ATHLETES, cut your name Zorro-style into your opponent's uniform (still practicing good sportsmanship, of course) with the razor edge only you can wield.

I think people in general are scared of pushing themselves as far as they can go, because what comes next? The unknown has been scaring people since people became people. I mean, even animals are scared of the uncharted.

The scariest thought, though, is once you reach the end, and you've pushed yourself as far as you believe possible, you'd have to come to the realization that there is no room for improvement- this is it, it's over. I mean you might as well drop a piano on all your hopes and dreams, grate the broken pieces to powder and feed it to your dog, right?

Another thought: you're nearing the last stretch of the 400, you're in the lead, and your heart is pounding because God knows you HAVE to stay in the lead and (tap tap tap) you hear the spikes and heavy breathing of someone else, right down the back of your neck. So you SPRINT like you've never sprinted before (!!!), but so does your challenger. Soon, you can see her pumping next to you in your peripheral vision and it appears your speed has been matched.

What then ensues is a fight to get your feet and arms moving faster, for longer than the Other's. It is a fight of the heart, but your mind has a BIG part in it. The two of you will, having met, now decide who will win the race in less than two seconds.

I've watched it a hundred times: one girl gets the slightest bit ahead, the one trailing lets out a little cry/whimper, and the gap between the two widens. The one who was passed will probably curse herself later for what her coach will call “giving up,” but I'm saying, maybe she didn't actually think “I'm gonna let her pass me.”

Maybe it was just below her consciousness. Maybe she was pushed to the limit she felt comfortable with, one she had reached before, and automatically drew back. What's the point in fighting if you can't go faster? 

This panic is different from the panic of a victim being chased by a guy in a crazy mask (the fear of being caught), that panic sets in motion first, and that panic makes you go faster. The “bad” panic makes you go slower, and it will set in after you realize you are going as fast as you've ever gone, and now someone is calling for you to go faster. You push or you'll take back your speed.

Very rarely have I seen someone push, but when they do, every parent in the stands knows their name by the time the overhead lights shut off and the announcer treks home.

Mental blocks are one's you definitely don't want to set out of, and though they're the most challenging to overcome, they're also the most rewarding (personally and for your performance). To be the badass athlete hiding behind the door of such an idea such as “the end of your limits,” you must have a heightened awareness of what goes on in their minds, as well as what their body is doing, and kick that stinking thing down.

We weren't happy with crawling as babies because we saw the next step right in front of us, and it looked better: mommy and daddy walking, siblings balancing on two feet. We liked the alternative and thought “if they can do it, I can do it.”

Conversely, as an athlete, you won't have such a clear indication of the next level, because it lurks still inside yourself. You are your biggest obstacle. When you think you've reached your limit, remember: you're the only one stopping you from reaching new heights, times, distances, kingdoms, or treasure troves.

And though it is human nature to fear the unknown, it is also our nature to be curious, and for athletes, to conquer.

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