So I am back in the saddle again and training hard. I am quickly accelerating my training pace with an ambition of shaving off time in my running pace and being able to handle longer distances. I have noticed a few things along the way this time. The big one is that my mind is just in the way. There are two primary reasons.
First – I think too damn much. Seriously, working out, eating right, pushing hard is not rocket science. Sure if I was a world class body builder or a Professional Athlete I might worry about the fraction of a second that I could shave off if I performed a specific type of stretch, or ate a specific food, or determine with exactness how much wind drag I get from one pair of clothes over another. Why am I kidding myself? There is one answer. My mind is using its over analytical desire to think everything through to avoid doing the hard work. Perfect example, woke at 4:45 this morning. Had to get my Wednesday sprint exercises in (8X1000 meter sprints) early so I could make it to the airport in time. I must have sat in my office, wandered around my kitchen, spend too much time getting looking for a headlamp, or a reflective piece of clothing. I was literally ticking the clock away wasting my time trying to over prepare. To make matters worse, when I got to the door to step outside, I suddenly came up with an idea to set my watch with some repeats on it so that I could measure the 1000 meters better.
This is all just mind games. As I noticed that the time now showed 5:30, I had to get moving or I was not going to get even an hour in. So I finally just told my brain to shut the freak up, opened the door and ran outside. I figured out how to measure the sprints on the fly, and I had no problem seeing the bike path. I did not need almost everything that I had thought of that morning. All I needed to do was hit the road and run hard. Come to find out when I was done, I measured almost perfectly. My pace was even, cadence was fine, and split times were great. No technology required, no over thinking, just the ability to overcome mind and get the bleep out the door.
Second – I have a mental limit that is false. Yeah, My brain thinks I can only do so much. I have proven that to be false time and time again. I remember the time when I said that I could never do 400 push-ups consecutively, I could never memorize 400 digits of pi, I could never run a marathon, I could never keep anything up because I was undisciplined. Well totally false. My mind is lying to me. Even now, after I have proved the artificial barriers were completely bogus, I find myself lying to myself to get out of doing hard things. I am not good at this, or I am not good at that. I just could never do that, or this. Whatever it is, the inner primal mind is a big fat liar.
Even when you convince your mind to get started, it will almost always kick in and start setting limits. I am only capable of running around the block and that is it today, I am just too tired. Well, are you going to believe your inner mind when you know full well that its motives are to protect itself at all costs? It is lying to you. When it says it can only go 2, then multiply by 3. It can actually do 6. In fact I am starting to use the multiply by 3 rule. I could not possibly do that, I am just not able, I might be only be able to get 1 of those done. Just multiply by 3 and you are probably closer to the limit. Beating the mental mind barrier is tough work, but necessary for us to lift ourselves to the next level.
This does not just apply to exercise. It applies to everything we do. Overcoming the mind, your own mind, is 90% of the battle. The struggle is never as bad as the mind makes you want to believe. So listen to what your mind is saying, and then tell it to get out of the way while you get to work.
Guy Reams
