Mind versus the body

The mind is like water, necessary for survival and productivity. But can just as easily drown out that likelihood of success.

I can confidently tell you you’ve never seen your body’s limitations; what you’ve seen is the limitations of your mind.

When you’re tired or uncomfortable, weak or unsure, these things start as fear being planted in your brain and attempting to grow roots. Looking to acquire the real estate that exists between your ears. It is a powerful source. It can manipulate you, your reality, anyone and everyone around you, but it only exists with your permission, and we’re not always cognizant that we’ve opened the gate and let it in. That’s the crazy part. Oh, but we do.

Subconsciously or not, it’s the reason you haven’t gone as far as you can go, pushed as hard as you possibly can because, at some point, fear stood between you and what you want. At some point, you started asking yourself if you have gone too far.

Look it doesn’t matter if its athletics, or rugby or business or anything, when things become uncomfortable or it hurts fear always shows its face. It’s not because you're dragging your leg on the floor or your knee gave out, it’s not because you can't go on, it's because those thoughts trickle into your mind about being unable to finish. What if I can't handle this? I don’t usually go this far. Am I pushing harder than I usually do? Is this right? Is this dangerous? Is it over the top?

These thoughts are the seed of destruction. A virus.

There’s a saying in Naval Special Operations that when your mind tells you you're done when you feel maxed out, you are only at 40% capacity. You haven’t even scratched the surface. Value isn’t obtained until, in one way or another, you can realize this and push the panic and the anxiety back underground.

You’re not stopping because you can't go on; you're stopping because of the “what ifs” and the worst-case scenarios. You're stopping because you're preconditioned to stay within boundaries. That seed has grown into concerns about the world conspiring against you, but the body does not control the mind; the mind dictates what the body does.

The thing about life is that we all have narratives; we all have stories that we believe in, and that's why it’s crucial. Everything that happens to or around you will be moulded into your narrative. If you see something as crazy far-fetched or impossible, life will be nothing more than evidence of that belief; the pain will be a wall 10 feet high.

The old saying is: seek, and you shall find. What you look for is what you get. Expect greatness, and the body will listen. Your world will conform. That’s why believing is being. The body it executes. Loyal to every belief. You’ll always be what you decide to be.

Runner's Creed

Let me tell you something you already know.

The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows

It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it.

Nothing is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you are hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward...

This is my run. There are many others like it, but this one is mine!

My run is my haven. It is my life, and I must master it as I must master my life.

Without me, my run is nothing! Without my run, I am nothing!

I must run its roads true; I must run faster than the stress of the world that is working to drag me down. 

I must outrun stress before it overruns me. 

I will. I swear this creed.

My run and I are defenders of my sanity. 

We are the masters of my body.

We are the saviours of my life.

So be it. 

Until victory is mine, and nothing remains but peace.

Running - Are YOU in for 💯?

Marathon running is a sport of goodwill. It's the only sport in the world where if a competitor falls, the others around will pick him or her up. 

It's the only sport in the world open to absolutely everyone, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity or any other division you can think of. 

It's the only occasion when thousands of people assemble, often in major cities like Pretoria, Johannesburg or Cape Town, for a reason that is totally peaceful, healthy and well-meaning. 

It's the only sport in the world where no one ever bosses anybody. 

BUT...

Running isn't a sport for pretty boys with visions of grandeur. 

It’s about the sweat in your hair and the blisters on your feet. 

It’s the frozen spit on your chin and nausea in your gut. 

It’s about throbbing calves and cramps at midnight that are strong enough to wake the dead.

It’s about getting out the door and running even when the rest of the world is only dreaming about having the passion that you need to live each and every day. 

It’s about being on a lonely road and running like a champion even when there’s not a soul in sight to cheer you on. 

Running is about having the desire to train and persevere until every fibre in your legs, mind, and heart is turned to steel. 

And when you’ve finally forged hard enough, you will have become the best runner that you can be. 

And that’s all you can ask for.

That’s what running does to lives. 

It's not just exercise. 

It's not just an achievement. 

It's a daily discipline that has nothing to do with speed, weight, social status, sexual orientation, political affiliation, where you live, what car you drive, or whether anyone anywhere loves you. 

It's about the slow and painful process of being the best you can be. 

That's why the first step out the door is always so hard. 

That's when we choose between settling for average and being a superhero version of ourselves.