Tough Thinking and Self-Talk for Fall Marathon Season
One of the greatest secrets of peak performance in endurance sports: sustaining a here-and-now mental focus during competition makes the natural expression of your talent and training easier.
During battle, thinking about the future lets fear beat you; thinking about the past lets anger and frustration beat you. Aim to maintain a moment-by-moment focus during the race—especially during a marathon or other endurance event.
My favorite running mantra to reinforce this is:
“Run the mile you’re in, with joy and gratitude.”
When things get tough during a marathon, race of any distance, or any challenging workout, negative self-talk will inevitably creep in. I heed the wisdom from Deena Kastor, former American marathon record holder and Olympic medalist, “Replace that thought with a thought that serves you better.”
Tough thinking is based on your ability to use words and images to control your Ideal Performance State. This means disciplined thinking and mental visualization during competition. Tough thinking will keep you from panicking when things get crazy and prevent you from surrendering when the battle appears lost.
Here are some examples of tough running self-talk. It’s a great idea to pick 2 or 3 “go-to” running mantras or phrases that you can repeat throughout the race. These short, powerful phrases can carry you through the toughest miles.
Recent sports psychology research reveals how we can make our self-talk even more effective. A study in the Journal of Sport Science examined the use of pronouns during exercise motivation.
One group used first person:
“I can do this.”
The other used second person:
“You can do this.”
The results? The group using second-person self-talk cycled faster and further at the same perceived effort.
This adds to the growing body of research suggesting our mental training for endurance sports—including self-talk—should be spoken in the second person.
Here are some examples of mental toughness mantras you can use during your next long run or marathon race:
“YOU’RE TOUGH ENOUGH”
“YOU’VE PUT IN THE TRAINING”
“YOU FEEL STRONG”
“ONE MILE AT A TIME”
“YOU LOVE HILLS”
“BRING ON THE PAIN CAVE”
When your back is against the wall, try:
“THIS IS REALLY TOUGH—BUT YOU’RE A WHOLE LOT TOUGHER.”
At the hill on Summit Ave during this weekend’s Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon, say to yourself:
“BRING IT ON! BRING IT ON!”
When fatigue creeps in:
“TODAY WILL BE A GREAT CHALLENGE FOR ME. YOU’VE GOT TO BE SUPER-TOUGH TODAY TO MAKE IT. YOU’RE GOING TO HANG IN THERE NO MATTER WHAT. NO EXCUSES!”
When you want to quit:
“YOU NEVER SURRENDER! NOT YOU. NOT EVER! YOU WILL FIGHT UNTIL IT’S OVER. AND IT AIN’T OVER TILL IT’S OVER!”
Love the process, the fight, the marshaling of your resources, the pushing, the breakthroughs, and the struggle. Loving to win is easy. Loving the process? That moves you to a whole new level of competitive skill.
Take-home message:
We move in the direction of our dominant thoughts. And in the marathon, and in life, we get to choose those thoughts.
Choose intentionally. Train your mind like you train your body.
Note: Many of the quotes above are adapted from Dr. Jim Loehr’s book, “The New Toughness Training for Sports.”
