Business of Marathons

I just finished Michael Lewis’s Moneyball (I know, I know…six years too late, but at least before the movie is released on Friday!) and was pleasantly surprised with the book’s second theme.  I have been preached at least twice a year that I needed to read the book to learn about the statistical nature Billy Beane transformed the game of baseball, but the second story line was never mentioned.  That second theme being, even with all of the talent in the world, success and failure can be attributed to being 51% mental.  Sunday’s New York Times published a piece, piling on more ‘mental’ evidence, that documented performance in cyclists was boosted by deceiving them mentally, not physically which has always thought to have been the case.

This summer has been a very rough training period for me, because for two months mentally I could not get it together on runs over 6 miles.  I am pretty sure I battle mild depression (Dysthymia to be exact), which according to the Wall Street Journal may be a bonus, and possesses the ability to tear apart any training schedule.  I do not know if I stopped believing in myself or if it was the solidarity of runs that allowed the negative thoughts to take over.

I am much better now and feel very strong both mentally and physically, but interested to hear if anyone else battles similar demons.  If there is anything Post Secret has taught me after all these years, is you are never alone in your struggles!