The Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 14 Exploring The Ideal of Physical Ruin

I return to philosophizing in real time on this latest episode, swirling around the idea of taking yourself to and beyond physical ruin in a racing context. Inspired by two athlete coaching calls with my Tribal Training I wanted to take some space and explore what 'going to the limit' looks like for different individuals. Given that we take these athletic journey to better know ourselves and aim towards our best version, it's important to understand what drives breakthroughs in different athletes. 

For some athletes, they require an overwhelming amount of physical pain in order feel transcendence through competition. They prepare themselves mentally and physically to blast through pain and finish a race no matter what. These are the people who will hobble on injured legs and will not be denied.

There are other athletes however that don't require that intense physical crucible, instead battling their minds and spirits in a willpower struggle. They seek the moment in the dance when they hear the excuses starting to pile up and endeavor to breakthrough those self imposed mental limits.

In the end, exploring different 'quit' scenarios and how different types of athletes push through teaches us that individual journeys require individual metrics when it comes to toughness, grit, determination, and transcendence. It's just different for each of us!