“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”
― Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Having my son home for a month between college and his summer music festival was a whirlwind, as always. While he was here he stole my pillow, caused us to run the dishwasher twice a day, drank an entire carton of oatmilk every two days, and used up all my laundry detergent. Let’s not even talk about car insurance.
And once again he completely derailed my reading agenda. Last summer he convinced me to reread all of Harry Potter, and this time he got out our old Calvin and Hobbes books.
When he was little, we read Calvin and Hobbes together all the time. In retrospect, it was kind of an odd choice- why was I reading Calvin and Hobbes to my three-year-old? Now he says these books shaped his sense of humor, and he wanted to revisit them. I decided to “just look through” the first book, and I got hooked. Every time I try to take out my serious, adult novel, I end up reading Calvin and Hobbes, while literally laughing out loud.
In case anyone has never read these, the premise is that Calvin, a six-year-old boy, has a tiger for a best friend. To everyone else, Hobbes looks like a stuffed animal. But when it’s just Calvin and Hobbes, they have all sorts of hilarious adventures together.
My son and I had so much fun discussing these cartoons again- “Remember when they drive the car into the ditch? Remember the snowman house of horrors?” And then my son asked the deep, philosophical question: “Is Hobbes real?”
Of COURSE Hobbes is real. Depending, of course, on who’s experiencing him.
This conversation took place at the dinner table, and my poor husband and daughter couldn’t understand what we were talking about. When I invoked the wisdom of Albus Dumbledore (see above quote) they literally begged us to change the subject. Around here, if you haven’t read Harry Potter or Calvin and Hobbes, you really have no idea what’s going on.
What does all this have to do with running? WELL! Glad you asked.
On Sunday I ran ten miles. Not an extremely long run, but long enough to experience some Florida heat. While I ran I listened to this podcast about a 50 mile race through the neighborhoods of Miami. Since it takes place in June, it was obviously hot AF. The top female finishers talked about digestive distress, muscle cramps, and dehydration. They had moments in the race where they thought they couldn’t go on, but ultimately overcame those thoughts to finish strong. The main thing, they agreed, is “It’s all in your head.”
Obviously muscle cramps and dehydration are real. But the belief that you can’t continue to run is only real if you allow it to be. In a couple of my recent workouts, I found myself thinking that I needed to stop- so I did. But afterwards I was disappointed in myself. I wasn’t collapsing onto the ground, so obviously I had more in the tank.
Knowing how powerful thoughts are, when I did my speed work last week I replaced the “I can’t do this” thoughts with “I’m strong, I’m good at this, and I can do it.” And, yes- I did it.
Are thoughts real? 100%. Can you change your reality by changing your thoughts? 100%. Is it all in your head? Of course it is- but that doesn’t mean it’s not real.
I’m linking up with Kim and Zenaida for their Tuesday Topics!
Have you ever let your thoughts defeat you in a long run or race? Or, have you managed to turn around a bad situation by changing your thoughts?
Is Hobbes real?
30 Responses
Many many times in a long race esp a hot one, I have almost talked myself into walking the rest of the race. But all you have to do is think positive thoughts. Like There are others running more miles than this. There are others with handicaps running. Finishing is winning.
Yes, it’s ALL in your mind.
Of course, there are races where I could have done better but I let my mind get in the way. It’s hard not to.
Great post.
Yes, it does help to think that other people are hurting too (probably more than you) and they’re not stopping. I’m going to use all these ideas in my July 4th 5K!
I’m all about positive thinking, especially when it comes to racing. I know that I automatically can go to negative thoughts or a worst case scenario, especially during a rough patch in a race. I really have to talk myself out of those thoughts and think about positive things – like crossing the finish line and getting food, lol.
Ha ha… food can be very motivating.
Well of course Hobbes is real. That’s not even up for debate. If my husband was reading this, he would ask why you waited until your son was 3 to start him on C&H;-)
I go back and forth between what’s “in my head” and what’s “real” with my own heat difficulties all the time and I really don’t have a good answer. Last year I really pushed myself to run in hotter than normal temperatures and it was a disaster, so in hindsight I would have been better off listening to the “I can’t”. This year I’m starting from a place of “can’t” and trying to explore the edges a bit.
Yes, that’s a valid point. You can’t say EVERYTHING is in your head. If you only have one leg, you can’t change the reality by thinking you have two. I think what you’re doing is smart- trying to determine where the mental part ends, and what’s truly beyond your control
Yes, I have let my thoughts get to me. It was my third Half Marathon and when I looked at my watch around 15km, I realised I had gotten off my goal pace slightly. From that point on, my negative thoughts completely took over. I crawled through the Finish in last position. And when I looked back, it wasn’t my lungs or my legs or anything physical. My race changed when my thoughts became negative. It was all in my head and it was all real, LOL!
Yes- I hate it when I look back and know that I really, really could have kept going (or held the pace, or whatever,) I try to remind myself of that now- how disappointed I’ll be later if I stop.
I love Calvin & Hobbes! I have all the comics and I re-read them regularly. I especially like the interaction between Calvin and his Dad. So, so funny.
Ha, yes, thoughts have definitely got the better of me.
Recently, Janae of Hungryrunnergirl had a post about negative thoughts being visitors. I thought that was an interesting concept. I happened to remember it during a long, steep uphill in a race two weeks ago. I thought of the hill as a passing visitor and it worked! It’s all in your head!
I read that post of Janae’s! Yes, that’s a great technique.
Hahahaha yes, Calvin and his dad. Sooooo funny!
I have definitely talked myself in and out of many things while running. Negative thoughts can be so overwhelmingly powerful. I once kept track of how often I made them and worked to counter those thoughts. It can really work!
