Mantras and Psychobabble
WebbyShoo
Posts: 115 Member
I'm definitely a "mantra" person. While running I'm usually getting my psychobabble on, sometimes it's stuff that I would rather not think about like general negative bull *kitten* in my life, some runs this helps me because I get a release, without that release it usually hinders. Most of the time it's really positive and helps me on a cognitive behavioural level later in the other areas of my life. I was curious what mantras or thoughts seem to reoccur most during other peoples runs. (I know some of this stuff can get kinda deep or geeky....)
My most common mantras I use are:
"Stay light, stay loose, stay relaxed"
"I'mma make this hill my bish!" with "Dig dig dig" on hill days. LOL.
"I am a well fed machine"
"This pain is nothing"
I don't run with music anymore either, which surprisingly has helped me so much with my focus, but sometimes I will hear songs in my head, today it was Bob Marley remixed "Sun is Shining" and as sad as it is to admit "Rhythm is a dancer" LOLOL.
My most common mantras I use are:
"Stay light, stay loose, stay relaxed"
"I'mma make this hill my bish!" with "Dig dig dig" on hill days. LOL.
"I am a well fed machine"
"This pain is nothing"
I don't run with music anymore either, which surprisingly has helped me so much with my focus, but sometimes I will hear songs in my head, today it was Bob Marley remixed "Sun is Shining" and as sad as it is to admit "Rhythm is a dancer" LOLOL.
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Replies
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I'm not a mantra type per se but (at the risk of sounding like a Birkenstock wearing, granola munching, new age flake) there is a lot of power in positive self-talk/positive imaging both in running and in real life. Much of the fatigue in a long run is between your ears........0
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I, too use mantras a lot & agree mantras can be helpful in shifting your (left) brain away from the pain/struggle/fatigue running can cause and to reach the right-brain-controlled creatively idyllic "running groove". One of my favorites (semi-inspired by Jeff Galloway's marathon book) is "loose as a goose, not tight as a drum" (repeat many times and visualizing the "loose" goose vs. the overtight drum) and even "you got this!" or "you got it!" when I feel my strength, form, or pace sagging. I use some of the mantras in Galloway's Marathon book but modify them as needed. Honestly, I have so many of them, I'm not sure what the sources are on some of them anymore. I also like "Saddle up" or "Giddyup!" (ala Cosmo Kramer from Seinfeld) right before my runs and "Flyyyyy!" or "Gooooooooo!"or "Punch it!/push it!" during speed intervals/fartlek. Also, when someone passes me running I'm sometimes thinking "Noooooo! I'll catch you!"0
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Am I going to out myself as a big nerd? I tend to do out and back training runs and for me, mentally, it's all about making it to the turn around point. On my way out, I'm constantly doing math, counting down, in fractions and percentages how far I am to the turn around point. Things like "20% done, I only have to do that 4 more times." I don't even bother counting the return miles in my mental arithmetic hurdles because, I swear, once I turn around, I go on cruise control, enjoy my music and cruise home. Mentally those miles fly by, even if I'm not running negative splits and they actually take longer in reality.0
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I used to sing to myself when I ran . . . does that count? I figured it kinda helped with my breathing.0
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I tend to do different routes to keep my mind busy; I try to turn my body into a vehicle my head is riding around in taking in the scenery and thinking through stuff. I have missed turns on more than one occasion. I got up early one morning when I was in Chicago on business recently and ran my personal best 10k along the lakefront, looking at buildings and boats and birds and just enjoying the new and different place. Anyway, this is sort of at the other end of things. Instead of concentrating on where I am, how far to go, thinking positive things about my running or other things related to the run, I largely shut it out.0
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How about "Float like a Butterfly-Run like a Kenyan"?0
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I hear music and it depends on how fast I am running as to what my brain selects. Most of the times though I like to fight with my "inner voice". It tells me something then I say "Why"...then I try and reason it out. There is probably some medication to turn this off but why? lol0
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My 2 main themes are "Relax, you're fine" and "You got this" I even have You Got This printed on my road ID bracelet. I'm simple and to the point. And when I'm swimming it's "Just Keep Swimming...":laugh:0
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I'm definitely a "mantra" person. While running I'm usually getting my psychobabble on, sometimes it's stuff that I would rather not think about like general negative bull *kitten* in my life, some runs this helps me because I get a release, without that release it usually hinders. Most of the time it's really positive and helps me on a cognitive behavioural level later in the other areas of my life. I was curious what mantras or thoughts seem to reoccur most during other peoples runs. (I know some of this stuff can get kinda deep or geeky....)
My most common mantras I use are:
"Stay light, stay loose, stay relaxed"
"I'mma make this hill my bish!" with "Dig dig dig" on hill days. LOL.
"I am a well fed machine"
"This pain is nothing"
I don't run with music anymore either, which surprisingly has helped me so much with my focus, but sometimes I will hear songs in my head, today it was Bob Marley remixed "Sun is Shining" and as sad as it is to admit "Rhythm is a dancer" LOLOL.
Running is still "systems checking" for me - posture, foot flexion, breathing, pace, HR, foot strike, that sort of thing so, even on a LSD run, I'm occupied.
At times, I've used running to memorize "things" - a few weeks back I wanted to memorize my HR rates at various MHR percentages so I started repeating "34; 52; 72" which, when you add 100, are the values that correspond to 70, 80, and 90 % HR max.
