SuperZeros

One thing I have been thinking about for a long time is our ever-increasing thirst for all things extreme in amateur athletics. I really am not sure if it is natural. I have done some self reflecting on this, believe me. I don’t want to come off as a hater.

It is I who sometimes can’t sleep because my right shoulder hurts from mountain bike trauma. It is I who can’t feel anything on the top of my right knee due to nerve damage from a dropped weight. I have broken and cracked bones in bike crashes… mostly off-road and alone. High risk? Indeed! I have frantically hammered in a snow picket at 17,000+ feet in the Andes after walking across the “snow bridge of death.” But all of this pales in comparison to what I see nowadays.

Everyone wants to run a marathon, adventure race, ride a century, or more. Try ultra runs. Try multiday adventure racing. Try Ironmans. Try a deca-ultratriathlon. That's right... 38K swim, 1800K bike, and 422K run. The men's world record is 192 h 8 m 26 s, and the women's WR is five hours FASTER!!! And on it goes. Now we even have the Warrior Dash and Tough Mudder and a host of other novelty races for those who can't find enough challenge in just running. 

People are crazy. It used to work like this… people did activities realizing they MAY encounter risk, hardship and injury. Activities where the ever-present risk was death were left for the nut jobs. Now there are legions of free climbers. There are people flying under bridges in wingsuits. Office jockeys pay two years salary for a guide up Everest. A mother of three “abandons” her family to train for an Ironman. A father of five “abandons” his family to train for an Ultra run. People leave families to train. People quit their jobs to train. They plaster their cars with 13.1 and 26.2 and Ironman logos and 70.3. And on and on THAT goes.  

But a closer look may point to a natural origin to all of this. Some people may chalk the adrenaline craze up to hypercompetitive people. But human beings are not naturally HYPERcompetitive. We are naturally spiritual and seeking. Consider what a Yosemite Park Ranger once said in an interview… “Climbing is not overtly competitive, but it certainly is competitive in a lot of ways. It's not a place, perhaps, to be competitive because people will get killed. It's also seen as more of a spiritual thing. It's a very real experience - a spiritual, inward experience - so people talk about it less. It goes around the parking lot - it gets around - but it doesn't tend to get as publicized in the media as much as other exploits."

Author and psychology PHD Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has written a few books about what he calls “flow.” Most of us know this state of being as “in a zone.” When a basketball player can’t miss a shot. When a skater lands every jump softly and smoothly. When a runner or bicycle rider is at their redline, but comfortably performing there for extended periods with little distress. When a bowler rolls a 300. Flow is spiritual in nature. In flow, you have purpose. In flow, you have satisfaction. Bruce Lee was famous for making the spiritual statements. My favorite has always been “When the opponent expands, I contract. When he contracts, I expand. And when there is an opportunity, I do not hit--it hits all by itself.”

So, perhaps what we are looking for in this world of extremes is a spiritual moment with ourselves, and perhaps God, if you are so inclined. Maybe we confuse the adrenaline rush with the spiritual rush… of being close to self… close to God… close to our purpose. I think that is more the case. One can find the rush of peak performance in the simplest of tasks. For, after all, Csikszentmihalyi points out in his books that even mundane activities can be broken into a complex series of interdependent performances. To perform at your highest level, to be spiritually connected with yourself and/or with God in the moment, you have to get so many things just right. I can run 6 miles right now. But can I do easily? With perfect form? With rhythmic breathing that soothes me? With awareness to my surroundings, yet a disconnection from them? Immersed completely in the moment, second, millisecond… of each step. Does the world become a slow motion event in which I am the key player? THAT is being in the zone, in flow. You almost HAVE to be there if you are doing a high risk activity. But you do not have to be there in your everyday activity. So I submit it may be HARDER to get there when nothing is on the line but your greater satisfaction.

So, how do we grapple with the growing legions of common men and women who suddenly think they are great athletes? Who obtain glory at the expense of family, career, or even health? Who advertise their greatness on their car windows as if anyone else really gives a rip or that it matters at all? In short, I don’t know. I don’t like any of this, actually. I used to have the roads and trails and mountains to myself. Now I feel like I am on an ant farm and the majority of ants either are incompetent and/or have a death wish. Maybe that is the answer… that people are going to further extremes to distance themselves from the throngs of idiots? I still do not know.

What I do know is that none of this matters. None of the events, accomplishments, trophies, personal bests, records… nothing. These are all self-indulgent things.  There are very few athletes I admire and want to emulate. The ones that stand out try to give as much as they take from the sport. The race leader who stops for a fallen competitor and gives up the chance to win (Jan Ullrich, TDF 2003). A great performer in any sport that mentors younger players (Annika Sorenstam). Anyone performing at the highest levels and still having fun (the Harlem Globetrotters, Usain Bolt).

So, the next time you set a goal to be what I call a SuperZero, ask yourself why. I suppose it is okay to do it for yourself. Jan Ullrich famously said "My motivation doesn't come from rivals, but because I love cycling. That's what motivates me…. I don't get my motivation by putting the picture of my rival on the mirror" Modern translation? "Don’t hate the player, hate the game!" But why not look for a loftier purpose?   

The moment of victory is much too short to live for that and nothing else.

– Martina Navratilova, tennis player

If all I’m remembered for is being a good basketball player, then I’ve done a bad job with the

rest of my life.

– Isiah Thomas

I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself.

– Mikhail Baryshnikov

I've had a few interesting discussions about this over the years, believe me. I have figured out a few things in life. I am lucky in that regard. But this area is a tough one for me. I suppose I could offer my own tips on how to "excel" at whatever you do in a sporting sense. These 7 tips may work for you. They may not. But I would say if you follow them, you will not feel unhappiness about what you do. You will not feel pressure. You will never lose. And maybe most importantly, you will never quit. When it comes to sports and athletic endeavors...

1. Pick something you love and do it for that reason, and PRIMARILY that reason. Nothing beats the power and purity of love. You aren't doing your activity for any reason other than to DO it. Once you let other factors, goals, and reasons gain importance you risk everything. Love never fails, and you will never fail at something you love. 
2. Pick something you can do often and easily. If you can't you will eventually quit, which is the worst feeling in the world.
3. Set goals relative to yourself and nobody else. As soon as you start comparing yourself to others you are a loser. All records will be broken. All the greats will be eclipsed. You need only master yourself.
4. Share those goals and achievements with nobody but your spouse, or only with those who ask or who are closest to you. Or with God. The reason for this is people are haters unless they love you. And even then, people who love you can be down right discouraging. They don't understand, and you can't make them. 
5. Don't put any activity ahead of the health of your immediate household. Family and relationships first. No exceptions.
6. Master the fundamentals and remaster them and remaster them again and again. The devil and the joy is in the details. Drill down to those details and become a master again and again.
7. You will never master the fundamentals. But if you are ever arrogant enough to think you've mastered them, pick a new sport.