WHY RUN? SELF-BELIEF!! IS IT WORTH IT!!

“Why run is a question often asked” “Why go out there every afternoon and beat out your brains? What is the logic of punishing yourself each day, of striving to become better, more efficient, tougher?” “The value in it is what you learn about yourself. In this sort of situation all kinds of qualities come out – things that you may not have seen in yourself before.”

Start every day with a positive thought about your goals for the day, for the week, and for the summer! Start every run with a positive idea about what you are going to do for that run… don’t focus or dread how far or where it is, or the weather…just tell yourself something good about what you are doing or going to do! Start every END OF A RUN with a positive thing that you feel you did well on your run!!

Through running, Steve Prefontaine discovered not only who he was but also who and what he wanted to be. And what he wanted to be, he let everyone know was tough! “Sometimes I wonder if punishing myself to the limits is really worth the pain I have to pay.” He confided to his diary following a tough workout in October 1971. “All I can say is it better be.”

That fundamental question – Is it worth it? – recurred again and again in Pre’s mind, speech, and in his writings. Pre-kept putting himself in situations where this question was bound to come up – because he feared and loathed the thought of being defeated by the unpleasantness even more. “Despite his pain and fear, he said in essence, “Bring it on!”

Pre-learned very early in his running career that winning was not the reward that made all the fear and pain worthwhile. Rather, it was self-discovery. 

Self-belief cannot be manufactured through obsessive yearning toward one’s goals or through the elimination of all “distractions.” In fact, it requires the opposite: an empty mind and total immersion in the process that builds the proof of potential that is the only solid foundation for true self-belief.

“Gratitude” is about letting go of desired outcomes and fully embracing the privilege and process of pursuing goals and dreams. “Believe” refers to the confidence that arises naturally through this process. A self-trust that is the antithesis of the doubt-fueled fixation on goals and dreams.

Being oneself is in fact the only way that any athlete can evolve his of her individual formula for peak mental fitness. We become who we are by facing new challenges and coping with them.

The path between you and the best you can be is unexplored territory. To embark on such a journey of transformation in which you become more and more the athlete and the person – you want to be as you tackle the obstacles that hinder your progress.    

Forget about what didn’t go well and be happy that you were able to do it and that being a part of this program is special! If you haven’t figured it out…work on being more POSITIVE WITH YOURSELF! WITH YOUR RUN, with your goals, with each other, with EVERYTHING!

Let’s have an incredible week of training!!  Let’s do this!!