The fitness gap

I have borne witness to a number of debates surrounding the merits and relative importance of physical versus mental strength amongst athletes.  With more and more ‘average joes’ taking in weekend challenges including the moon walk, marathons and cycling sportives the debate seems to have taken on a wider relevance with these events requiring both physical and psychological strength to last the distance.  The argument proffered by psychologists often centres around the fact that at the top level of athletic competition there is little (if anything) to choose between the physiology of athletes.  Despite this there has to be a winner and a loser; the difference between the podium finishers and the ‘also rans’ being the ability to use their mental strength to maximise their physical qualities and triumph on the day.  This type of thinking may have led to amateur athletes competing in endurance events stating that it ‘will be alright on the night’ and ‘adrenalin will get me through’ when their physical preparation hasn’t quite gone to plan.  Perhaps the question people should be asking is at what point does mental strength in the absence of physical precocity begin to yield diminishing returns.

Barry McGuigan famously said, ‘it isn’t the size of dog in the fight that counts but the fight in the dog’; agreed in principle but the fighter (in this instance) must have the necessary physical capacity to get to the point where mental strength begins to play a part.  There seems to be a wave of popularity in recent years around positivity and a ‘can do’ attitude.  Adidas ran an advertising campaign around the tag line, ‘impossible is nothing’.  This message is laudable when it motivates people to strive for horizons they may have previously thought unattainable.  It may also however have brought us to the point where the very act of signing up for an event, irrespective of the performance, is met with acclaim and pomp; well done for taking part being a popular cheer.  In some circumstances this may be true, in others I would suggest not; in events where you pin a number to your chest there is a requirement (in my opinion at least) to prepare to a level that allows the task to be taken on with a degree of proficiency.  A proficiency that requires physical preparation, the likes of which enables competitors to run through at least the first mile in a half marathon (those of you who have competed in running events will have seen individuals walking before the turn of mile two resplendent with gels galore tucked into fetching bum bags and scrambling for water at every opportunity).

The message then is that if you want to be a competitor you have to compete, and this requires undergoing some degree of preparation that improves both physical and mental capacity.  Indeed, it is this commitment to improvement and betterment that makes the performance all the more enjoyable; delayed satisfaction over instant gratification.  Without this investment no amount of mental strength or gumption will be rewarded and there can be no sense of achievement in ‘just finishing’ if we never gave ourselves the chance to do anything more.