Embrace the Beast

I’m reading a great book called “Born to Run”. It’s about a tribe in Mexico, the Tarahumara Indians, that are secluded from the outside world and always have been. They are amazing runners and run extreme distances (100 miles plus) a lot. They also don’t wear running shoes, as many run barefoot. Running is their existence. They smack in the face all the theories about running being bad for you. It’s a great read. I highly recommend it.

If you’ve ever run, you’ve probably experienced a situation where your legs are burning and you’re so fatigued that it’s hard to keep going. Not just physically, but mentally. I’ve run three marathons and in each one I hit the “wall” around mile 20. It’s brutal. You feel like you can’t move. Your mind starts thinking about crazy stuff. You tell yourself to quit. It’s one of the hardest things I’ve had to deal with athletically, as well as mentally. It made me stronger, not just as a runner, but as a person.

There’s a great piece of Born to Run that talks about this “wall” that runners face, and embracing it instead of running away. Here’s the excerpt:

“I love THE BEAST, I actually look forward to THE BEAST showing up, because every time he does, I handle him better. I get him more under control.”

I love this. I read it over many times. I love that this guy called it “The Beast”. We all have faced The Beast many times in our lives. Personally, professionally, athletically; you name it.

We all will face The Beast many more times. Embrace it. Don’t back off. Learn from it. Challenge yourself. You may fail, but get back up.

Here’s a link to the book on Amazon:

Born to Run