American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-82) wrote: 'A man is what he thinks about all day long.' His compatriot, William James (1842-1910) declared: 'Human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.' The gist of these inspirational words is you are who and what you think you are. Your mind is the key to the real you whose hidden powers wait to be unlocked. There is more to athletics than just running. Athletics is 100 per cent physical and 100 per cent mental.

Runners wanting to maximise their potential must prepare psychologically, as well as physically, for competition. Athletes require mental qualities of courage, determination, patience, resilience, perseverance and the ability to overcome negative influences. They also possess the indomitable and unconquerable desire to plumb the depths of their being to get the very best out of themselves. Elementary to physical and mental preparation is motivation - a quality described lexicographically as an incitement to action. Motivation can be internal or external. External motivation is provided by prizes, cheering spectators, the prospect of fame and encouragement from friends, club colleagues, coaches and family members. Internal motivation, originating deep within the human psyche, derives from a a pride in one's performance, self-respect, the desire to do well and the ability to keep going when confronted with adversity, both on and off the field of competition. Internally-motivated athletes are often mystically inclined. They regard training as a form of self-expression.

They envisage training sessions and races as steps on the personal path to enlightment, self-fulfilment and self-discovery. It is estimated that most people use less than 10 per cent of their mental faculties in their daily lives. They rely on computers, calculators, technology and even vehicle navigational systems to do their thinking for them. People who don't use their muscles become indolent and less fit physically. Likewise, people who don't use their minds lose the power to think for themselves and stultify and stagnate mentally. Unless the athlete's mental qualities are devloped and nurtured, they will deteriorate psychologically.

The Roman concept of 'mens santa in corpore santo' - which translates as 'a healthy mind in a healthy body' - is an admirable concept that can and will influence your performance for the better, both in sport and other walks of life, including your work and studies. Setting meaningful targets is vital in training and competing. Your goals should be challenging but realistic. Poet Robert Browning (1812-89) could have had athletes in mind when he penned the inspirational words: 'Unless a man's reach exceeds his grasp then what's a heaven for?' Goals should be recorded in your training diary or displayed prominently on your wall as constant reminders of your aspirations.

A famous high jumper once reckoned he needed to clear a certain height to win an Olympic gold medal. He marked that height on every doorway in his house. Each time he went in and out of a room, he looked at the mark and reminded himself that was the height he would clear to fulfil his ambition of Olympic immortality. He won his gold medal. Olympic decathlon champion Bruce Jenner set up a hurdle in the living room of his house. Every time he passed it, he performed a hurdle drill over the barrier. Don Thompson, Olympic 50 kilometre walk champion in 1960 in Rome, acclimatised for the searing Italian heat by rigging up a gymnasium in a steaming-hot bathroom in his home and working out there. And Emil Zatopek, triple champion in the 5K, 10K and marathon at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, developed his stamina by filling a bath with the soaking-wet family washing and running on top of it for an hour or more - simulating an arduous cross-country training run or race.

These great athletes showed that where there's a will there's a way. They epitomised the saying: 'When the going gets tough the tough get going.' But you must be tough mentally and spiritually as well as physically. You should devise a personal motto to assist you in your endeavours and write it in your training diary or pin it on a wall in your room. Here are a few which have inspired me over the years as an athlete, coach, student, scholar and journalist: 'Without toil there triumph but a few.' (Greek poet Pindar 522BC - 440BC) 'Cast not out the hero in your soul.' (German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche 1844-1900). 'When the One Great Scorer comes to write against your name He will not write if you won or lost but how you played the game.' (English writer Rudyard Kipling 1865-1936). 'What have we in life but courage, energy and will-power?' (German poet and writer Johann von Goethe 1749-1832) 'What lies before and behind you depends on what lies within you.' (American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803-82). And here is my favourite quotation. It's from the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 -82): 'Let us act that each tomorrow sees us further than today.' In other words, learn something new every day, whether in your sporting career, work or academic studies.

Your motto should be one in which you believe and which reflects your philosophy in life and sport. It links you subconsciously with the hidden powers lying dormant within you. These untapped inner strengths move mountains, they transform men and women into sages and saints and mere mortals into athletics heroes and, in some instances, immortals. It is your vision of yourself which enables you to discover your destiny and how to realise your potential as an athlete and as a person. Athletics is a journey to personal fulfilment and one which should enhance the quality of your life and give you a purpose and goal. By progressing along the path - learning from all your experiences, with the assistance of an intelligently-planned mental, physical, tactical, nutritional and hydrational programme - you can become the person and athlete of your dreams. You can become the real you.

Derek Parker MA, BD (Hons) UK Athletics Level 4 Coach; Coaching Adviser - Kilbarchan AAC)