Runners: What is your mantra?

Redbug78

I just started running about 2 months ago.

I have 2: Bikini and This isn't going to kill you!

kreat

I keep saying to myself, only have to struggle once every 6 months... Keep on going. Also, I count the laps... and when I am near the end, I just start saying C'Mon!!! Just a little further!!!!

HauteP1nk

I just started running about 2 months ago.

I have 2: Bikini and This isn't going to kill you!

I just started running 11 weeks ago!! I am new too. I just finished my first 5km race...
Good luck!

mimaduck83

Love all of these!

My 1st 10 - 15 mins are the hardest and then I feel awesome and like I'm flying! That is usually followed by "oh christ I'm going to die"...repeat for about 50 mins!

If I'm lucky I don't think of anything - my mind goes clear and I guess this is what meditation is like? But otherwise towards the end its "just get me home, just to home and then you can stop" or on a really good day "you couldn't run 30 seconds back in July...don't quit now"!

vtate75

Others have put this, but when I am struggling I make deals with myself. I do a lot of, "just go until the end of this song" or "just run until the road curves ahead." Usually I can talk myself into going farther. The "beat" I often repeat to myself is "calorie down. calorie down."

girlontherun5

These make me smile, good to know there are so many others like me I definately talk to myself, someone else mentioned Dorie from Finding Nemo, but I will actually say "just keep swimming, just keep swimming...." yes, I am running, but that part also makes me smile :happy:

persilcolours

I can just very clearly in my head hear my voice saying "Keep going, Keep going, Keep going."

But I also listen to music -- without it, I wouldn't be able to run at all!

EricNCSU

I normally dont have one, but as things got tough during my half marathon, and especially when i realized it felt better to jog and hurt worse to slow to a walk my thought to myself was "don't stop... just keep moving... dont stop"... no matter how slow, just keep moving and dont stop.

mom2jac

I count too. In counts of 8. It helps me with my breathing. But when I want to quit, I name all of the foods I ate that I am working off. It helps me keep going.... chocolate. wine. pizza. Move. Your. *kitten*.

This is my favorite. Thanks for making me smile today!

jenkinsjerry

Music is my main motivator -- where my main strategy is listening to music from my childhood (e.g. 70's rock mainly). It provides me with so many great memories and takes my mind off of the job at hand. .

LMHinson15

I love this! I'm going to try some of these. I'm not going anywhere far or fast just yet, but I'm building up and I think these will help!

The thing that has popped into my head, and I don't know where it comes from, is just repeating

"I CAN and I WILL!"

KristenStone

There is a song that I just love running too. Its called One Foot by a band called Fun. I use the chorus in that song as my mantra.

"I put one foot in front of the other one. OH OH OH!" haha

Leesseebee

it varies-I try and go early in the morning so my brain does not really realize what the rest of the body is doing...but when I am running and it gets tough and my music is not motivating loud enough, my internal dialogue (yes, dialogue) is something like "urk; shush; urk; shush; urk; seriously, shush, you'll feel good if you keep going and after you are done; I don't want to; too bad WE ARE DOING THIS" and so on.
It makes me feel nuts.
When I am doing a tri, it is a bit worse as we cannot listen to music.
For those times, when you just get off your bike and your legs feel like jello, I just keep repeating "you are running now, you are running now, you are running now". It helps.

furbutt

Go Fast, Go Hard or Go back to bed

sunsetwest

I'm about to restart c25k, so this is well-timed, thank you! When I did it the first time, I would only focus on my breath, just easy in-and-out through the nose, and maintaining proper form. To help with side stitches, I would use belly breathing, which helps a lot. I would think, "buddha belly in, pain goes out," until it goes away. The image of a pot-bellied buddha always makes me smile, too. :happy: It made running more meditative for me and took the focus off of how puffy and sore my knees would get.

sdereski

I have one that helps me:
"pain is inevitable, suffering is optional"

Saw that written somewhere and it has stuck with me - yeah, it's gonna hurt, but I don't have to be a baby about it.

Other times is just say "F@CK!"

Nichole1981

I tell myself "it’s not your legs giving out it's your mind giving up...your body can do this". I also try to remind myself of all the people who are unable to run and how running is a privilege. I also do the “one more minute” trick.

coopersmom2006

"You want to quit? Get to the next mile mark and then you can quit. Oh look, you hit that next mile, give me another 1/2 mile then you can quit."

Pretty much what's happening in my head when I'm having a very unmotivated run. Otherwise I listen to what ever tunes are playing and try to drowned out any other thoughts.

Skywalker_Dub

I don't know I've been running for so long I don't think about it much anymore. I do find that I focus on breathing a lot when it gets hard. I have also tried telling myself you're light as a feather when my legs feel heavy.

therapyruns

"pain is temporary, results are forever"

sarahkatara

I just pretend that the Zombies are catching up.

^This times a million! Lol. I'm training for the zombie apocalypse...I mean...PRETENDING to train for the zombie apocalypse...

I am very seriosuly running to train for the zombie apocalypse. Did you see the season finale of the Walking Dead?!

Knitiquegirl

Just did my first half marathon, running and honestly I prayed before I started that when I felt weak, God would get me through. I ran the entire time, and when I legs got heavy I would ask myself Lungs good? Since they were I just thought it's mind over matter. but my lungs/breath were good I thought, Mind over matter, I can do it. And repeated. At the end when I was done and my heart rate was high, my legs felt light, and my body tingly, I was thinking this is either the runner's high that everyone talks about or I'm about to pass out. ;o)

Love some of the responses though.