THE DEVOTIONAL
(NOTE: This book excerpt is copyright by Jerry Schemmel and Brad Cooper. Used by permission.)
Beyond the Physical
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8)
Roadmap
There is obviously an immense amount of physical training that goes into an event like RAAM. Preparing the body to ride 200+ miles over a course of 12-15 hours/day for a week straight requires an unusually high amount of both quantity and quality physical training. But that’s not enough – mental training is also a necessity.
The mental training I did included riding on the indoor trainer in our basement for up to 12 hours straight (and 30 hours over a 3 day weekend) on multiple occasions. It involved staring at the bulls-eye of a target in front of me for extended periods, mentally adjusting back to the center when the focus would drop off. It also incorporated riding in various weather conditions to adapt mentally to being uncomfortable. These strategies helped, but they were just the beginning. In fact, I was so intrigued by the mental piece of RAAM and found the research to be so limited that I later enrolled in an international PhD program to study this very element!
During some of the initial PhD research we conducted, we found that interestingly – but not surprisingly based on the timeless wisdom of scripture – that the words of Philippians 4:8 are a key component of mental toughness! Over and over, we discovered that those individuals who tuned into the factors Paul emphasized to the Philippians (lovely, commendable, excellent, worthy of praise) experienced an increase in mental toughness! Fascinating.
Preparing the mind isn’t just important for athletes. It applies to all aspects of life. We become the words we say to ourselves, the things that consistently enter our minds. We are an outward reflection of what’s going on inside our heads – whether in a race or in our daily journey. God – through Paul’s words – gave us the answer to optimizing reality in our lives by tapping into that component. We are to train our minds to think on the “excellent… anything worthy of praise.” There wasn’t any research on athletes competing in Philippi on which this guidance was based. Rather – it was God’s guidance to us about how to make the most out of the plan He designed for our lives. Interesting how God’s guidance always turns out to produce the best outcomes, isn’t it?
Fuel
- Have I been training my mind to consistently focus on that which is excellent and worthy of praise?
- What is one thing in my life right now that fits the description noted above that I’ve overlooked?
- What can I do to “up my game” mentally an make this strategy a consistent part of my life?
Crew Chief Communication
“Lord – there is so much around me that is excellent and worthy of praise and yet I ignore it. Thank you for your many blessings – your incredible creations. Guide my thoughts and help me to consistently tune into these moment by moment and day by day. Amen.
