Marathon Madness. Part two..MIND GAMES!!

"Anybody can do just about anything with himself that he really wants to and makes his mind to do. We are capable of greater than we realize." Norman Vincent Peale

There is so much MIND work that goes with running a marathon. A dear friend Jessica posted this comment on the last Blog.

  "I am SO weak mentally so that's probably my biggest motivator - and my biggest hurdle in running a marathon! I want to build mental stamina but I am terrified my mind will be weak on the "big day". What do you do when your mind is working against you?"

The Mind is no matter to reckon with. The mind is capable of so many things. It is the very vessel that can break strong men and make Grasshoppers perform like Giants.

BUT...The key is to learn how to CONTROL your MIND and not LET your MIND Control YOU!!!

Before I was a runner EVERYTHING controlled my mind.I was swayed to every wind of emotion. I let negative and hurtful things rent space in my head. I would try so hard to disable my emotions but they ruled me and were constantly on autopilot.

I let people and my demons own me, control me and break me. I have always been that person that doesn't want anyone to "Not like her." Well that is a fairy tale world now isn't it. I have that personality where people are just not all going to like me. I have family members that do not like me..why would I be surprised that random people would not like me. I would try so hard to change thier minds. But what I found was the more I tried the more I lost my sense of Identity. 

I CAN NOT control how others feel about me, but I can CONTROL my mind and how I respond and react to it. 

Having a STRONG mind means YOU hold YOURSELF accountable. You have to be YOUR biggest cheerleader and #1 fan. YOU have to Believe in YOURSELF. You have to fully RELY on GOD and not MAN. YOU trust in GOD and have Peace with everything else. Everyday you be the best you can be, you try the hardest you can AND you let go of YOUR expectations of others and live solely by yours.

It is Physically Pain VS Mental STRENGTH. 

Austin running cross country...Right before he PUKED!! He ran down his mind, ignored the pain and pressed for the PRIZE!!

When our bodies experience physical pain our minds want to explode with psychotic emotions. We question not only ourselves but our agenda.

BREATH.FOCUS. Realign your thinking.

When you release your mind from bondage of self doubt, discouragement and  distress you free your body to take you places you never dreamed. Places God himself saw you accomplishing before YOU KNEW you could!

"Thoughts are not a necessity; most of the time they are just distractions that obstruct your inner vision."

"Pain is Temporary Quitting is forever." 

MANTRA, VERSES, QUOTES...Memorize them and armor yourself with them use them as fuel and armor against the voices that want to disable and discourage you. 

You are going to have tough runs. You are going to have tough races. 

When you take the time to LISTEN to yourself...do not advertise the voices in your head...people may commit YOU! 

"No negative thoughts cross my mind on race day. When I look into their eyes, I know I'm going to beat them."
Danny Harris

What advice would You give for mental strength to Jessica?? Where do you struggle? How do you stay strong in the midst of a training run or a marathon?? 

1 Tim 1:7 "For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." 

Anita