And I agree, when the kids come home, it can be chaos!
Well, I’m doing speed work again tomorrow- I’m going to use your method and keep track of every negative thought. It’ll be good practice for my race.
My head is my biggest enemy and obstacle. I’ve gotten better at pushing myself through hard things, though. That most recent hot trail race is probably the best example. Instead of quitting, I make deals with myself and let go of perfection. Finishing is definitely winning.
Funny that you should mention Calvin and Hobbes! I have been cleaning out the boys’ stuff and the only books i kept were the Calvin and Hobbes books. So much wisdom!
Ha, yes Calvin and Hobbes is the best!
Yes, finishing races like that hot trail race definitely trains mental toughness. It’s totally worth it to finish, even if it’s not pretty.
I’ve struggled with negative thoughts during a long run or race on occasion. Running is definitely mostly all in your head. I’ve written a few blog posts about just that but it still can be tough getting past the negative and focusing on the positive.
Oh, I’ll have to go back and find those posts. I’m really focused on this subject now so I’m interested to hear what you have to say!
I love Calvin and Hobbes! My family also had some of those books, as well as a LOT of For Better or Worse books, and they give me such nice memories. I should revisit them.
I agree that our thoughts are so powerful and can really shape our lives. I mean, not always. But the power of the mind is so incredible. I have read a lot about pain and trauma and how mental traumas can result in physical ailments. There is just so much we don’t know about the power of the mind! It’s fascinating.
How can anyone not love Calvin and Hobbes? The drawings alone are hilarious.
Yes, the power of the mind is a fascinating subject- and it’s true, there’s so much we still don’t know.
I love hearing about you and your son revisiting Calvin & Hobbes! I have never read any of those books but I remember my little sister being super into them. Developing a sense of humor is important so I will have to check these out with my boys. I bet our older one would get a kick out of it!
I think so much of running is 100% mental. Yes you need to be in shape and able to run the distances you are setting out to run, but your mind is probably the #1 thing holding you back once you have achieved a certain level of fitness!
Ha ha, well you may have to edit a little for a four-year-old, but since you’ll be reading to him it should be no problem!
This instantly took me back to Junie B Jones…remember her? While we read Dr. Seuss 1,083,579,045 times (that’s not an exaggeration, BTW), our youngest daughter LOVED the Junie books. She’d bring them home from school, and read them to me every night. She had the voice inflections down to perfection, and it was all I could do to not wet myself listening to her dramatic readings. ((sigh)) Why, oh WHY do our kids have to grow up???
I do remember the Junie B. Jones books but for whatever reason my daughter never got into them. She did like Fancy Nancy though- those are good ones!
I don’t remember ever reading Calvin and Hobbes but wasn’t there a comic strip in the newspaper? I did read ALL of the Harry Potter books. Fascinating! Great post! Negative thoughts are powerful. It is so easy to let it get to us. I need to work on thinking more positive thoughts as I train this Summer. The longer runs do scare me but I know I can do it.
Thank you for linking up with us!
Yes, Calvin and Hobbes was originally published in the newspaper comics, the books are a collection of those.
Yes, you will need some positive thoughts while training for your ultra!
Haven’t read Calvin & Hobbes or Harry Potter, sorry.
Is running at least 80% mental? Absolutely! Isn’t it amazing how our body can’t really distinguish between visualization and actual movement? Can affirmations rewire our brain? Absolutely — IF it’s the right affirmation for YOU.
I think we’ve all let ourselves talk ourselves into — or out of — something, too.
And I think 10 miles in FL Summer heat is a LONG way! Maybe it’s just all in my head. 😉
Ha ha, well you’re in the same boat as my husband and daughter, wondering what in the world we’re talking about (and why two adults are sitting around reading cartoons.)
You made a good point- affirmations are personal, and the most effective ones are specific to each person.
First, Calvin and Hobbes is my FAVOURITE comic ever. I love, love, love these comics so much and, like your son, I’d say that they helped shape my sense of humour as well. I went through a stretch of re-reading these books a few years ago and was just thinking in the last week or so that I really need to put some on my holds list at the library again. They make me SOOO happy. My brother adored Calvin and Hobbes and a family friend used to loan them to our family. My Mom hated them and found Calvin extremely disrespectful. She hated that we read them and did not find them funny, but even as a young child I found them brilliant and delightfully entertaining (though I always disliked the strips where he went through the imagination reels about aliens etc.).
I try to remind myself of your advice when I’m going through a tough physical or mental challenge. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. It’s a hard balance because sometimes I think certain personality types (like myself; all or nothing) have a tendency to push too hard for too long and I don’t listen to my body or other important cues that I need to stop or make adjustments. Last summer I completely burned out (basically had to stop all exercise for 2 months; I had just pushed too hard in too many areas around some health issues IGNORING BIG CUES). That said…a lot of the time it IS all in my head and I need to battle through it. The trick is recognizing which situation I’m currently facing. Should I listen to my cues because they’re giving important feedback, or should I hear them and intentionally choose to move forward through the discomfort. I like to think I get it right about 75% of the time?
I would say 75% is pretty good! Yes, that’s a good point- you can’t just solve everything by “thinking positive.”
So, Calvin and Hobbes- I also don’t love the ones with Spaceman Spiff. The ones where Calvin is Stupendous Man are hilarious though. The drawings are so, so good. I can see how a parent wouldn’t like them- particularly a dad. The poor dad really isn’t portrayed very well in those comics!
The mental part of running (or anything really) is half the battle… if your head tells you, you can’t do it, then you can’t… but if your head is game, then almost everything is possible 😉
Yes, it’s really fascinating how much power our minds have.