RINSING YOUR CHEESE:
ANATOMY OF SUPER-DISCIPLINE
“Only super-efforts count.” ~ G.I. Gurdjieff
Widely considered to be one of the most difficult one-day sporting events in the world, an Ironman Triathlon format consists of a 2.4-mile (3.86 km) swim, a 112-mile (180.25 km) bicycle ride and a marathon 26.2-mile (42.2 km) run, raced in that order and without a break within a strict time limit of 17 hours. The word “triathlon” is of Greek origin from τρεῖς or treis (“three”) and ἆθλος or athlos (“sport”).[i]
Meet Dave Scott, a U.S. triathlete and the first six-time Ironman Triathlon Hawaii Champion (1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, and 1987).[ii] During peak training times, his highly regimented routine included cycling 75 miles, swimming 5,000 meters and running up to 20 miles every single day. In order to win six world championships, Dave Scott followed a highly strict training routine and continued to refine and make tweaks to it to achieve optimal performance.
He was continually searching for a series of small marginal gains which would combine to produce a larger impact on his performance. It is reported that in his bid for super-discipline, Dave Scott took his training regimen a few notches higher and use to rinse his cottage cheese with water to get extra fat off. Obviously a man who burned at least 5,000 calories a day in training had no problem with some extra fat. However, he believed that this was one in series of other small steps that he believed will make him just that much better and enable him to reach his peak performance.
What is even more remarkable is that, while training for triathlons, Dave Scott followed a strict vegetarian diet.[iii]
This is then the anatomy of super-discipline: hone on your core competencies with the fervor of an athlete, train incessantly like a [peaceful] warrior, and continue to look for small marginal gains to achieve optimal performance. This is the master key to triumph in any endeavor—in the personal as well as professional realm.
Regarding his legacy, Dave Scott is steadfast:
“I’m always introduced as ‘Dave Scott, six-time Ironman world champion,’” Dave Scott told The Times recently. “I’ll probably have that tattooed on my gravestone.”[iv]
We bow to excellence in any form or shape, as a manifestation of the Divine Energy (vibhuti).
[i] Jeff Matlow, Tiredathlon. USA Triathlon Life, Winter 2011, 101.
[ii] Jimmy Watson, Ironman Dave Scott knows what will be on his tombstone, The Times, August 2, 2015. Retrieved November 24, 2015: http://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/sports/2015/07/31/ironman-dave-scott-knows–tombstone/30933751/
[iii] See Dave Scott (triathlete) entry on Wikipedia. Retrieved November 24, 2015: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Scott_(triathlete)
[iv] Jimmy Watson, Ironman Dave Scott knows what will be on his tombstone, The Times, August 2, 2015. Retrieved November 24, 2015: http://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/sports/2015/07/31/ironman-dave-scott-knows–tombstone/30933751/
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