'Everything is training'
A peak into an endurance athlete's mindset
How do I train my spirit through exercise?
One of my Tribal teammates asked me this question on a coaching call the week before ten of us attempted to complete a 100mile ultramarathon through the desert as one unit.
I responded initially: “Think of all the times in training where you didn’t want to start, wanted to cut the workout early, made the excuses in your mind about taking the easy option, but ultimately pushed through. I want you to become conscious of what you say and do in those moments. Now you’ve identitifed what your spirit does to will your body and mind forward.”
But that was just a partial answer.
The truth is much deeper. It’s not just those moments in our training that matter, but the everyday moments where we’d rather not push through but find the resolve to rise to our responsibilities that train our spirits deeply and fully.
Here’s a short list of the experiences I lean on in an ultramarathon to give me the mental and spiritual strength to keep going and also to remind myself that my body is capable of moving in undesirable states.
Lecturing all day as a prof after your newborn baby keeps you up all night
Rushing from work meetings, to kid pickups, to making dinner, to bedtime, all before hopping on a group coaching call
Driving 150 miles home in rainstorms after 26 hour travels days across two continents with zero sleep
Writing comprehensive exams for 6 hours in one room without the ability to leave (except for bathroom breaks) as a PhD student
Sitting in 4 hours of gridlock traffic in a blizzard while moving houses and needing to unpack once I finally arrived
These experiences all have something in common. I’m tired, I’m annoyed, I’m frustrated, but I have no choice but to keep moving forward as best as I can.
And in these moments I have 1 strategy that works to keep me positive and able to overcome the adversity: I smile at the opportunity to train
Instead of complaining about the situation I simply pause and consider “How can I use this adverse moment to help train me for bigger adverse moments in the future?”
That’s how you train your spirit to will you through adversity your body and mind don’t want to tackle.
That’s how you turn every day adversity into spiritual training.
Now it’s your turn to adopt this mindset for yourself.
If you have questions or want some guidance on using this frame, message me using the button below or ask a question in the comments.
Happy training friends!