Perceptions ?? and Perspectives?? ?

.....excerpt from my daily message to the company.

One of the reasons I love running ultramarathons is not one you would probably guess right off. 

People usually have one of two reactions to running - "I love to run!" or "I absolutely hate to run!" Why do you think that is the case? Genuine question here. Why do some people love it and others hate it? What early experience, encouragement, or result happened that literally channels the population to 2 camps? Why do you think that for some it provides incredible satisfaction and for others dread?

I have always admired and respected those that can run fast. To this day, I think it is amazing. My brother Tim inherited the speed gene, the "fast twitch" muscle fiber, when muscles fire people run faster when the fast twitch is activated. In elementary school through college Tim was the sprinter in all sports, he was the fastest. I was never the sprinter, was never the guy to win the 50 yard dash, was never the guy to win the cross country race or break the tape at the finish line of a track meet. I thought it was a deficiency, why am I not able to run fast? 

What I was good at was distance, first in high school, later in the Army, and recently in ultra's.  

I used to think of distance differently than I do now. In high school the Bolder Boulder 10k and later the Georgetown to Idaho Springs half marathons were long distances. I enjoyed those races, finishing them at that age seemed like a big achievement, and I think it was the reaction to me finishing those races from the adults outside of my family that gave me that perception.

In the Army, I enjoyed long ruck marches, where you would have a 65lb+ rucksack and march for 12-13 miles. I had the slow twitch muscle fiber, the endurance muscle composition. The soldiers that could run the PT test 2 mile at record speed were not the ones who could carry a ruck for 12 miles without issue. I was a pack mule and I loved long rucks. It was the reactions of other soldiers just like the reactions of the adults in high school that made me realize that we all have unique abilities and again expanded my own personal perspectives. 

When I ran my first marathon with my brother in 2008, both of us considered it a long race. We trained for months, met in Washington, DC and together ran the Marine Corps Marathon. We finished together and took a nice picture at the end with the medals. We felt accomplished and both of our perspectives and perceptions on distance were extended from where they were prior to this challenge.

Everything in life is perspective and perception, whether it is what constitutes waking up "early" or what is "far" in distance. Ultimately, it will be you who will decide your perception of "early", "far", "hard", "easy" and it starts by modeling your perspective.

Perception is defined as "the ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses.

"the normal limits to human perception"

the state of being or process of becoming aware of something through the senses.

"the perception of pain"

Perspective is defined as "a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view."

It is your perception that you can condition with experiences that will change your attitudes and perspective. You have total control of your attitudes and this is a major part of mind conditioning. Challenging yourself not to fall into a trap of excuses, self pity, or other self-limiting actions or thoughts should be one of your primary daily activities. I often sign my emails "Always forward" to signal to my brain and to others that there is no going back...we will always push forward. Control your attitudes and you control your future.  

Your mind is designed to regulate your physical body. Your mind is evolutionarily designed to protect you from harm. For the most part this is a great design feature of our brain (keep us alive), until you run into a challenge and your biggest hurdle becomes yourself. Make a conscious decision to push your mind out of the comfort zone. Do something today that feels a little uncomfortable...that discomfort is a great sign that you are in control not the regulator in your mind.  

Remember, you may not be the fastest, but the greatest endurance runner; or you may not be the best endurance runner, but the fastest of all time. It is how you use your God given talents to their fullest that matter most. It is whether or not you challenge your perceptions and push forward your perspectives that matter.

So back to the original question "Why do I love ultra's"?  I will discuss that in a future message.

Joe

This is a series of articles based on the daily letters that I write to my company (slightly modified - company specifics removed). My hope is to share some positive thoughts that gently push the world toward positive thinking and encourage many to achieve their fullest God-given potential.