Actually, I’m pretty sure Sam didn’t say “freakin’”, but that’s close enough. It was about 20 years ago, I was training with other track-oriented members of the Hartford Track Club and racing a lot at 800-1500-mile. I was in the best shape of my life. Sam was our coach, a great guy from whom I learned a lot. This memory was from an outdoor meet (I don’t remember which one) that he attended.
I was running the mile, and I had just come through the 800 right on pace. Sam was standing on the infield at the first turn and screamed at me some version of the above. The effect was like a shot of adrenaline: I focused, looked up, and started putting some hurt into my fellow milers. I don’t remember the result, either, but I still draw inspiration from that one word: commitment.
That became my MO for the mile. Run the first 800 right on pace, and then start applying pressure. It probably got me beat sometimes, because it cost me some energy on the third lap, but it also probably made everyone’s time faster. And the better of my competitors would have beat me anyway if it came to a fast finish off a softer pace.
Here’s the point: almost anyone (except most high-schoolers and someone who hasn’t raced recently) can run the first 800 right on pace, generally that of their goal finishing time. And most people can rally in the last lap with the finish in sight. But halfway through, it’s just starting to hurt, and your thoughts might be along the lines of “that was a little hard, and now I have to do another?”. But hey, the other runners are thinking the same thing. So it’s time to make the commitment.
This scales to other distances, of course, but it also generalizes to other situations: workouts, for sure, even if the only competition is in your head. And projects of any sort, that are easy to start well, and may be easy to finish once the end is in sight, but it’s turning that corner at the halfway mark to stop thinking “we’re off to a good start” and start thinking “let’s get to the finish” that can make all the difference. Make the freakin’ commitment!