IT IS WHAT IS “IN YOUR HEAD” THAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE

Let the mind train the body and then see the magnificent things that your body does

Time magazine had named Dean Karnazes as one of the “Top 100 Most Influential People in the World.” He is supposedly one of the fittest men on the planet.

Dean started running in August 1992 at the age of 30 after a late-night party left him sloshed. He came home, found a pair of sneakers and ran a straight 30 miles. In the process, he had a blinding realization: There were untapped reservoirs within him. It was like a religious conversion. He had been born again as a long-distance runner. More than anything else now, he wanted to find out how far he could go.

Over the next 14 years, Karnazes challenged almost every known endurance running limit. He covered 350 miles without sleeping. (It took more than three days). He ran the first and only marathon to the South Pole (finishing second), and then at age 44, he completed 50 marathons in 50 consecutive days, one in each of the 50 states.

The last one was in New York City. After that, he decided to run home to San Francisco.

On ten different occasions, he’s run a 200-mile relay race solo, racing alongside teams of twelve. Dean has pushed his body and mind to inconceivable limits.

Karnazes' transformation from a tequila-sodden party animal into an international symbol of human achievement is as educational as it is inspirational. "The human body has limitations," Karnazes says. "The human spirit is boundless."

Your mind, in other words, is your most important muscle. If you're going to explore the boundaries of human endurance, you'll have to learn to adapt to more and more pain. “People think I'm crazy to put myself through such torture, though I would argue otherwise. Somewhere along the line, we seem to have confused comfort with happiness.

Dostoyevsky had it right: 'Suffering is the sole origin of consciousness.' "Never are my senses more engaged than when the pain sets in. There is a magic in misery. Just ask any runner.”

To prepare for the searing heat of the Badwater race (The Badwater Ultramarathon is a 135-mile race that takes place in Death Valley, one of the hottest deserts in the world.?The race is held in July, the hottest month of the year).?Karnazes went on 30-mile jogs wearing a ski parka over a wool sweater. He trained himself to urinate while running.

He got so he could go out and run a marathon on any given day – no mileage build-up or tapering required. This training made the extreme seem ordinary and made the impossible seem the next logical step.

Eventually, when he grew accustomed to the pain, it stopped hurting. "There is magic in misery and the human body," he says, "is capable of extraordinary feats."

The human body is capable of amazing physical deeds, if we could just free ourselves from our perceived limitations and tap into our internal fire, the possibilities are endless.

Baseball is 90 percent mental, and the other half is physical.” Although certainly lacking in logic and math acumen, this statement seems to encompass what most athletes believe, that the mind plays a vital role in sports success. The mind is as important as fitness and technique. And a surprisingly large number believe that the mind is actually more important. However, I don’t believe that the mind is more important. Why? Because you may have all the mental strength in the world, but if you don’t have the physical and technical capabilities to execute in your sport, you have no chance of success. You have to be able to hit the tennis or golf ball; throw the baseball or football; sink the basket; or run, ride, or swim at a certain pace to be successful. The reality is that the physical, technical, and mental are all important. But the mind is undoubtedly an essential piece of the sport performance puzzle that is often undervalued and neglected. Consider the best athletes, male or female, in any sport. Are they all physically gifted? Absolutely. You don’t get to such a high level without a remarkable set of genes. To get to the highest levels of sport, they have to be genetic freaks of nature. Are they in exceptional physical condition? For sure. Would Lionel Messi be considered the best soccer player in the world if he wasn’t in peak physical condition in terms of strength and stamina? It’s quite simple. Athletes couldn’t perform at the highest level of sport unless they had the requisite fitness to meet the gruelling demands of their sport. Any sport that involves skills—which means just about all of them, whether golf, tennis, baseball, hockey, track and field, or soccer—makes development of those skills mandatory for success. Do they have the best equipment? Undeniably. Could the 2015 Formula One driving champion, Lewis Hamilton, have emerged victorious in a 1972 Chevrolet Impala? Of course not. Without the best equipment, extraordinary performance in a sport is simply impossible. In fact, at the highest level of sport, everyone has it all. And, at any level of sport, whether collegiate, youth, or even rec league, everyone has generally similar fitness, skills, and equipment. So, on the day of a competition, what separates the winners from the also-rans? These other factors being equal, it must be what goes on between their ears.

The mental side of sport is vastly more important than physical fitness and technical prowess, at least for young athletes. Why? Because relatively few athletes will make it to the top of their sport. But, the attitudes, mental tools, and life lessons that athletes learn from their sport, for example, motivation, confidence, focus, perseverance, resilience, the ability to handle pressure, the list goes on, will serve them well in all aspects of their lives when they enter adulthood. The thing about the game at this level is that there is very little difference in physical skills between players; the real difference between them is upstairs. It is what is “in your head” that makes the difference. People often prioritize physical training over mental training for a variety of reasons. One reason is that physical fitness is often more immediately tangible and visible, leading to a focus on improving physical appearance and health. Additionally, physical activity can provide an immediate sense of accomplishment and stress relief. However, it's important to note that mental training, such as education, mindfulness practices, and cognitive exercises, is also crucial for overall well-being and should ideally be given equal importance. Balancing physical and mental training can lead to a more holistic approach to personal development.