With Fire Comes Smoke

One last note. On the ever expanding topic of ACQ, one’s Athletic Character Quotient. This morning in our hump-day 0530 indoor cycling ritual, with the current drill the intimidating and intriguing Super Eight protocol, we had a new kid in class. He appeared to be very fit, maybe 50, and an accomplished cyclist. I walked him through the basics of the equipment, the heads-up display and read him the standard disclaimer, our version of Miranda. Satisfied that he understood (the chances of needing an attorney appointed to him) we saddled up and I hit the play icon on my trusty iPad. 

We ride through the opening warm up and hit the ground spinning with the opening set of 5 reps (30 seconds at 85% of max - with 90 seconds of recover.) And then, as protocol demands, a 5 minute block of highly controlled and focused mayhem in the groove zone. Abbreviated as GZSS, Grove Zone Sweet Spot. This is where it always gets interesting. The ‘joys’ in the adequate description of an obscure concept. I challenge you here and now to a duel. Provide three sentences that do justice to the idea of GZSS. I will make it easy on ya, your definition doesn’t even have to be about cycling. It can be anything; music, literature, art, soccer, dog breeding, sailing, the hit and run, reviewable pass interference, religion, Mitch McConnell (he doesn’t have one), recreational marijuana, Roe vs Wade, Bosnia or Horticulture. 

But it must contain elements of, as I mentioned this morning: Everything good (exactly why Mitch has no clue). It must have, in relative and appropriate proportions to the individual, parts of:

Sincere effort.

Speed and power.

Efficiency and stamina. 

Relaxed focus.

Joy, balance and harmony.

Rhythm.

Pace.

Meaning.

Purpose.

Frequency and amplitude.

Force and energy.

Grace and elan.

Gumption and bravado.

Hi and Ho.

Here and now.

Gratitude and forgiveness.

Intrinsic and extrinsic.

Hot and cold. 

Peace, love and hope. 

Infatuation.

Kluge and impedimenta. 

Attitude.

Appreciation. 

And the one additional element I added today, specifically for the benefit of the new kid: A heapin’-helpin’ of suffering. It has to challenge. It must be outside of your current comfort zone. It must raise your heart rate and cause a cooling system overload. It needs intensity to be of high value. It must be all the good that you can bring to this equation. It must be super. Super YOU. As that relates to the character of your inner athlete and its outer manifestation. Much as knowledge is to wisdom or music to joy. 

Yes sir, all of that is in the GZSS. And our ability to constantly and with brutal honesty access and manage the real-time results of our efforts in the golden zone of dynamic flow. Which directly becomes our ACQ. Or, as the many that have gone before us in search of these same definitive answers have said, perhaps more succinctly…

With fire comes smoke.