Sunday, January 6, 2013

Pushing the (Mental) Boundaries

The biggest barrier we always have to overcome is the mental one.

Whether you want to build a V8 engine, build an 800m tall building, or run a marathon you will only be able to do it if you conquer the mind battle first.  If you can believe it, then you can do it.

I have just finished reading two books that help me to let my mind expand:

Running to Extremes, by Lisa Tamati
Arthur Lydiard: Master Coach, by Arthur Lydiard and Garth Gilmour

Both these books broke the limits of what I had believed about running.  Both these books took down the fence in my mind about my own running possibility.  The fact is, that I don't know what my running possibility is because I haven't experimented enough.

What I do know is that my 'lofty goals' were very mediocre and were based on all that I could conceive at the time.

Now I have read of Lisa running for 37 hours in a race and Arthur Lydiard breaking 3hrs for the marathon at 62yrs old.
Now I have read of Lisa having such tremendous will to run, that she woke up running into trees during a 24hr race.
Now I have read that Arthur Lydiard experimented by running 250miles per week when he was younger.

Now I have read that, I realise that my thinking is limited because I haven't made any more progress towards the edge.

If I have one goal in 2013 (apart from my stated New Years Resolution: To eat more) then it is to go closer to the edge.  Running is a tangible place that I can start.  Now that I know that there is a lot more reserve in our body than I previously assumed, I know that only I can stop me achieving more.  Actually, up until now it was only me stopping me, but I didn't know that.

I believe that success in one area flows to other areas precisely because you train your mind to expand and then work towards your new belief.  For me running is a proving ground for my mind more than my body.

No comments: