Yesterday I ran a 5K with JQ and it reaffirmed my belief that running is more a mental sport than a physical sport. Whenever I do run, it is hard to keep my body going because my mind doesn't want to. I can be running for only 5 minutes and decide to stop because I just don't feel like continuing. This then results in a number of excuses that seem "legit".
Sometimes I do continue for a long time and realize that it was because mentally I wanted to reach a goal. And yes, my legs do get sore after a while and lungs do feel like they are about to explode out of my trachea, but as long as my mind can keep going, so can my body. And the feeling of hitting my set goal or even surpassing it is the best feeling yet, except I don't experience it often.
Because for me it's such a mental process, I need to cover-up the "time passed" section on the treadmill and try really hard not to keep track of how many minutes have passed as I listen to songs. But once I get passed that part and forget the time, then I can take-off with no problem. If I can forget that I am painfully running, then I can continue. However, this does not often happen and then I realize that I'm tired and cramped.
I've always believed that people who can run for long periods of time are just athletic. But now I believe that it's because they have strong perseverance and determination and have conquered the battle of the mind.
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