Are you being fully tested? When you are tested and your back is to the wall, who will you become? Who will you serve? Do you see yourself as a visionary, an extraordinary father, husband, leader or something else? Do you think life will happen by an act of God, or are you the one who is persistent, a person of never dying action and Iron will that can accomplish monumental things? Who are those people anyway? How did they or do they separate themselves and accomplish the unattainable? Who are you and what do YOU stand for? Define yourself! I dare you!
Well, these are the sorts of questions I ask myself on a daily basis and as I come close to the Atacama, the goals I have formalized are not too average to say the least. In fact, it appears before I have even tried any of them some say that all or none of them are achievable.
In fairness, those who help me pull this off have my best interest at heart and worry that I will be disappointed that I might not accomplish the goals. They are doing everything in their power to help me get there, but really good coaching is about having very honest communication on what’s real and what’s not. It now looks like I stand alone and think my goals are achievable. However, the way I am wired does not offer any other alternative. There are so many instances in my life when my back has been against the wall, when I was told I would fail even before I laced my shoes for the dance, showed up for my first day of work that are too many to put unto paper. Even at this moment I am being tested and I like how I react and overcome. Does that make me a realist or off the charts insane? I don’t know. I’m not sitting back running for office or care what other’s think. What I do know is that I am a person of action and that my reach is further than my grasp (#9). I can’t live in the “safe zone”. I would not bet against me though based on my resume.
Here are my daily affirmations re-worked:
Mark’s Daily Affirmations
1. Mark, you made bold moves to assure Mark and Bella have a fighting chance of success and happiness! You have the tools, resolve and emotional IQ to have the kind of family life they deserve, the one you never had and its up to you to fight for them. Since the day you knew they were coming, you made a contract with their souls that you will be there for all your days that cannot ever be broken. You will never not fight for them.
2. Pattern interrupt the familiar and embraces the unknown. Don't live in a comfort zone. Adversity is lurking and will sneak up on you unless you proactively live your life to get what you want.
3. Visualize your Finish at Atacama, the Boston Marathon, Lake Placid; you are now a World Champion. Your efforts carry over to your entire Endeavour’s. No one will get this.
4. The difficulty of a problem is in direct proportion to the reward. Don't settle Mark, you are not average.
5. Someone, somewhere is in a hospital bed right now begging for the opportunity you have right now, step into your moment now!
6. You have not lived until you do something nice for someone
Who can never repay you; Random act’s of kindness.
7. Learn like you'll live forever; live like you'll die tomorrow. Marlene died with regrets, you won't!!
8. Pattern yourself after incredible people who have done what you set out to do, then set out to do it for yourself but with your meaning and better.
9. Your reach must be further than your grasp. No easy goals here!
10. The past is bedrock, unchangeable, but the future's clay to
be molded day by day. Power of now!!! Be curious of that mental dialogue, but it's the past and you will garner the power to be all that you desire unless you live with passion.
11. SMILE NO MATTER WHAT until it hurts. Most important thing you can do every day!
12. I will win. Why? I'll tell you why. Because I have faith,
courage, enthusiasm and strength, and I'm committed to
doing my best every day. No excuses!
13. Don’t deny the reality; it is what it is, just deny the finality of the situation that is difficult that is staring you in the face.
14. A successful man gets what he wants, a wise man wants
what he gets.
15. My tool is wisdom, my strength is sheer tenacity. Mental toughness. Who can complete an Ironman with broken ribs, St George in the Big Ring? Almost die in the ocean?
16. Don’t take yourself or your life too serious; we are only on this planet for a blink. (laugh more, you are a funny person)
17. Don’t major in minor things.
18. Love that feeling of being free, driving your Ducati with the wind against your face.
19. You cannot be idle in this pursuit. Skipping even one-day means you are living a lie, which I cannot do.
20. Insane preparation is what it takes for this newer level.
21. Top American Atacama
22. Boston Marathon, sub 3
24. Lake Placid, 10:10
25. Ironman World Championships
Recently I reached out to Dean Karnzas the famous Ultra guy to get guidance on completing the Atacama. His response, “live”. While this was not the kind of information I found helpful, it was pretty much spot on as to how tough this race will be.
The issues here are multiple and like anything it all depends on luck and execution and hard work. The hard work is happening as we speak. I’ve been building my aerobic engine for months now. It will be a miracle to pull even one of these off without getting hurt.
Here are the coaching concerns:
1) That I have not taken into account how messed up I will be after doing Atacama
2) Turing around to do Boston so fast with speed is not realistic
3) I’ll not have enough time to put into the biking volume for Placid to race fast.
4) Anyone of these would require their own season and don’t work together.
So in sum and substance, it all makes sense but I refuse to say I can’t come close too if not all. I’d rather die trying than to not try at all. That’s the whole point to very, very hard goals.
Compex Elite
About three weeks ago I got this unit called the Compex Elite after seeing some videos and reading that Macca was using it as part of his recovery process. Often the training runs I have are in excess of 13 miles a whack with biking etc put in the middle.
The recovery routine I have deployed religiously is as follows. Shower, Ice Compression with Play Harder then Complex Elite stim and recovert drinks and good food. The Compex has helped so much that it has made all the soreness goes away and I come back harder like never before. Also, I have had this nagging ab strain for the past five months and this has been the only thing to get the symptoms’ to go away. I plug it in for long car rides and let it do its thing. I highly encourage you to try it. It takes a lot of the guesswork out of massage and recovery. I’m very exited to have it as part of the arsenal to achieve these lofty goals. www.shopcompex.com
So, it’s full-on, head down execute. I’m sure putting lofty goals out in the universe is a chance for some to “nay-say” I say, never let others determine your legacy or outcome. Carpe Diem and bring it!!
1 comment:
Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. ~T.S. Eliot
:)The only thing to worry about is your health... I say that only b/c I just had a scare (still a scare, actually) with my white blood cell count. Is it really low b/c of over-training or b/c of a response to a bad virus or both? Because your very first goal has to do with taking care of your babies, you need to make sure that your health is okay along the way... Have you thought about checking in regularly with your physician to get things like your blood checked, just to make sure you are all is well as you progress toward these goals? You need to make sure you are not merely fit, but also healthy. Just a thought, because what you are doing definitely defies logic, even though I totally get it, and I respect it.
Like the new blog look, btw.
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