I have been kicking around with some friends as of late the concept of motivation in competition when relating to our fellow competitors. It is an odd and interesting topic. As endurance athletes, we often speak about how our motivation comes from being better than ourselves, and seeking to find our own limits. That all sounds good and there is truth in it. After watching this sport for 30 plus years however, I think I can say that one of the first tools a competitive athlete picks up to get their ass out the door is the hammer of what the other guy is doing.
Our egos get real fragile when someone who has trained their ass off and executed well on race day beats us fair and square. Particularly when we have established some belief that we are supposed to be better than them. We can see that they earned it, but like a pebble in the heel of a shoe, it rubs us a bit. Smile, shake hands, congratulate them, even enjoy that they are deserved of something they have earned … but we feel that discord.
I think that is divinely human and beautiful actually. Particularly when channeled correctly. I mean if you go an smack your fellow skater in the leg with a crowbar, that ain’t cool but if you use that chaffing of your ego to dig in, and use that as a method to improve … well, amen to that.
Interestingly, while physical abilities wane with age, the friction that person to person competition does not. How people react to that raw rub varies of course. For some they leave the sport because they don’t want to face what they can’t do any more. For others they remain driven. And all the shades in between.
One friend of mine recently pointed out where they stood on the list of all time performances in a certain race. They said they saw the names above them and they got a little angry. Another said that they knew they got beat by such and such guy in a race last year and that while they were psyched for him, they were pissed because any other day he’d be left far behind. Lots of stories like that.
I recall talking to Scott Elliott about Pikes. After winning the race a few times, he had some life events that left him unmotivated and he walked away from the race for several years. Then one year as someone watching the race he watched it won in a time that he determined was “too slow.” He had not run a step in three years from what he told me. And then he came back the next year to take second. That not being good enough, he came back the next year to win it.
Carpenter’s record at Pikes came after a year where he lead to the summit, passed out for a few minutes to give up the lead to Meija. He stumbled down the mountain to take second but was driven for the next year to put that performance to the right. After running up the mountain in 2:01 (its own record for the Ascent), he crushed the down – running scared that Meija was going to catch him. 75 minutes later he reached the line in Manitou and with a 3:16 CR.
There are probably the few of us who can achieve our best just on our own accord. Most I met can’t. Most of us only get to our best when we are driven by our peers, our communities, our families, our friends, competitors, rivals and even enemies.
By the way, I sit at 667 on the performance list of Pikes Marathoners.
Looks like I am going to make the Saturday show of Scott’s movie.
Afternoon: A couple of laps on Sanitas with Jeff. I don’t think I have been on Sanitas in nearly 2 years. I messed up starting the watch on the second lap but, 7.6 miles. JV was gentle on me. Good to get out with him, shoot the crap and start to ease into some vertical. In the first five days of March, I did more vertical than all of February.
NSFW but pretty funny from JV: Evolution of the Lifting Man. If I had time, I’d have to do something like that for runners.
JV also clued me into this moron proving that no good deed goes unpunished.
KZ got her letter jacket tonight.
SAT standards are changing. Probably won’t impact KZ but will hit JZ.
A former Leadville champ (and PPA champ in the same year) signed with Hoka. I guess my open slot went quick.
Awesome post.
ReplyDeleteOther Carpenter examples: Leadville and the NF50.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt, the story of Carpenter is one that is riddled with failure and then incredible success. The dude WALKED the last 30+ miles of Leadville his first time doing it. And then came back and set the course record.
ReplyDeleteI thought kids in this area took the ACT. Either way, those tests are BS...
ReplyDeleteYeah, I thought so too, but it seems that while SAT is right coast and ACT is left coast we get the joy and burden of both here in the middle.
ReplyDeleteI am tempted to get the GOM on and say that a college education - particularly with the explosion of the internet - is highly overvalued / over priced these days and not worth it for most kids, but that might be a post for another day.
Probably true for a lot of fields. Depending on what you want to do though I would say that a degree is pretty much necessary. Not that you necessarily need the education to do the job, but the degree is a requirement to get the job in the first place. Doctors/nurses come to mind - even if you proved you had all the knowledge and skills there is no way you would get hired without the paper that says you are qualified.
DeleteThere certainly are a lot of fields where it is a requirement. But not as nearly as much as folks are led to believe.
DeleteSpeaking to college... My only regret about dropping out of college was that I didn't do it sooner. I secretly hope Ben and Oliver do what I did and travel when they're young. One of my class mates from high school went to a vocational school and got a 2 year degree in communications (I think) and is now making ~$200,000 working for Verizon.
ReplyDeleteThis is a long video... a Tedtalks by Mike Rowe. Worth the watch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRVdiHu1VCc
Good vid, thanks for the pointer. Sheep balls in the teeth. Holy crap.
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