on the human potential

from running mentality to life mentality

On November 2nd, along with thousands of other runners, I ran the Cambridge half marathon.

When you hear the word “marathon” you may shudder at the thought of such a distance—26.3 miles. What the hell. How can anyone run that distance, continuous, for that long?

But there’s a reason our species has survived into the modern day. We were not the fastest animals. But we were smart and we could exert low energy effort into running long distances so even the quickest mammals would tire out.

Put short—the human body is amazing as through thousands of iterations of genetic evolution you have an embodied tool capable and powerful of supernatural feats. You have a body that has been passed down from generations of survivors and of winners. A body which has endured mankind endlessly through toils with the other animals in a brutal fight for survival. Your body is a gift given to you by the ancients but which must be sharpened by you only.

However, as much as your body is a blessing, if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it. Your body is an adaptable form that rises and falls according to the demand you give it. If you abuse your body, your body will fall to those needs. If you eat junk food, drink alcohol, and stay sedentary, don’t be surprised if you can’t lift heavy weights or run fast. But if you train your body, it’ll become a tool that empowers you and supercharge living itself.

If you told me several months ago that I could run 8:09 minutes per mile pace for 13 miles I would have not believed you. But if you told me today that I could run that speed for that long, I would believe. Because I did.

A half marathon is tough but its doable. It’s trainable for 80%+ of humans.

Your lungs are magical. They adapt to your needs. At the start of my training for the half marathon around August, I was running every other day maybe 1-2 miles. Just 2 miles was extremely challenging. And my lungs gave out and my legs felt heavy.

But as you continue to train, your body adapts. Your lungs feel lighter, your heart pumps more blood. And your legs can carry you further. Slowly, after 2-3 weeks of training, it felt easier. And I could now run 3-4 miles, albeit inconsistently.

And as you continue to push yourself to your limits, your body reacts accordingly. I remember the first 8 mile long run I did with Max on a brisk Sunday morning. That shit was painful. Even during mile one, I was suffering—my right shoulder had a sharp pain. I felt a cramp in my stomach. I could not imagine going for another 7 miles. But I did.

Through both brotherhood and also not wanting to look like a loser who wanted to stop, I just continued, grimacing the pain and putting each foot in front of the other.

And somehow, after running 7 excruciating miles with max, the last was our fastest. We were cruising at sub 8 mile time. Your body always has more fuel, it’s a question of whether your mind wants it.

That day, I remember a mental shift that I could in fact do this half marathon. Before this run, I doubted if I could actually run the half marathon. My training was lackluster and the most I did was 6 miles. But somehow, the thought that if I could do 8 miles, I for sure could do 13 miles came up in my brain. And I totally believed it and psyched myself to becoming confident. And through my run with Max, I gained confidence that this was not going to be as bad as I thought.

Max taught me that running is a mental game, much more so than physical. After the first 1-2 months of training, your body adapts well. Going from 6 miles to 10 mile runs is all in the mind. Going from running a half marathon to running a full marathon is as much a mental battle as it is physical.

After I broke through that 8 mile barrier, I ran it again with David a few days later. And this time it was much easier. Time passed quicker and my recovery was faster. Each time you break your own barrier, the old challenge becomes your normal. You level up and ascend to new heights and even loftier goals.

By race day, the most I had ran was 8 miles. I had never ran 13. But, I knew it was possible—because I had already won the mental battle. Coupled with a beautiful day in Cambridge and the most energetic crowd cheering us on with some funny signs, I had more than enough energy to cross that finish line.

And so by race day, my performance was unrecognizable to what I thought I could do just 2 months before. My goal coming into this race was to hit sub 2 hours (9:09 mile pace), and even that I thought was going to be difficult. But through perseverance and training, I hit 1:48 (8:09 mile pace). This is to say your body is beautiful in what it can do but it can only do what you optimize it for. And if you stick with your goals, you will be unrecognizable by the end. So keep going and fight through it.

But the second point I want to make is not about the physical body, but the mental attitude. As in life, and not just in running, the most important thing you most conquer is your own mind. I remember telling myself, that this year I wanted to become someone who, if they said they would do something, would do it. That’s why even though I had very little training, I bought the bib for the race in August, and said to myself that I am going to complete this half marathon no matter what.

Even more so, accepting the feeling of pain during the run and saying to myself I’m not going to stop no matter what happens is what allowed me to continue to run even as I was hurting everywhere on my lower body. And I truly believe, that if I did not run with Max that day, I would have stopped by mile 2 on my own volition. So find someone who motivates you and pushes you to be better—because it only gets easier to do hard things when you’re with other motivated people.

Lastly, this post is not specifically about the physical body. It’s about every area of our lives that we can improve on. We each have so much potential that we can unlock, not just in running, but in how we think, how we act, how we love, how we live, and more.

But the first battle you must win is in the mind. And everything else will follow.