Sunday Story…It isn’t over

Until it’s over. This one is simple. Whatever the task is in front of you; you will not stop until it is finished. If we are working for 20 minutes we work for 20 minutes, not 19:50 or even 19:59. If we are doing 100 of something we don’t stop at 80 or 90 or 99. We stop when we are done…we stop when the task is complete or the bell rings and not 1 second before.

This is a commitment to yourself. I will stop when I am finished, not when I’m tired, not when it gets hard, not when I feel like I should. I stop only when I am done.

We shut everything out (present moment focus), we only work on getting one more whatever, we stick to the plan that’s working and we work until it’s done. Our mental game is strong. I am committed to finishing. If we both get on the treadmill either you are getting off first or I am going to die. That is the strength of my resolve.

Pain is temporary. When it passes something else will take its place. Will it be regret? The regret of stopping, of giving up on yourself, of not being who you wanted to be that day? Or will it be the pride of finishing, of stepping into the power and strength that lies beneath your veneer, of squeezing every drop of effort from your body?

It isn’t over until I say it’s over.

John Mariotti
www.crossfitodyssey.com
www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com
775-338-2412

Sunday Story…Everyone has a plan…

Until they get hit in the face. On our road to mental toughness there will be setbacks, obstacles, things won’t go according to plan…you WILL get hit in the face.

We have present moment focus (#1) and (#2) the right self talk. Both of those things are going to get tested right now. What do you do when your plan isn’t working? What do you do when you get hit on the face?

This is when you need to keep #1 and #2 in the forefront. But you also need to be able to shift on the fly. What’s your plan “b”? Do you even have one? What happens when you get no-repped? What happens when your rope breaks?

#3 is best called, simply, Breathe. The plan has gone down the tube. You can keep hammering and hope it turns out OK. You can just slow down and let it go (violates #2 by the way). Or you can stop. Take a breath. Take another. Find your present moment focus on your new plan. Slow down here, go faster there. 3,2,1 go. The 2-5 seconds you just took will prevent the “wheels from falling off the bus”! The last thing you want is to try to stay with your plan as you get pummeled about the head and shoulders.

Present moment focus, self-talk, and breathe all work together to keep you on task and in the game. Next week…it ain’t over.

John Mariotti
www.crossfitodyssey.com
www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com
775-338-2412

Sunday Story…Nattering Nabobs

Of negativity. On our quest to mental toughness, one of the biggest things to control is your self-talk. What you say to yourself is of critical importance.

If you say you are tired, you will be tired.
If you say you are thirsty you will stop for a drink.
You don’t need chalk, you just want to rest…whether you admit it or not.
If you say you’re going to die, you are lying to yourself. You won’t die, your body will quit long before that.
If you say you can’t you probably can’t.

Remember step 1 is your present moment focus. Step 2 is controlling your interior dialogue. Move with purpose using the plan you set before starting. If there’s a change to be made, make it based on reality, not the story you are telling yourself. Just change the plan as a matter of fact, not emotion.

It is too easy to beat yourself up, to be negative about your performance, to allow negativity to creep into your performance. Just like we can’t re-organize a squat under load, it is almost impossible to regain positive attitude under a barrage of negative self-commentary. Train yourself every day to have positive self-talk…about everything. How am I today? Super good and getting better! How’s that work out? I love thrusters and burpees! It’s my wheelhouse! Say it enough and maybe someday it will be!

Step 3 next week.

John Mariotti
www.crossfitodyssey.com
www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com
775-338-2412

Sunday Story…Mental Toughness

The other day someone asked me how do I keep going in a workout when the lungs are on fire, the heart is hammering, the muscles are screaming, and your brain is telling you to stop? What’s the process to keep going? What’s the process to dig down and go faster, find another gear, negotiate for more strength? What do you do that makes this possible?

It turns out, for me, that there are several steps. It isn’t just one thing (is it ever?) First and foremost, it is present moment/task oriented. In other words, all I am concentrating on is what I am doing at that very moment. I am not thinking about the next task or the one after that. If I am rowing I worry about the row…stroke rate, pacing, form, and technique. That is all there is; me, the machine, the monitor, the noise of the fan, the click of the chain.

The next task does not exist. Yet. My focus is singular and laser focused. I have this task and just this task. When I finish this task I will move to the next task. The moment I move to the next task, I am done with the one finished. I don’t replay it in my mind, rehash the strategy, nothing. It is over and done. I am focused on the job at hand.

The time for judgment and replays and all of that is when you finish everything. Until you are done, though, there is only that thing.

Next week…nattering nabobs!

John Mariotti
www.crossfitodyssey.com
www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com
775-338-2412