Face your Enemy

It's something you'd expect a Far-Eastern Zen master to teach you: "Your harshest competitor, your worst enemy is in yourself." I found it interesting to experience that first-hand. There's a bit of a story to it.
I had signed up for last week's JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge run. That's a 5.6 km marathon that's held, among other places, in Frankfurt once a year. I'm not the fittest person, really, so I started the run with mixed feelings. The furthest I had run previously was around 4 km and not on a regular basis. Would I reach the finish line, at all? Well, I was in for a surprise. Not only did I reach the finish line but crossing it I realised I was groggy but I could have actually gone on. You might have said I felt empowered. I ran the 5.6 km in about 31 minutes and was asking for more.
I think, a lot of people felt similarly surprised - that they could do more than they thought. "The crowd pulls you along", was something I heard a number of people say. It sounds trivial but I guess they had a point. Maybe it's a mixture of motivation and distraction that makes you go on and lets you think less about the effort of running. There's always something to occupy your mind - whether making sure you're on the right track or avoiding other runners or not tripping in the crowd.
Tonight I ran my usual 4-something kilometers again. It was in better shape than usual but nowhere near that of last Wednesday. The difference is that I know the route and I run alone. If there's nothing much to distract you it's hard to ignore your thumping heart and racing breath. Those sounds become your only companions. And that exactly must be the moment when you encounter your greatest enemy. With nothing to distract you you must face him. That's surely also the reason why many people run with a friend - to get reinforcements. But only if you face your enemy alone and prevail then you've truly defeated him.
One day ... bit by bit ... to wear him down ...