Training is in full swing as I prepare for the Mt. Evans Ascent. My trainer has been a tremendous source of inspiration. She just completed a half marathon today, besting her previous time by over a minute and on a hilly course. I couldn't help but want to get in the gym and put in the miles. I'm certainly no where near what I use to be but the miles are coming a bit easier. Besides my physical preparations, the mental game has already begun. Not a day goes by that I don't think of Evans, imagining myself working my way up that road. I play out a variety of scenarios in my head and try to imagine how I might react to them. Weather, crowds, course layout, how I might feel at each turn. It's a part of my training regimen that I've followed since my first 10K. It's actually something I employ in nearly all aspects of my life.
So few people spend the time to get in their own head and exercise that "muscle" that will make or break their ambitions. I've seen far too many people with exceptional physical or intellectual abilities fall far short of their goals because they succumbed to the "demons" in their head that in one way or the other convinced them to quit. Faced with adversity that they failed to previously imagine, they lost the capacity to endure and press on. If you have an upcoming challenge and you aren't imagining any and all possible scenarios that you might have to face, you're only putting yourself in a greater position to fail. Give yourself a chance to succeed. Exercise all parts of yourself in preparation to meet your next challenge and for once, bring your A game!
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