What it Takes to Be a Mind Over Matter Athlete
Mar 25, 2024
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What it Takes to Be a Mind Over Matter Athlete www.runnerclick.com You may have heard running or competition, especially long distance running, is more mental than physical. The creative minds at Mind Over Matter Athlete would agree. We spoke with the Mind Over Matter Athlete owner, Sean Moritz, to give us a bit of insight into the ideology of mantras athletes can use to push beyond physical limits and where to purchase items to enforce those mantras into our daily lives (& look good at the same time).
Thanks for taking the time to talk with us, Sean! Could you give us a little background about yourself?
I’m the typical endurance athlete, trying to balance work, family, training, and racing who decided to start an endurance community and brand to motivate and support like-minded people. The genesis of the community is that the “body achieves what the mind believes” which translates into Mind Over Matter. Our mantra is Silence the Enemy Within because we all have that voice of doubt in our head that tries to convince us we can’t do something. If you can overcome the doubt, you can do anything you put your mind towards. This principle extends past training and racing to work and personal accomplishments as well. Our ultimate goal is to leave no doubt, that we gave it everything we have in everything we do.
Growing up in Houston, TX, I was a competitive swimmer until college. It was the rush you get on the starting block before the race starts and the sense of accomplishment when I came out of the water that made pushing myself mentally and physically a lifestyle. During college, I found a passion for running, more to stay fit than compete, and hung up the goggles and Speedo for 15 years. After college, I bought my first road bike to see what the MS150 from Houston to Austin was all about. I was hooked on the speed of a road bike. For the next few years, I cross-trained with running and cycling but I was missing the competition aspect. When I turned 30, I wrote down 100 things on my bucket list I want to do before I die. Three of the items were: finish an Ironman, start my own company, and start my own charity. Finishing an Ironman was an opportunity for me to combine 3 things that I love, swimming, cycling and running. I started with short course sprints and Olympic distances. Ultimately, I finished my 1st full Ironman in 2017 after a lot of 70.3s.
Your athletic resume is impressive. How did this passion develop?
My passion developed because I hate the word ‘can’t’. Anyone who knows me and, especially my wife, knows I hate when someone says they can’t do something. A long time ago, I learned that winners internalize their failures and those who lose tend to externalize their failures. There will always be those people who continually talk about why they can’t achieve something, why the world is against them or not fair. Our goal at Mind Over Matter Athlete is to change their negative way of thinking into a positive mindset.
Tell us more about how Mind Over Matter Athlete came to be…
As I mentioned before, starting my own business was something I wrote on my bucket list but I never thought my passion for endurance sports would turn into one of the companies I would start. The idea to start an endurance community and brand, Mind Over Matter Athlete, was born driving home from USAT Nationals in 2016. Although I qualified for Team USA, I was reflecting on what I could have done differently and how I could train better. Every race I have competed in, there is always that point, during the race, where my mind starts doubting the training, doubting how much gas I have left in the tank and doubting what I can achieve. At that moment, we silence the enemy within and realize that we can do anything we put my mind towards. This notion I wanted to represent on my endurance gear so I started by making running singlets and triathlon kits for myself. Friends and strangers started to ask where I got my gear from and when I told them I made them they asked if I could make them one. This evolved into Mind Over Matter Athlete, a company that is a community more than a brand or product.
How are you managing it all?
As for managing work, life, and leisure I am still trying to figure that out. If you have any advice I am all ears. I have a full-time job, two companies I started, two beautiful daughters, 3 years and 5 months old, and a wife who is very supportive. One way I have found to manage work, life, and leisure is to start companies around hobbies and things I am passionate about.
However, I am the kind of person who always needs to be doing something so I thrive when there is a lot going on but keeping organized is essential to achieving goals. Setting short-term goals is a way I stay focused and organized. They are a way for me to measure what I have achieved and make sure I am on track to achieve what I want to achieve. The best thing I ever did was get a coach to help with the training aspect of my life so I could focus on my job and family. It is important to find a coach who understands your life and the time you have available to train. Then, they build the training plan around your life versus training being the center of your life. There is not much better than starting the day off achieving a goal, like a workout, in the morning to set the tone for the rest of the day. On the flip side, if you’re like me, if you miss a workout it can set a negative tone for the day. The organization is what we do before we do something. Too often, we try to get organized after we start something.
You make it all sound easy, but of course, there are trials and tribulations along the course. What are your most trying and rewarding parts of this journey?
The most trying part of the journey is time. There is a quote, “Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” I have been guilty of that many time in my life and why getting organized is the best way to use my time wisely and leave no doubt that I give everything I have in every aspect of my life.
The most rewarding part of creating Mind Over Matter Athlete is when someone comes up to me after a race or messages/emails me after the race and say, “I saw one of your kits or singlets on the course and seeing the words, Silence the Enemy Within or Mind Over Matter, helped push me to the finish line.” Social media gives us a window into people’s journeys to achieve their goals. Nothing makes me happier than when someone tags @mind.over.matter.athlete or uses one of our hashtags in their social media posts. To me, it means we could be a part of their journey and hopefully be a reason for their motivation.
You also mentioned your bucket list includes starting a charity. Can you tell us more about your now annual charity run that supports Team Catapult?
Our Sweat Out The Doubt Charity Run with CATAPULT is a chance for us to raise money for athletes who embody the Mind Over Matter Mentality and hopefully introduce people to an amazing organization. These athletes don’t know what the word “can’t” means. They motivate me every time I am racing and see them on the course. CATAPULT is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit that aims to CATAPULT physically challenged individuals over adversity and into the world of endurance sports and athletics. Their mission is to “turn disabilities into capabilities in the world of endurance sports.” You can learn more about their mission on their website www.teamcatapult.org.
What’s next?
My number 1 goal is to continue to grow the Mind Over Matter community. My personal goals for 2019 in the endurance world is to qualify for Team USA in August at USAT Nationals and qualify for Worlds 70.3 this year. I have got the Boston bug too so you may see me out there doing a full marathon in 2019 too.
Give us your best advice for like-minded individuals like yourself.
Believe in yourself, develop a plan, execute your plan and when things don’t go the way you planned, adapt and keep pushing to the finish line.
Be sure to check out your favorite mantras on all your workout gear needs like tees, hoodies, tri, and running kits, sports bras, hats, water bottles. Mantras include: “Mind Over Matter”, “Silence the Enemy Within”, “Sweat Out the Doubt”, “Finding Fast”, “I’m All Heart”, and more. You can get all the gear to leave doubt at the start line to get you to the finish.
Website: Mind Over Matter Athlete
Instagram: Mind Over Matter Athlete
Facebook: Mind Over Matter Athlete
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