HOLLA ATCHA MENTAL GAME (Part One)

Today I ran 12 miles for my marathon training weekly "long run." I have known I would run 12 miles today since last Saturday, right after I ran 9. Now, if you're impressed, you really shouldn't be. I'm slow. Mainly I read and watch Netflix. A lot like what you do on a Saturday. Just plus a treadmill. But, still if you were like, "Yeah, but I couldn't run twelve miles on any old day!" I would say, "Me neither!"

It's actually incredible what mental planning allows us to do. All week when I mentally imagined my weekend, I knew at noon on Saturday I would run 12 miles. It was just, what was slated to do. No question about it. And what do you know, it wasn't even tiring! Enjoyable even. I read a bunch of Rachel Dratch's new book. Now, had I been in some weird horror-movie car-break-down-12-miles-from-gas-station, I might not have been able to run those 12 miles. Not just because I probably hadn't just eaten a protein bar like I did an hour before my run today. Just because mentally, I wouldn't have been prepared. Also, depending on the situation, a serial killer has buzzsawed my legs off? Unless my sister or Muffy were in the car and, like, thirsty or hobbled by a sprained ankle. In which case I'm sure some kind of strange "mother lifts a baby off a piano out of whacko love" muscles would kick in.  Regardless! The takeaway is, not going full The Secret here, but if you decide to do the things that are totally within your arm's reach to do, you will be successful in some capacity. Maybe the success won't look exactly like you had planned it, but the Mental Game is the first step to making the playoffs.

Would lift the Golden Gate Bridge for this missy.