Would you have gone for the Win or settled for a Draw? (SA vs INdia Test)

Many Sportsmen would be prepared to die trying for something as big as what was on offer at the Wanderers yesterday.

So why did South Africa settle for a Draw when History & Greatness beckoned?

It must be remembered that there are dozens of opportunities to win Test Matches (Series), but in a player’s life you are lucky to be presented with a glimmer of an opportunity to achieve something extraordinary; to do something no other team has done in 136 years of Test Cricket; to go down as the Greatest SA Test Team ever and arguably the best in the world too.

I read a comment from somebody within the Proteas set-up that said we would have been crucified if we had lost. Perhaps there belies the problem, a fear of failure after all the disappointments in the One Day Arena.

“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”- Muhammad Ali

What did they have to lose? They stood to lose a Test and at worse a Series, if they failed to win in Durban. They would still have their #1 World Ranking, they would have been able to say at least we went down fighting. I can guarantee you one thing and that is that every single team member will ask themselves time and time again, “What if?”

In the heat of the battle I can only assume that they only thought of the consequences of a Loss and very little thought was given to the fact that there was a once in a lifetime opportunity to become cricketing legends. True greatness comes from being prepared to risk it all, ask many of the world’s sporting legends and they will tell you so.

Most Australian Test sides would have gone for the win, especially the great ones! (If they could have done what SA did to get back into the game, a remarkable achievement in its own right)

In 99% of Test Matches abandoning the run chase for the safety of a draw may well have been the right option, but this was that 1 in a 100 opportunity, perhaps a 1 in a Million opportunity to achieve something no other team had ever achieved before. This was ‘Man on the Moon’ stuff, or “Sub 4 minute mile” territory if you like, it would have been a record like no other, but now it is gone forever.

When I did the FNB Wines to Whales MTB stage race last month, I asked Isuzu Brand Ambassador Sibusiso Vilane (Summited Everest twice) if he was enjoing himself. His response was “Anything I do where there is no fear of death is enjoyable!” That said a lot about a man who scales mountains and is prepared to look death in the eye, in pursuit of his Goals.

In this Test vs India, if we had lost nobody would have died, so why not try to achieve something you will in all likelihood, never, ever have an opportunity to achieve again in your career or lifetime? Greatness comes to those who are prepared to risk it all, but that is seemingly just not cricket!

“If winning isn’t everything, why do they keep score?”- Vince Lombardi

A few possible reasons why the Proteas didn’t go for the win:

1. Can the Coaching Staff afford a Loss with so much at stake? (I say this with respect to Russell Domingo and Adrian Birrell, as this would apply to any new coaching staff.)
2. Are the Proteas comfortable with their #1 World Ranking?
3. The team had worked hard to turn around an almost certain loss into a potential win and were seemingly not prepared to risk it at the end?
4. Safety first even though Greatness beckoned?
5. Because this is Cricket and we played for an honourable Draw.
6. Indian Cricket Board rule the World? (tongue in cheek)

I am the first to admit I am not a Cricketer and don’t know a great deal about Test Cricket, so my comments may be totally off cue here, but the beauty of sport is that we can voice our opinion and I felt like voicing mine. I also recognise and applaud the team’s immense fightback, led by the likes of Vernon Philander, Faf Du Plessis and AB De Villiers.

I also believe that you Play for a Draw when there is no chance of victory, but when the opportunity presented itself?

Use it or Lose it!

The Battle of the Mind!

This morning I hopped on my MTB and rode up to the NMMU grass track for a run workout. I struggled to get going and to get out of the front door and initially I went on a detour via the Cape Receife Lighthouse trying to motivate myself. I arrived at the track and just sat there, all alone under the baking sun and with a gentle breeze causing the leaves to rustle…. I was not in the right frame of mind and I almost turned back before I even got there and once there I almost packed up and returned home.

I had nobody to account to, there was nobody checking to see if I was present, to monitor my times…. so I just sat there, it was quiet, it was serene and I witnessed an almighty battle, an epic battle within my mind. My negative mind (Mr No Good) was trying to overcome my positive mind (Mr Be Good), it was a battle for supremacy far bigger than many others that get fought out within the confines of the sporting engine room. This was more than ‘tomorrow is another day’, this battle got very personal as Mr No Good let me know in no uncertain terms that I was getting older, that I was carrying excess weight, that I wasn’t as fit as I should be and that I wouldn’t be ready for #IMSA70.3 in 40 days time.

It seemed like eternity and truth be told it was at least 30 minutes of deliberations. Each year it does get tougher and I’ve had a few good sporting years, but it is no longer about me and my personal goals…. it is about being an example to my children, it is about aspiring to inspire others, so I was trying to find a way rather than listening to Mr No Good manufacturing another excuse.

