Governed

The fuel gauge reads "empty" (literally--whatever little annoying alert sound went off a while ago), and you're still on the road, in fact, let's make it the freeway. You're pushing it, obviously; your eyes consistently travel from the red line which that white hand has negatively passed, yet you persist in thinking that it's probably a little off, that it's an inexact science, this fuel gauge mechanism, that you're really-actually-truly not as low on gas as the inanimate car insists you are. You hunch forward in the seat, as if to will the vehicle forward for just a little longer...

My you're optimistic! It's that relentless pursuit to the finish line, be it to the next sightable gas station or across a triathlon finish line, that makes us winners. Cue the "Governor Theory". The brain is a savvy sucker. During exercise, it has its own fuel gauge which monitors the levels of energy you have for the activity's exertion and the amount of oxygen present in your muscles and organs as well as correlating data based on past training experience to know how far you've pushed yourself in the past, independent of the feeling you have that you may "die". In fact, the Governor Theory takes it one step further to account for the conscious process you're going through as well, with respect to motivation and expectation. Prior to the Governor Theory, it was widely believed that one's expectation for success (during physical exertion) resided in and depended upon the muscles and organs solely. However, as most any champion will attest, the brain has a seriously significant role.

This is perhaps to endow routine practice with even more merit. "Practice makes perfect." And, practice can in fact govern the outcome. Training = learning what one's body is capable of = robust results for the brain to correlate and gauge during strenuous activity = better control during performance = winning* (hopefully).

*not running out of gas mid-freeway

Life sometimes can be governed.
Governed: --verb
  Ruled over by right of authority.