"As you think, so shall you become." -Bruce Lee
This simple saying applies to every facet of our lives, does it not? See yourself crossing the finish line. See yourself lean, healthy, and strong - both inside and out. See yourself as the person you are supposed to be.
In fact, I'd bet every player in contention during their final round at The Masters on Sunday envisioned themselves making the perfect shot before ever striking the ball - not to mention winning it all and having Phil Mickelson help them slip on a green jacket.
At my last Taekwondo class, there were a number of black belts in attendance and during our warm-up drills I noticed something - how every black belt movement, punch, kick, was made with purpose. Clean. Sharp. Then I caught a glimpse of the lower belts (I'm a blue belt, about 1/2 way or 2 more years to black) and asked myself a question - was I doing them just to do them? Did I envision hitting an imaginary target or was I just flailing sloppily into thin air? Was I doing them, albeit with effort, just to move on to the next drill?
So I tried something. Halfway through our drills, I refined my level of concentration. I began to think very closely about everything I was doing. If we were doing double punches, I focused on how tight my fists were, and how a proper clench tightened the muscles in my forearms, biceps and triceps.
Instead of just 'throwing' a punch, I concentrated on snapping my hips toward the target - that is what generates the power, just like a golf swing - and also on turning my fist 180 degrees en route to hitting the target. Twisting your punches generates torque, and allows you to strike 'through' the target and deliver maximum force instead of just making contact with it.
The results? Clean. Sharp. Dare I even say like the black belts?
Well not quite, but a dramatic improvement. I don't like to use the word 'focus' because that is such an overused, and often 'misused', word - but my enhanced concentration made an instant, noticeable difference in my performance.
So with this in mind, I applied this approach to yesterday's run. I did 13.72 miles along the salt marshes and back country roads of York and Kittery Point, and still cognizant of my healing achilles, ran at a comfortable but steady pace (8:36 average).
What I am pleased about, however, (in addition to no discomfort) was that my times were very consistent throughout the run, and I even got stronger as the run became longer. I am notorious for starting out strong and then fading into the later miles, but miles 11 and 12 were my two fastest. So really thinking about my stride and foot striking resulted in very consistent performance, and even helped give me a nice kick towards the end when I tend to tire.
Another mind trick I adopted on that run is something I learned about from the Chi running approach. While I haven't read the famed book 'ChiRunning' by Danny Dreyer as yet, I am aware of some of its core tenants: running with postural/spinal awareness (i.e. upright with an ever so slight body lean forward), landing with a midfoot strike (I've fortunately gone from an overpronator to a midfoot striker), and it's most important principal, using core strength instead of leg strength for power.
I know enought about martial arts and Eastern thought and philosophy to grasp the concept of ch'i - which basically is the energy that flows inside of us. The source of our ch'i is the lower dan tien, just below our navel from which our ch'i, or energy, eminates throughout the rest of our body. (In Korean it is 'gi', Japanese 'ki', and Vietnamese 'khi', and in fact the original concept behind the Chinese character was steam rising from cooking rice.)
So the idea that our energy can be harnessed from within is something that correlates with Taekwondo, and just like the enhanced concentration required when breaking boards or bricks, I figured that I'd try to tap into my 'inner strength' or ch'i on this run.
What I did notice was by being mindful and thinking about my lower dan tien - imagining a glowing ball of energy below my belly button (and not last night's Spaghetti all'Arabbiata) - I ran more erect, my abs were tighter, and better posture was a simple byproduct of that. Also, my arms were looser, more relaxed - even my shoulders were more relaxed. I mean think about it: my biomechanics sort of took care of themselves!
The end result: a terrific, comfortable, (and enjoyable!) 13.72 mile training run at a decent pace. Just by altering the way I think, and approach, the run itself.
So just like Bruce Lee said, "As you think, so shall you become."