A Mind of Steel

We've all come to know Superman as the "man of steel". Apart from kryptonite, the only mineral from the planet Krypton that will nullify Superman's powers and immobilise him with pain, he is otherwise the fastest, strongest and most powerful being on planet earth (in the comics world, that is). Well, I've come to realise that the making of an ironman triathlete requires one to have a mind made of... well, literally - STEEL. And why so? Isn't PASSION an important factor too? We all need to have a passion to fuel the drive to train consistently for 5 days a week. True? Sure. BUT, passion just ain't enough to get you there.

Passion is but only an emotion. So many of us start out strong driven by a dream, a goal or a challenge. I have so many friends who have come to me with great excitement, sharing their wonderful dreams of starting up a business venture, running a marathon, pioneering a new product, being on the dean's list or even... getting started on exercising! Sadly, 8 out of 10 never succeeded in what they originally set out to accomplish.

I've noticed 2 problems here.

Firstly, most never had a concrete plan. Dreams will always remain as dreams unless a proper plan is drawn up. B'cos they only exist in the mind, they fade away just as quickly as they were dreamed up. A plan, a blue print, a strategy is required! Always count it of imperative importance if you seriously want to turn your dreams into reality. That's why I always source out for a training plan whenever I prepare for my races so that I know I'm progressing steadily towards my race goal.

Secondly, we often suffer from a "make it stick" problem. Ok, so we do have a plan. But more often than not, we don't stick to it! In my ironman preparations, I've learnt that it takes a mind of steel to follow strictly to the training regime. I am not the best master at this yet, but I try my very best to given the challenging circumstances. It takes a whole lot of effort and a very disciplined mind to get out of bed at 5.30am to train. The body tells you it needs the sleep and truthfully, 8 out of 10 times the mind gladly accommodates. We need to discipline our minds well if we want to finish well. The mind can be the single most powerful organ in our body if we know how to master it well. Mind over body!

*****

Training log:
29 Jan - 3,000m swim
30 Jan - 30k run (70% effort in 2hrs 53mins)


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