Today I wanted to do a post on the mental aspect of running (or whatever it is you are tying to accomplish)!
The popular statistic is that running is 90% mental. While I believe that our minds are extremely powerful and capable of pushing us farther than we ever expected to go, it is important that runners understand that it IS 90% mental, IF you have done the training. If you sign up for a marathon with zero training, you are probably going to injure yourself and it is vital we all understand the difference between pushing through when the running is hard and pushing through and injury we should not be running on.
The truth is, when you have properly trained for a race, your body isn’t giving up on race day, your mindset is what will ultimately carry you to the end. (I cannot fully claim this idea as my own, I swear I read it somewhere and I cannot find who actually said the actual quote but you get the point).
The truth is that running is hard but the proper mix of training and a strong mindset with motivation and perseverance will make it easier.
Below is a list of things I like to tell myself when the running gets tough:
- I am thankful for my strong body that is carrying me through this run
- Running is such a privilege and I am lucky to be here
- This run being challenging just means I am getting stronger
- It is ok to have good and bad days
- I got out of bed and went for a run, just that in itself is something to be proud of
- Even though it is hard now, I know I will feel proud tomorrow
When I’m out for a run and it’s getting tough I try to repeat these in my head over and over and over again. It usually distracts me and takes my mind off whatever is hurting or how far I still need to go.
To summarize today’s blog post, I think that running does require strong mental endurance! We just cannot fully rely on that, it is still important to do the training and take care of our bodies!