I like to explore… But what does exploring mean? For some people, it means travelling across the globe and discovering other cultures. For others, it means going in the forest and finding new trails. But for most of us (athletes) it mostly means exploring our own potential… exploring our physical and mental limits.
I have always wondered how swimmers can swim for hours and hours just looking at a black line, how runners can turn around an oval track and how cyclists, in the winter, can spend hours and hours on a home trainer. Why not go outside and explore the world? Because we don’t need to go somewhere else to explore. Our body is really really complex and everyday, by training, eating and resting ,we “shape it” and make it better. In other words, everyday we explore our potential by pushing our limits.
Exploring is defined as: “travelling in or through (an unfamiliar country or area) in order to learn about or familiarize oneself with it” but it doesn’t mean we have to travel somewhere to explore. We can explore Inside ourselves and get familiar with our threshold and the pain. Or as some people say: “Be comfortable at being uncomfortable”. We can learn to “Embrace the Suck” as Macca says, because every time we feel pain during a workout or a race, we have explored another area of our body; we have elevated our potential. So, just as mountain climbers enjoy the summit view and celebrate after climbing a big mountain, we should do the same when we push our body and “explore” our potential.
So…Never Stop Exploring