I sat there, I listened to my inner voice/s, I witnessed Mr Be Good and Mr No Good fight for supremacy and it would have been much easier to take the easy way out, but I eventually decided to get started and before I knew it I had completed the ten intervals required of me. I had turned my back on what my son calls easy and comfortable and what some people call common sense and it is amazing that once you get going and once you are committed, the task at hand becomes immeasurably easier.

IM requires mental fortitude

The ride home was exhilirating, not because I had run fast (they were quite slow to be honest), not because I had completed the session, but because I had got out the door and got started. Because I had won another mental battle, a battle that was a lot bigger than normal and in the heat of competition you are faced with many, many choices that have to be answered instantaneously…..choices like “Do I keep pushing, or do I slow down?” and you want your mind to be on auto pilot in those circumstances, because if you falter, if you let Mr No Good get the edge you are done and dusted and the opposition are racing off into the distance.

Today’s inner victory was worth a dozen key training sessions and this is the one area that most Ironman athletes need to work on, in an effort to be prepared for the mental battles and the choices that will shape our destiny. When I did a double brick workout with Raynard Tissink, preparing for IMSA 2010 and 2011, I didn’t do 2 x (60km bike followed by 4 x 1 mile) because I felt like it, or enjoyed it, I did it because it calloused my mind and my body for a mental battle that would last all of ten hours.

You can’t prepare for that type of battle doing one hour sessions and you need to realise that on race day, in the heat of the battle you will be faced with many choices, your own mind and that little inner voice is going to question your fortitude, your mental toughness and you had better be prepared for it if you want to achieve your goals. So when you are faced with what seems like a trivial choice of ‘should I or shouldn’t I?’ in training, best you opt for the former and start training your mind, so that when you are fatigued and you are relying on the memory recall button, your mind knows not to throw in the towel.

Today was a basic session comprising 10 x 200m intervals with a 100m jog and the session itself was easy, but the true benefit was in the battle of my mind, because today could have been so different. So too could Ironman!

YES, you Can, you Will, you Want to!!

IMSA 70.3 Bike Route & Tapering

If you are a novice & participating in the IMSA 70.3 in East London, I would highly recommend that you familiarise yourself with what the bike route entails (link below):

http://ridewithgpsroutes.com//846560

Some tips regarding Bike Route/Training: 

1. It’s a steady (undulating) climb all the way to the turn around, so pace yourself and save something for the return trip and especially the 21km run.

2. Do not push (overdo it) the long, tough climb up to Hemingways. This is one climb that could destroy your day if you try smash it.

3. Try drive over the bike route to visualise what is in store for you, alternatively check out the gradients on the attached map.

4. Incorporate Hill Training into your weekly plan and do some hills in a slightly bigger gear to build strength/power. (NB: gradually adapt your training)

5. To run 21km after a 90k bike, implies a need for endurance so best you do some 90km+ rides in training, thereby ensuring the 90km doesn’t sap all of your energy.

6. Practise your Nutrition on your long rides and try drink/eat just after the top of a hill or on the flatter sections as your Heart Rate will be lower.

7. Don’t forget to do a few Bricks, which means running after a bike session. Example ride 60km, followed by a 20-30 min run. (also practice your transition)

Here is an article I wrote on Tapering for 70.3, worthwile reading now and then again closer to race day. http://ironmansa.com/2013/01/07/tapering-for-ironman-or-ironman-70-3/

For those doing Ironman 2014, here is a link to the new bike route: http://ridewithgps.com/trips/2081464

YES, you Can, you Will, you Want to!!

New IMSA Bike Route

Uploading this has been as challenging as riding the course itself, but here is the link to the all new Ironman South Africa bike route. http://ridewithgps.com/trips/2081464

This is the 3rd time I’ve ridden it and I guess a little less winter excess together with some improved fitness has made it easier each time, but make no mistake this is going to be a beast, although a Westerly would make our task that much easier.

Yesterday we had a Westerly but previously we endured the beasterly easterly, which we definitely want to avoid on race day. The link provides a map, the elevations, as well as a playback option with varying speeds.

One lap is alright albeit tough, but my concern is the accumulative fatigue which will build incessantly throughout and particularly as we do the hilly loop a second time. However, if you are well prepared (we have 14 weeks) all will be fine, so ensure you do your long rides, your hill repeats and some big gear work and try and avoid burning too many matches on the hills early  on. (You may need to change your gear ratios too)

YES, you Can, you Will, you Want to!!