I've often thought of t as a swimming coach and me competing in a long distance swim.
I used to swim competitively in high school and our coach would walk along the deck to help pace us. So I see t as my coach, helping pace me along the deck. T can yell encouragement, tell me to speed up, slow down, watch my "form" etc. I am the one in the pool and the only one who can do the work. I can choose to listen to t or ignore it. But my choices affect the outcome of the race and only I can be responsible for the choices I make in the pool.