a “spirit line” so that there is a forward thrust, a reason to continue making work. Nearly a quarter of twentieth century Navajo rugs have these contrasting-color threads that run out from the inner pattern to just beyond the border that contains it; Navajo baskets and often pottery have an equivalent line called a “heart line” or a “spirit break.” The undone pattern is meant to give the weaver’s spirit a way out, to prevent it from getting trapped and reaching what we sense is an unnatural end.
There is an inevitable incompletion that comes with mastery. It occurs because the greater our proficiency, the more smooth our current path, the more clearly we may spot the mountain that hovers in our gaze. “What would you say increases with knowledge?” Jordan Elgrably once asked James Baldwin. “You learn how little you know,” Baldwin said. Brain Pickings.

Running off the heels of yesterdays topic, dashes this gem of serendipity.  One could easily stop at the first three words of the topmost quote and call it a day (for contemplation).

Mastery requires endurance.

I will consider the wisdom in that during our two hour ride this morning.

Day 9.158 Pride in Defeat

Can there be pride in defeat?

Can a team, an army, an individual actually receive more value from losing than from its vaulted counterpart?

Our experiences suggest that they can. With a caveat.

The caveat being, naturally, that the effort in defeat must be 100%. That the army (of one) is required to give its best, most focused and spirited display of courage and will. You must be willing to fight to the finish.

IF YOU CAN DO THAT - as only a few good men can - THE OUTCOME IS TRIVIAL.

Can you bring maximal effort into competition?
Can you train with discipline and dedication?
Can you totally commit to the 'fight'.
Are you willing to sacrifice?
Will you do whatever it takes?

If you, your team captain, general, admiral, coach or teammate can find the ways and means to accomplish, or empower you to do all of the above, if you can, with brutal honesty, answer in the affirmative to EVERY ONE of those critical questions….

Then you have already won. Further, should you end up with the lesser points, fewer runs or second best time, you can walk away (or be carried away) with a sense of accomplishment and pride that far outweighs a simple victory.

If you take the lessons from that contest, war, game, match or scrimmage, and use them to better yourself and your team (or in the case of war, for the betterment of the oppressed) that is the very definition of winning.

Think of that process and how it plays out. Countless stories, telling tales of the heroic and brave, from Davy Crockett to Rudy, contain this element of the dramatic.

It is the struggle that counts! The effort and determination to rise above. It is the epitome of courage and valor. It is Rocky running at dawn, Louis Zamperini winning gold and a hockey team believing in miracles. Sometimes Goliath goes down at the weak hand of the nothing-to-lose hungry, poor and impoverished

The saga resonates deeply in our soul, vibrates with the glow of the sacred myth.

Everybody loves the tale of the underdog who somehow manages to steal victory from the arrogant overlord.

Do the work and be that someone. Take great pride in your defeats.