How extreme endurance shapes mental strength



Jared Magrath(Channel Swimmer):

Your body starts to eat itself because it starts to run out of fuel and it starts to eat its own fat. You start to be like: 'Why am I in this water? This is just insane. Why am I doing this? ' And it just got really, really spiralling negatively. It's all about that mental side of it. So, just pushing yourself: 'Okay, you can go a little bit further. Keep going. Keep going. ' Everything else is going to be easy because I've done, I've swum in freezing cold water. You know, it doesn't faze me.



Dr. Carla: You know it's going to hurt at some stage. Yet you are willing to expose yourself to that pain. What's really unique about endurance performance is that kind of element of:'How do I manage my thoughts? ' There's so much time to think, so when those kind of demons might arrive, how do you manage those demons?



Some people undertake extreme endurance activities because of something that they have control over. They have a very clear reason, and it's because they want to do it. They enjoy the exercise. They enjoy those challenges. When we think about managing pain, they just love it.



You know, when we think about reflecting on reasons why we're doing it, having that kind of intrinsic motivation that comes from within, managing those negative thoughts, the perseverance, the grit to keep going. But also, yes, I might feel uncomfortable, I feel tired, but I can push through that, can be types of things that can be really helpful in other areas of life.



Kevin Murphy(Channel Swimmer):

I'm Kevin Murphy. I'm known as 'King of the English Channel'. I've swum the channel 34 times. Within that 34, there are actually three doubles and 28 singles. People want to challenge their human frailties. I know I can beat the demons in my head, which say: 'You can't do this'. I know I can beat those.



Jared: You could literally get like a kilometre away from France and the current will just change and you'd be swimming stationary and you've got to be okay with swimming another six hours.



Kevin: I was never a great swimmer. I was never very fast, and I was never especially fit. And yet I'm in the Swimming Hall of Fame. Now, how can that be? Well, it's because I had that willpower, that mental toughness, to be able to carry on. And that's what I try to instil in all the swimmers that I train. Swimming the channel – you actually go way, way beyond what you think are your limits. It's, it's not really a physical thing, so much as a mental thing.



Jared: You had to swim for a long time before you got, kind of, any food. I just remember being really miserable. It was about seven, eight degrees. Putting my face in the water, it just felt like it was burning. I'd be so frozen I couldn't move my hands.



Kevin: What you take away from a channel swim is that mental toughness, that self-belief. You also take away a physical development of your body. I had an artery that ruptured. Because my heart was so strong and so big, a much bigger muscle than normal, because of the swimming, that's why I'm here. I wouldn't have survived otherwise.



Dr. Emily: If we know that we've been able to overcome hard times, we've been able to push through some of those difficulties, then we know we can do it again. What motivates us is very different for each individual person. In terms of extreme endurance activities, it's an opportunity for individuals to test their limits, and to see where their boundaries are.



Jared: My next challenge is probably going to be my business or going on to do another sports swim. And so if you think about life, take that kind of mental attitude saying, you know, 50% of life is just, just saying that you can do it or you will do it, but you just have to believe it.



词汇表

Channel swimmer [ˈtʃænl ˈswɪmə(r)] 海峡游泳者（指横渡海峡，如英吉利海峡等的游泳运动员或爱好者）

spiralling [ˈspaɪrəlɪŋ] （形势）急剧恶化，螺旋式上升（或下降）

faze [feɪz] 使慌乱，使担忧

demon [ˈdiːmən] 心魔，灰暗心理，颓废心理；恶魔

undertake [ˌʌndəˈteɪk] 从事，进行；承担，负责

extreme endurance activities [ɪnˈdjʊərəns] 极限耐力运动（指对体能、耐力和毅力要求极高的运动或挑战，如越野跑，高山攀登，横渡海峡等）

intrinsic motivation [ɪnˈtrɪnsɪk] 内在动机，内在驱动力

perseverance [ˌpɜːsəˈvɪərəns] 坚持不懈，不屈不挠，毅力

grit [ɡrɪt] 毅力，勇气；沙砾

push through 克服，坚持完成

frailty [ˈfreɪlti] 脆弱，虚弱；弱点，缺点

stationary [ˈsteɪʃənri] 静止的，固定的，不动的

Swimming Hall of Fame 游泳名人堂

willpower [ˈwɪlpaʊə(r)] 意志力，毅力

mental toughness [ˈmentl ˈtʌfnəs] 心理韧性，意志力

instil [ɪnˈstɪl] 逐渐灌输，逐步培养（思想或态度等）

artery [ˈɑːtəri] 动脉；干线

rupture [ˈrʌptʃə(r)] （体内组织等）破裂，断裂，裂开



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