The Rock

"Of all boxers it seems to have been Rocky Marciano who trained with the most monastic devotion; his training methods have become legendary. Marciano was willing to seclude himself from the world, including his wife and family, for as long as three months before a fight. Apart from the gruelling physical ordeal of this period and the obsessive preoccupation with diet and weight and muscle tone, Marciano concentrated on one thing; the upcoming fight. Every minute of his life was defined in terms of the opening second of the fight. In his training camp the opponent’s name was never mentioned in Marciano’s hearing, nor was boxing as a subject discussed. In the final month Marciano would not write a letter since a letter related to the outside world. During the last ten days before a fight he would see no mail, take no telephone calls, meet no new acquaintances. During the week before the fight he would not shake hands. Or go for a ride in a car, however brief. No new foods! No dreaming of the morning after the fight! For all that was not the fight had to be excluded from consciousness. When Marciano worked out with a punching bag he saw his opponent before him, when he jogged he saw his opponent close beside him, no doubt when he slept he 'saw' his opponent constantly—as the cloistered monk or nun chooses by an act of fanatical will to 'see' only God."Madness?-or merely discipline?- this absolute subordination of the self. In any case, for Marciano, it worked."
- Joyce Carol Oates "On Boxing"

From Monday, I (and you should too) start Rocky Marciano month and we go a bit monk. 5 weeks of discipline and Spartan living until the deed is done. Like Rocky, we will prepare for a 15 round war. No excuses, no other work commitments, no backtalk from the boss/spouse/parents/voices in your head.

Food will be used for fuel, not pleasure, for the task at hand. Training will be completed with purpose and without complaint. We will calm the mind and channel energies into the body. We will prepare for the week ahead on Sunday, and not wait until the last moment. Coffee will be prepared the night before, as Keeto first advised me, in a cup with sufficient water in the kettle. We will not rush. We will stalk our prey. We will execute.

To date my longest swim has been 3k's, my longest bike 150k's, my longest run a marathon, my biggest training week 18.5 hours (and in the same week that Ben was born - but please don't tell Nats). No speed work has been done, unless you can call 40kph on a flat road for 15k's speedy.

Keeto has now released the plans for the last 5 weeks. The workouts, if one can call them that, are uber-top secret. The SAS would attack a small continent to extract the information. I like to think of them as hurt-outs. They are reminiscent of GI Jane mixed with Best of the Best. There is a picture of Chuck Norris having completed the 5 weeks, weeping.

The Guns are itchy. Law (left leg) & Order (right leg) are getting frisky. My dormant six pack is quivering at the thought.

Never mention the opponent's name,
~RobbyRicc