Monday, July 06, 2009

The mind.....

is a terrible thing to waste. Yeah is sounds very cliche but I do have a point to make.

Yesterdays post had been brewing in my mind for a couple of days as I completed my training for the Double Mussel in two weeks. The Fourth of July weekend presented some final training days that provided some important feedback on my readiness for the race.

Friday I rode a brick with the high school girls Aimee, Sara and I are working with. I followed that up with a fantastic 2 hour hill ride that left my legs tired.

Saturday Aimee and I ran in the Medina YWCA Twin Sizzler 10k. Despite my tired legs I had a great run breaking 40 minutes for the first time in 5 years.

But it was more than just my physical fitness that is in top form.

Mentally I am at a level that I have not been before. Six years in the making I have reached a mental awareness and toughness that is helping me push further and deeper than before.

Two thoughts keep running through my mind:

"I can do anything for 20 minutes." Mark Durno

"Push the Mind, and the Body Will Follow" Eric Banks.

These I have learned from two great friends and will be with me at every race or training day.


Professional and world class athletes develop this early on or just have this mental capacity from the beginning. For others it takes longer to develop due to many circumstances that a average person must deal with day to day. Some people never find it....and that is when it becomes a terrible waste.

During and after the 10k on Saturday, especially after I crossed the finish line and tried not to puke or pass out, I realized what a powerful entity the mind it. My mind has helped me accomplish some great things this year. I may be six years older than when I started to seriously train for triathlon, but I sure don't feel any older.

Game On

3 comments:

Mel-2nd Chances said...

I've done a lot of mental training during my injuries, now that I'm crossing into the triathlon training world, and back to training, I'm hoping it's paid off :D I know I've come a long way from before, wonder if it's enough. Great post!

Christi said...

Great post! I hope you have a great race!

Dan said...

So true. Have a great race... I mean, double race!