obligation, done at a breakneck pace that the two of them inflicted on
themselves.
It is a testament to their affection for each other that their
marriage survived. Victoria was at least aware of the deleterious
effects all this work had on Albert. She wrote of the consequences of
his “over-love of business” on their relationship, and she also noticed
that his health was flagging. His racing mind kept him awake at
night, his stomach cramped, and his skin drooped.
Instead of listening to these warning signs, he soldiered on for
years, working harder and harder, forcing his body to comply. And
then, suddenly, in 1861, it quit on him. His strength failed. He drifted
into incoherency, and at 10:50 p.m. on December 14, Albert took his
three final breaths and died. The cause? Crohn’s disease, exacerbated
by extreme stress. He had literally worked his guts out.
Modern medicine has hardly saved us from these tragedies. In
Japan they have a word, karōshi, which translates to death from
overwork. In Korean it’s gwarosa.
Is that what you want to be? A workhorse that draws its load until
it collapses and dies, still shod and in the harness? Is that what you
were put on this planet for?
Remember, the main cause of injury for elite athletes is not
tripping and falling. It’s not collisions. It’s overuse. Pitchers and
quarterbacks throw out their arms. Basketball players blow out their
knees. Others just get tired of the grinding hours and the pressure.
Michael Phelps prematurely ended his swimming career due to
burnout—despite all the gold medals, he never wanted to get in a
pool again. It’s hard to blame him either; he’d put everything,
including his own sanity and health, second to shaving seconds off
his times.
Meanwhile, Eliud Kipchoge, possibly the greatest distance runner
ever to live, actively works to make sure he is not overworking. In
training, he deliberately does not give his full effort, saving that
instead for the few times per year when he races. He prefers instead
to train at 80 percent of his capacity—on occasion to 90 percent—to
maintain and preserve his longevity (and sanity) as an athlete. When
Michael Phelps came back to swimming after his breakdown in 2012,
barry
(Barry)
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