It’s one hell of a cliché that ‘you can do anything you put your mind to’. It’s also a lie.
I could tell myself day and night for years that I could beat Steven Adams in a 1:1 game of basketball. I could tell myself forever and a day that I could train and become a Formula 1 driver. I could tell myself that I could become the greatest singer the world has ever known. I can have all of the courage in the world and a truly positive mindset but the possibility of me beating Usain Bolt over 100m is non-existent.
However, when we are judicious and thoughtful in selecting our goals, we can achieve great things. A shiny new goal is intimidating- and it should be. You’re not sure if you can get there. You’re not sure what will happen. When standing and looking at the mountain, it seems enormous and insurmountable. However, you can only take the next step in front of you and surely one step isn’t intimidating, is it?
When I took on the 100km race last year, I entered, paid my money and then sat back thinking,“What the hell have I done?” 100km is running to Taihape. It’s here to Paraparaumu. It’s running a marathon- then another- then a half marathon- back to back. This is insane.
But other people have done it.
Other people have gone further.
Why can’t I do it?
So you start making it achievable in your own mind. You only have to get to the next aid station. You only have to get to a certain part of the course. You only have to make it through this steep little bit and then it will get better. I feel terrible but just give it half an hour and see if I feel better.
In fact, you spend so much time minimising the ‘unachievable’ goal in your mind, that you end up normalising it. When people find out that I ran a 100km race, their faces have this mixture of disbelief, disgust and admiration. It’s not until these conversations that I remember what a big deal it was and I become proud of it again. Indeed, my medal for the race (a beautifully crafted glass medal) resides in the bottom of a drawer with my cufflinks and other bric-a-brac.
So I’ve started preparing for a 100 mile race in 2019. Lots could go wrong: injury, illness, other commitments. Once again, it’s intimidating. But I guess all I can do is the next bit of my training.
When you make the exceptional an expectation, the unimaginable becomes a reality.
Dave Byrne