Running Mind Games

I think I need to add a new song to my running playlist...."Head Games" by Foreigner.

Head games, it's you and me baby

Head games, and I can't take it anymore

Head games, I don't wanna play the...

Head games

Sometimes, I am out running and what I refer to as the NST (negative self talk), kicks in. Negative thoughts are running through my mind and I just want to stop and go home. It can be incredibly difficult for me to overcome the negative thoughts. I have tried to do things like re-focus on just the running - counting steps or breaths - so that the NST doesn't have time to fit into my thoughts. "Inhale (1-2-3), Exhale (1-2). Inhale (1-2-3), Exhale (1-2)." But NST is powerful, and it creeps back in like a draft underneath a door on a cold, blustery night.

A couple strategies have helped me overcome this head game. The first, is what goes into my mind before the run. Because I am keenly aware of my tendency to have negative thoughts during long or hard runs, I plant positive thoughts in my mind before I head out the door. I also plan and prepare for my runs. "Gu? Check. Water? Check. Good tunes? Check."

There are days, though, when all the planning and preparation is not powerful enough to overcome the NST. It's just there, running with me and it seems like I will never shake it.

The second strategy has turned out to be more powerful than the first and focuses on what goes into my mind during the run. The one thing that has consistently helped me get over the NST - having a mantra. Conceptually, the idea is similar to my attempts to focus on my steps or breaths. It's a distraction technique away from the NST and toward something more positive. 

The running mantra works better for me than counting steps or breaths, because it reminds me of what I am trying to accomplish. My first running mantra was something I came up with after a six month break from running due to emotionally exhausting events in my life. I wasn't running to break a PR or to qualify for Boston. I was running for my fitness and to gain control back over my life. My mantra was:

"Get fit. Get healthy. Get strong."

It worked for me. I used it for about a year and am ready for a new one now. I've tried out "Just Run" (a play on words from the Lady Gaga song). I like it, but I'm not quite sold on it. I've also used "I Get To" [run]. This one came directly from a Runner's World article I read about a year or so ago. So many people don't get to run because they are injured or sick. I am the lucky one - I get to run.

The one I used during my last half marathon was "The Faster You Run, The Faster You're Done!" I need to come up with something catchy and positive, though.

In the meantime, I'm going to stick with "Just Run" because it works really well with my current running playlist. Whenever Lady Gaga sings "Just Dance", I sing "Just Run" and I'm good to go.