Images of runner Ngoc Hoa crawling to the finish line at a distance of 42.195km at the 2026 National Marathon and player Matsuyama Nami seriously injured at the Vietnam Challenge 2026 are two separate slices, but bring the same warning.
As for Ngoc Hoa, although she has recovered, she advised everyone not to "exhaust themselves", while the Japanese female tennis player collapsed after a series of days of competition considered unscientific (13 matches at 3 tournaments in 19 days - not to mention traveling between Asia and Europe).
The body does not know how to speak, but only reacts. We - the subjects of the body, are often very good at persuading ourselves. That "try a little longer and it's okay". That "just a little pain, overcome it". That "if others can do it, I must also do it". These sayings sound normal, but are actually very dangerous.
Matsuyama played 10 matches in 10 days, with the reason of wanting to accumulate points to enter the Top 30 in the world, opening up opportunities to participate in major tournaments. The desire is like that, but forcing the body to operate not according to the biological orbit, in the long run, will lead to consequences. You can "trick" it in one or two matches. But you can't deceive it forever.
What Ngoc Hoa said is not a complaint, but experience from her own body. From sports to life, people often only learn lessons after experiencing them. There may be opportunities to correct mistakes, but sometimes not.
It is known that overcoming self-limits is something that can be "addictive", but there is a common misunderstanding that just pushing yourself to the extreme will make you stronger. Overcoming the threshold only makes sense when you have a foundation to overcome it. Nothing comes naturally. The body cannot adapt without recovery time.
What is lacking is not will. But preparation. Preparation in terms of fitness, nutrition, sleep, exercise and rest cycles. Prepare so that when you "push the limit", the body has enough conditions to adapt, instead of breaking.
April Fool's Day, people lie to each other for fun. But with the body, it's best not to. Before all goals, plans, ambitions, the body always sends signals, the issue is whether you are willing to listen or not.
