Keep the Ball Rolling
KEEP THE BALL ROLLING
“What was the secret, they wanted to know; in a thousand different ways they wanted to know The Secret. And not one of them was prepared, truly prepared to believe that it had not so much to do with chemicals and zippy mental tricks as with that most unprofound and sometimes heart-rending process of removing, molecule by molecule, the very tough rubber that comprised the bottoms of his training shoes. The Trial of Miles; Miles of Trials.”
John L. Parker Jr., Once a Runner
The secret that Quentin Cassidy is talking about is the consistency of training. On the good days in good weather and the bad days in bad weather and every day in between- no matter your mood, mental or physical feelings. I like to refer this consistency as “Keep the Ball Rolling”.
“Eluid Kipchoge’s secret is that there are no secrets. You just put in the work, season after season. The things worth focusing on are the simplest: the steady accumulation of miles underfoot. Consistency. The dedication to becoming great.”
Eluid Kipchoge is the first person to run under 2:00 for a marathon, GQ Feature
The non-negotiable of success with distance running is consistency of training. It will not always feel comfortable- there will be physical and mental pain. The key to success is to “Keep the Ball Rolling”.
“The decision to start is relatively easy. But once you’ve started, it’s the decision to keep going that matters most. It’s about the many “re-commitments” that are necessary to sustain the journey when it gets difficult, tedious, and painful. The beginning requires an “initiating commitment,” but to keep going over the long term requires many “sustaining commitments.” It is saying “I will” when it gets difficult.”
Tim Kight
KEEP THE BALL ROLLING
We live in a world where the “secret” to success isn’t a secret- it’s discipline. The cumulative impact of discipline-driven action repeated over time. And since there is enormous power in persistence, not giving in to the quitting voice. To do what others can’t, you must consistently and repeatedly do what others don’t. By daily acting exceptionally different than the majority with your habits, you make yourself extra-ordinary. Consistently repeated, this purposeful extra-ordinary behavior creates the habit of excellence. Practice Habits lead to Competition Habits lead to Competition Results. Keep the Ball Rolling.
“Stacking good weeks on top of good weeks- that is the name of the game. Stacking. It is no one week or one workout. It is the sum.”
- Mike Smith, Northern Arizona University Head XC/T&F Coach
There will be highs and lows. Do not overreact to either, lest you’ll find yourself on an emotional roller coaster, draining you of the energy you need for running itself. When the highs occur, “this is what is happening right now.” When the lows occur, “this is what is happening right now.” When the best endurance athletes begin to struggle they take productive actions- they talk to themselves rather than listen to themselves.
“I have learned to talk to myself instead of listening to myself. If I listen to myself I hear all the negative thoughts, all the complaints, all the fears, all the doubts, and all the reasons why I shouldn’t be able to finish the race. But if I talk to myself I can feed myself with the words and encouragement I need to finish the race.”
Dr. James Gills
Listening to yourself brings the fear, negativity, and doubt to the forefront of your attention- all the possible reasons why you can’t do this. But when you talk to yourself, you feed your attention the positive words and encouragement you need to focus and complete the task at hand to the best of your ability.
Belief is the critical factor. The reason why the best athletes are relentless? The reason they never give up? They trust the Process and themselves. They Keep the Ball Rolling.
To achieve anything great in distance running and life, you must be tenaciously persistent. Examine any significant achievement in human history, and you will find people, teams, and organizations who did what was necessary, when it was necessary, for as long as necessary. They endured and overcame adversity along the way; they Keep the Ball Rolling.
“Every team faces some kind of adversity. Mediocre teams are destroyed by it. Good teams survive it. Great teams get better because of it.
How do muscles grow? How does the mind grow? It’s pushing past the edge of pain, pushing past the edge of fatigue. That’s greatness. That’s what a lot of people don’t understand.”
Urban Meyer