In prep for my Half on Aug 19, I'll be tucking away my pace for the race - 15; 9; 45; 15; 9 which are the seconds values for the first few miles - 9:15, 9:09; 8:45; 8:15; and then 9:09 until mile 12 when something magical will happen to get me up the hill to Balboa Park (aka "Mt San Diego") so I can break 2 hours! :-)0 -
I more of a yell at myself (in my head) kind of guy:
"come on Jonboy, don't be a little b!tch!"0 -
Not so much mantras... but I do hear my old high school coaches in my head - usually when coming up to a hill I can hear them say
"Drive with the knees"
"Pump with your arms"
"Keep your eyes on the target"
"Breath"0 -
I, too use mantras a lot & agree mantras can be helpful in shifting your (left) brain away from the pain/struggle/fatigue running can cause and to reach the right-brain-controlled creatively idyllic "running groove". One of my favorites (semi-inspired by Jeff Galloway's marathon book) is "loose as a goose, not tight as a drum" (repeat many times and visualizing the "loose" goose vs. the overtight drum) and even "you got this!" or "you got it!" when I feel my strength, form, or pace sagging. I use some of the mantras in Galloway's Marathon book but modify them as needed. Honestly, I have so many of them, I'm not sure what the sources are on some of them anymore. I also like "Saddle up" or "Giddyup!" (ala Cosmo Kramer from Seinfeld) right before my runs and "Flyyyyy!" or "Gooooooooo!"or "Punch it!/push it!" during speed intervals/fartlek. Also, when someone passes me running I'm sometimes thinking "Noooooo! I'll catch you!"
Hahahah, so much win! This made me sole.
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I more of a yell at myself (in my head) kind of guy:
"come on Jonboy, don't be a little b!tch!" 0 -
Thanks for the awesome replies guys, it's great to have people to talk to about the mental games involved in running.0
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Am I going to out myself as a big nerd? I tend to do out and back training runs and for me, mentally, it's all about making it to the turn around point. On my way out, I'm constantly doing math, counting down, in fractions and percentages how far I am to the turn around point. Things like "20% done, I only have to do that 4 more times." I don't even bother counting the return miles in my mental arithmetic hurdles because, I swear, once I turn around, I go on cruise control, enjoy my music and cruise home. Mentally those miles fly by, even if I'm not running negative splits and they actually take longer in reality.
I do this too!0 -
The only mantra i've ever needed was when i got to about mile 18 of a marathon and i thought my quads were going to explode. I just kept saying "Just keep going."0
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My 2 main themes are "Relax, you're fine" and "You got this" I even have You Got This printed on my road ID bracelet. I'm simple and to the point. And when I'm swimming it's "Just Keep Swimming...":laugh:
Ok, my RoadID has "No Known Drug Allergies" - quite boring compared to your ID!0 -
When my form gets sloppy, I usually start repeating "elbows and heels" to help focus on turnover. I also play around with breathing patterns (from here: http://www.runnersworld.com/running-tips/running-air-breathing-technique), which coordinate steps with breathing. One of the harder patterns for me is breath in 2, out 1. It's meant for hard efforts and I was finally able to do it for a short time this week at the track. One last techniques is to allow my attention to sink down to my center, near my lower belly. This helps calm me down when I am getting whiny and feel like slowing down. But, I would say most of the time I am just spaced out, thinking about whatever pops into my mind!
My goal with these techniques is not to do them for a whole run, but to use them as a reset when things start to fall apart. It's worked well so far.0 -
I often hear/say the following to myself:
"Get out of your head"
"Slow it up/Push it hard" (Long run vs. tempo days)
"Stand up straight, lead with your feet not your crown". (Form reminders)
"Breathe".0 -
I'm glad I'm not the only one that uses the "b" word in reference to hills.0
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I'm glad I'm not the only one that uses the "b" word in reference to hills.
Hahaha. 0 -
I've done just about everything mentioned above. Songs, sayings, cussing, system check, life in general problem solving, psychobabble ...etc0
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"I tend to do out and back training runs and for me, mentally, it's all about making it to the turn around point. On my way out, I'm constantly doing math, counting down, in fractions and percentages how far I am to the turn around point. Things like "20% done, I only have to do that 4 more times."
I do this too. It's deadly on motivation. Unfortunately, streets are alphabetical where I run so I am constantly reminded what letter I am on both out and back. I try hard to put my head somewhere else.0 -
My 9 mile run was the longest yet. I kept telling myself "no hope, keep running". Otherwise I kept trying to convince myself I was almost there.0
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my dog is my running partner and I always include her in my pep talk for the hills, "cmon Raina, we got this" or when I am feeling the drag it's "skinny jeans" =D
I also do the ABC's to bring my breathing back on track: breathe in on "A B C D" and out on "EFG", etc.0 -
I love this! I'm constantly talking to my self. "It's nothing" "There is nothing" "No matter what" "It'll get done" There's a lot of cussing at myself at times too. Sometimes, I gotta remind myself to "focus" "stay in the moment". I do math sometimes too, but I lose the ability to count after mile 18. I like the "systems check" too. Sometimes when I think I feel like crap, I do a mental inventory of what exactly hurts, I usually figure out that it's nothing.0
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I usually repeat "do this for your *kitten*!" whenever I go out for a hilly run :laugh: Although deep down, I know it's to make me a better runner0
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I do arythmetics in my head (10% done, five more segments like this). It usually takes the pain off my mind.
Otherwise, I tell myself "don't complain, be grateful" and I think about people I love who cannot run.0 -
I lose the ability to do math after mile 1. I have learned to compute my turn around time before the run and write it down so I don't second guess myself.0
