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I hate the sweltering days of July. Give me the beach, a sunhat, an iced lemonade and a hammock. Going for a run when the sun is high is the last thing on my mind these days.
Noel Coward’s famous lyric says that only Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun. I have never been an Englishman, but I have once been a Mad Dog who entertained the idea of running marathons in the heat of summer. A Mad Dog with Olympic aspirations. I never did like running in the heat but the ambitious pursuit of the top spot on the podium made me do things normal people wouldn’t consider. Like layering up in sweats and running up to 23 miles at the height of the summer days to become heat adapted.
My doggedness paid off when I finally made the Olympic podium in 1992 on a day that boasted 96 degree temperatures at the start of the 26.2 mile race. Funny thing is, as vivid as my memories of that day are, I don’t recall the weather as being hot during the race. Focus changes perception while practice reinvents the body.
I took the bronze medal which sits in a drawer somewhere, but unleashing my Mad Dog taught me golden truths about the nature of the relationship between mind and body that I always carry with me.
Here are a few of my Mad Dog truths:
Victory lap Barcelona 1992 Olympics
1. Fundamentally the body is energy: Quantum physics tells us that the material composing our cells is actually a whirling array of subatomic particles with great spaces in between. While we have the illusion of our bodies as being solid, they are anything but. At the quantum level they can be described as a dynamic complexity of interacting vortices of energy, with each movement of energy creating a differentiation so that it can dance with itself.
2. That energy is programmed by two levels of mind: the subconscious that controls most functions according to what Mother Nature and Universal Law dictates, and the conscious mind which gives us the power to harness the physical power of adaptation through our choices.
3. Our conscious choices give us the potential and influence to fashion our bodies according to our goals and desires. Yes, we do get directorial input, if we exercise it. First, we have to consciously allow head room for the Mad Dog, and entertain what others might call crazy. I could have easily domesticated mine by declaring “I am not a hot weather runner” and left it at that. No madness, no medal. So, it is with the world: no Mad Dog, no great inventions, no art, no imagination, no physical or conscious evolution.
4. With intent and focused action, we can train our bodies to do extraordinary things. It takes a commitment to adapting in increments over time. Too much Mad Dog stimulus at once can hurt you, even kill you. But giving the body just enough of a nudge in the direction you wish to take it and allowing it to respond before you do it again multiplies exponentially over time. You have stick with it long enough to give your quantum particles time to fully dance with your intent. This is the training secret of all great athletes.
So, Quantum Creatures, before you go back to your lawn chair and slip into old age for the rest of your summer, how about unleashing your Mad Dog to romp around in the noonday sun? Maybe he will inspire you to come up with a plan to be a little more extraordinary than you already are.
 

By Lorraine Moller
4 x Olympian, bronze medalist, and Boston Marathon Winner