Go for a run, endure the
workout; wake up and repeat. Accumulate tiredness over the days, then rest for a day
and commence again. Over and over, again and again, the cycle continues.
Physical changes will appear and
are easy to notice. Body fat melts, more veins appears, some gauntness, a
little muscle here and there with a visible permanence of fatigue.
What about the mind during all
this? It must be changing too if we are willing it day in, day out to instruct
the limbs to move faster, slower, climb a hill, stop, repeat, drink water,
race, receive the pain, ignore pain, focus, eat etc.
There must be a lot of
emotional callus in this process. Ever growing, ever hardening and layering up to ensure that
the workouts continue but forever invisible unlike the calluses on our feet and hands.
During a run, I can imagine the mind
executing its own separate workout which is connected to the physical workout,
yet unconnected since the mind is working hard only to send instructions to the
limbs. It is not a part of the physicality and momentum of the limbs; it is the
creator and owner of both.
The effort is perceivable in the
limbs and other organs but the mind is also steadily getting tired. It is also
working out. All the instructions and all those thoughts, travelling at light
speed through the nerves in order to reach the limbs and then travelling back
with news of pain and ecstacy.
The brain can’t idle. It is and
has to be hyperactive so that it can supplement the “will” to finish a workout
and coordinate the limbs and other organs.
Even at race pace the limbs are
moving like a snail, since their master is managing an orchestra of millions of
neural musicians in a span of milliseconds. Working, overworking, stressing and
beautifully managing all the thoughts which create the physical momentum. The
mind thoughtfully caresses and convinces the limbs to carry on but also shows
its wrath when the limbs slow down and attempt to disobey it. Sometimes it
loses the battle with the limbs but usually it ensures that the goal is
achieved. It must be tough work and every workout must be making the mind
stronger and more callused.
I've recently experienced how
these mental calluses accumulate and help over time. A few days ago, three of
us ran our personal best with a lot less training and worse physical fitness than
last year for the same race.
The calluses in the mind allowed
us to ignore the pain.
Our minds have become cruel over time, but only for the good.
