Mentally challenged???......

More and more I am beginning to realize that running is more mental than physical. Now obviously if you have an injury that's a different story, but all things being equal the mind is stronger than the body. Now understand that I am talking as a complete novice since I haven't, as of yet, run anything over 10 miles. There have been very few times that I have not been able to run because of my physical state. As a matter of fact I almost always feel better once I run, but give me a bad attitude and it's crippling! I am too tired today, it's too hot, it's too early, I need the rest, blah blah blah!!!! Rationalization, I am the king of it! The first mile of my runs, I swear, is a constant battle with myself. Luckily, or I should say usually the runner in me wins!! If not, I am misserable!

So let hear it for positive thoughts. YEA!!!! The one that keeps me going is the feeling of that last step in my upcoming marathon, crossing the finish line, and that I did it smile on my face. Another thought that keeps me going is, my pain is temporary. There are many, many people whose pain isn't. A friend of mine lost his battle with non-Hodkins lymphoma years ago and during his first round of radiation he had blisters form in his mouth. They were so bad that his wife could not cook in the house because he would salivate and the pain was unbearable. That fact has helped me get through many training runs.

Keep up the good work and put those miles in.... especially when you don't feel like it!!

interesting fact:

The Amazon River pushes so much water into the Atlantic Ocean that, more than one hundred miles at sea off the mouth of the river, one can dip fresh water out of the ocean.

Bob