Short Legs but Strong Legs, and Other Mantras

Dante’s View, Death Valley National Park, April 2019

I just completed my peak training week for the upcoming Monterey Half Marathon! I am always excited to complete peak week, and it’s always an accomplishment to reach this point in the training cycle. Part of peak week meant a 10-mile long run last weekend. In case you were thinking otherwise, I want to share that not every run for me is rainbows and sunshine... 

I try to do my long runs on Saturday or Sunday, but sometimes I work both weekend days, so I moved this long run up to Friday. Work on Thursday night was quite busy - dinner ended up being a Clif bar and an apple, left late, didn’t sleep nearly enough. But, this is what happens sometimes in real life over here. 

Needless to say, I felt rather sluggish going into this ten miler the following morning. I found my mind was all over the place. I was having a hard time focusing on much at all, except for the fact that I was tired which spiraled into, “How am I going to get through this run”? 

At about 5 miles, I was able to turn it around and regain my focus. I even got to my usual place of enjoyment and peace, so this is another lesson to me, that even when the first few miles aren’t feeling so stellar, it can change. 

So, how do I “turn it around” when a run isn’t going so well? There are lots of tools we can try, but I want to share one of my favorites with you today, and that is: using a mantra.

Mantras are a regular part of my running. A few words, a phrase, a quote, a music lyric - they help to provide a focal point when the going gets rough. A mantra has the ability to bring me back to the present which is what I am going for when my mind starts to wander down some negative thought loops mid-run.  

Allow me to provide some examples. Here is one of my favorites: “Relentless pursuit of forward momentum”. For another variation: “One foot in front of the other.” After mile 23 of the marathon, I passed a number of tall, athletic looking dudes, and this one popped into my head and made me laugh: “Short legs, but strong legs”! I took it and ran with it. For those keeping track, I’m 5’2’’. 

For longer distances, I especially love: “Run the mile you’re in.” It is a reminder to not worry about what happened in the previous miles, and to not worry about what might be coming up ahead or how many miles are ahead, but rather, to stay focused on where I am in that moment. You can use a variation of this such as: “Run to the water stop,” or “Run to the stop sign.”

Maybe you are doubting that a little phrase could help so much, but I invite you to try it on your next run or walk. If you start out with what may seem like 1 million thoughts in your head, or if your mind starts to wander down the path of negative thinking to possibly sabotage your next run, fire back with one of these mantras, and let me know how it goes.