Mental and Physical Preparation

March 26, 2018

Mental and Physical Preparation

We all have different ways that work for us when preparing for an event, be it in business, a personal journey or a physical event, it all boils down to this effort that you put into the preparation beforehand. Remember never underestimate the importance of this preparation.

I feel that the most frustrating thing is that this preparation will always have the elements of repetition; boring bits that you feel are ultimately just time consuming and end up being physically and mentally draining.

Day in and day out as you hone your skill and prepare yourself it’s the same old same old, but mark my words, you will find that these repetitive motions that one must get through that eventually become the hurdles, that can trip you up, tempting you to give up. They just keep arriving every day and things just keep going wrong.

These are the days that build you, give you the mental resolve. Morning after morning that 4-30 alarm goes off, you are tempted to just throw your arm out, switch it off, roll over and go back to sleep. This is where your mental strength must get you up, drag yourself out of bed and start the routine again. Then there are the negative people around you who are constantly saying that you are not going to get it right or that it’s not going to work.

This is where your resolve, tenacity and character build; if you want it bad enough and dig deep enough, persevere and don’t give up on those goals that you have set.

It is at this stage that many a person buckles under the pressure of not being able to get things to move forward and start to sense that it might not be worth it after all. This, I find, is where the biggest foundation of self-belief is laid. If you persist and get through this stage, half the journey is done. What I also know is that once I have managed to get past this, I begin to visualise the journey unfolding in front of me. My mind runs the route initially and enables me to visualise the end before I set out. But once I begin the event, I go through a massive mental rewind and begin the daily grind. I deal with each day, step by step, and focus only on what I am doing in the current moment.

In order to achieve this, I find that its best to first set a physical goal, then building up to get my mind and body working in unison. I have certain hills that I run with Andy as we build up through the program, slowly we conquer these obstacles. With each physical challenge that I attain, my mental self-belief is built up.

There is one long run up Table Mountain, which to me is my final notch. Slowly I improve by getting further and further up the side of this mountain. I am rewarded mentally with the assurance that I am getting stronger and stronger and that my body is coping with the massive pressures that I am going to put it through. As soon as I have managed to beat the mountain, at least twice, I know that I am physically ready to tackle the event.

I also believe that I am able to do it, mentally.

I think each person looks at meeting challenges in their own way and have a technique that works for them.

I am now ready for the wall!