. . . and the other half is physical.
The title is a quote from Wayne Gretzky, who was talking about hockey, of course. But it applies to whatever your sport of choice is.
Physical: of or relating to the body as opposed to the mind
Except when it comes to physical fitness, I don’t think the mind and body can be separated. Consider this quote fro JFK:
Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.
–John F. Kennedy
If you run for any amount of time, you’ll come to know that at least half the battle is mental, not physical. Almost anybody can run — they just have to believe that they can run.
When it comes to testing our physical limits, there’s not greater test than the Olympics. Time after time, you see athletes who doubt themselves, and you see the athletes that believe that there are no physical limits, that the only limits we place on ourselves are mental limits.
Of course sometimes we still come up short. It’s not always mental, sometimes it’s physical — an injury we can’t overcome, an illness, or someone just had a better day. It happens.
One thing I know for sure
Physical and mental toughness go together. If your mind isn’t in the game, most likely your body won’t be, either. The following quote sums up what I’m trying to get at much better than I did:
It is not by muscle, speed, or physical dexterity that great things are achieved, but by reflection, force of character, and judgment.
–Marcus Tullius Cicero
Tell me in the comments:
How do you work on your mental game?
Are you stronger physically or mentally?
Was there a time when your brain/heart got you through when your body wanted to quit?
Chocolaterunsjudy 
I completely agree with this. It doesn’t matter how strong or prepared I am, if my mental game is off, I’m not going to have a good run.
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Most of the time my mental game is actually pretty good, but obviously I have my dark moments, too.
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During our bike ride, I really had to focus on the mental to push my body to come through on the physical. Watching the Olympics, I love catching the glimpses of the athletes getting their head’s in the game before their events start.
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I love the mental/physical synchronicity of exercise — particularly when you can get into a flow and just focus on your movement. It’s almost meditative! And very refreshing.
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For me most of my struggles are mental as well. My head often gives out way before my body. I’ve been working on it forever!
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I’m very stubborn, so that can actually work in my favor sometimes. 🙂
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I really like that last quote. And absolutely true that if your heart and mind aren’t in it, your body won’t be either.
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My mental game is usually pretty strong. The time of year I get derailed is when it is super hot and I have been running a long time. I am so irritable in those conditions sometimes it just doesn’t seem worth it. Most of time I can talk myself through anything and keep going, which is a problem because for me the battle is truly physical.
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I’m pretty much with you on all points there!
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Ah mental strength! I sometimes talk myself off the ledge several times during a race:)
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Does anyone have any tips for building the mental strength muscle?
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Great comparison! Not only has mental strength gotten me through many races, but also through many training runs.
Thanks for linking up!
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The more I run, the stronger my mental game is. The less I run, the more I allow self-doubt to creep in. It’s a vicious circle. I’ve GOT to run to have the strong mental game.
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I have to run or it gets to me physically! Just like even after just a week off, my IT was protesting with the sudden increase in mileage.
Just a niggle, nothing a little tape won’t solve, and I would’ve taped for my 10 miler this weekend anyway.
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