Motivation

Nothing, NOTHING, is as important as motivation when it comes to getting fit. With enough motivation everything will fall into place eventually. Without it, all the science in the world won't help you. This, above all else, is the main piece of advise I try and give my clients. If you stay psyched you'll make progress. It's pretty much that simple.

This morning I re-read "Lance and the Dipped in Ding-dong Doodle Down in Dixie," Bob Roll's account of Lance's now famous training camp in North Carolina. This camp came on what was, reportedly (at least in LA's "It's Not About The Bike"), the pinnacle of The Texan's decision as to whether he would continue to be a bike racer or quit. He had recently left the peloton in Europe and was milling around Austin trying to decide what he wanted to do with his life. Apparently, these camps were either going to re-stoke his motivation or kill it.

From Bobke's account he seems pretty stoked right off the bat. I suppose this is how Armstrong always does things, a 100% effort or nothing. There were there to train, all day every day, rain or shine. And that's what they did. This happened well before he'd won a Tour de France; a probably before he'd even thought it possible to do such a thing. All he was doing was training like a madman to see how much progress he could make on a wattage meter is short period of time. Bobke's account showed clearly what sets the Texan apart from everyone else. Compared to Roll, a seasoned pro, the level of desire and commitment is night and day. Lance does everything, train, plan, eat, recover, like a man possessed. You can't help but feel lazy. Bobke's doing the training with him and even he feels lazy by comparison.

No one was more motivated than Armstrong; and that's why he won (well, there's talent but all of his competitors had that too). Reading this stuff always motivates me to do more. Because, like Floyd Landis says, you can always do more. No matter how tired, how sore, how sick or bored or in pain you are, you can always do more. And this leads to his mantra of "...who trains the hardest and the most wins."

Reading this motivated me to jump on the hippie bike for 4 hours of climbing intervals in the heat. I've been training for heat lately. It's been almost impossible not to. But that's a different topic.