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Sunday, March 14, 2010

Breaking Points

"There's always a point at which people will break.  That's why you train mental toughness.  Everyone will break - there's not a man alive that can't be broke.  Your job, with all that mental training, that suffering, is just to push your own line of mental breaking so far back that your opponent can't find it.  Then you take your opponent and get him to cross his line, because once he starts breaking he accepts your dominance, you can finish him off."

- Josh Waitzkin
"The Fighter's Mind," by Sam Sheridan

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Listening to: Damian Marley - "Confrontation""

4 comments:

Allison said...

I read a book last summer called "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running" by Haruki Murakami. In the foreword he writes about how pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

Basically, yes, it's going to hurt, but it's up to the runner to decide how much he or she can stand.

Reading it really put running and fitness etc. in perspective for me.

Sean said...

Martin, I've skimmed your top posts a few times, but tonight actually took the time to sit and read everything, and I have to say I'm super impressed with your experiences and your attitude, just your overall outlook on life. I feel like we could be good friends, or at least share a glass of Jameson every once in a while, good luck in Los Angeles, I'll definitely do a better job of being a more up to date reader!

Martin said...

Allison - I read that book too and loved it. Murakami is the man. "The Wind-up Bird Chronicle" was really good.

Sean - Thanks for the comment man, I appreciate it. I've been enjoying your writing for a while now, so it means a lot that its reciprocated.
And you're a Jameson man. Good on ya.

Allison said...

I've been meaning to read some of his fiction. I found the book just on a table in a bookstore and thought it was the perfect book for me, as I try to motivate myself to run, just as I do to write.

I loved the correlations he makes between the two.

Cheers.