I’m sure Kim and Zenaida will be astonished that I’m actually participating in their Tuesday Topics WITH THE CORRECT TOPIC. The prompt was “It’s Positive Thinking Day. What quotes or affirmations do you use to get through a hard run?” This is such a fascinating topic- how much of running is physical, and how much is mental?
Mind Over Matter? The Central Governor Theory Explained explores Tim Noakes’ premise that the brain acts as a central governor during exercise, limiting our ability to push beyond perceived fatigue to ensure self-preservation. The central governor gathers data from different sources, including the present effort level, previous training and race experiences, current conditions (i.e. heat, humidity, wind) and the race distance and intensity- then uses this information to set limits on the body.
The idea behind this is that the central governor will override your physical ability to run and shut the body down before you’re able to do damage to yourself. However, in the interest of self-preservation, it’s usually operating with an overabundance of caution. People who participate in ultramarathons and other extreme sports have found that when your brain is telling you you’re done, you’re actually only about 40% done. Finding ways to overcome the central governor is key for peak performance.
Our thoughts are incredibly powerful. If your thought is “It’s way too hot and I feel crummy” then your brain doesn’t waste time trying to decide if this is true- it just adds it to the data it’s collecting. “It’s 85 degrees, halfway through the run, muscle fatigue is at xxx level, it’s way too hot and I feel crummy” is going to lead to a very different outcome than “It’s 85 degrees, halfway through the run, muscle fatigue is at xxx level, the sun gives me energy and I’m built for this.” Since we can choose what to think, it only makes sense to send positive data to the central governor rather than negative.
One of my favorite mantra is “I am strong, I am good at this, I can do it.” If I’m having a difficult run, I’ll commit to saying this over and over for an entire mile. Just like meditation, my mind will wander but I just bring it back to “I am strong, I am good at this, I can do it.” At the end of the mile, I always feel much better- I’ve never had this not work.
If I’m nearing the end of a race or speed workout and want something shorter, I use “light and quick” or “fast and strong” (I like my short mantras to be in beats of three!) Often I’ll alternate the two, using one to get a certain distance, and then switching to the other one. Sometimes I just need to keep my mind occupied in this way to prevent the negative thoughts from creeping in.
I love hearing other people’s mantras, but the best mantras are the ones we have a personal connection with. My “I am strong…” mantra came from my favorite spin teacher, years ago. In a particularly difficult moment of a particularly difficult class, she said “You are strong! You are good at this! You can do it!” Those words carried me through that class and have stuck with me to this day.
Do you use mantras? What is your favorite?
27 Responses
Wow!!! The power of positivity, words AND thoughts is like none other!! When I was gritting it out at the Cannonball Marathon (Oct. 2018), I really had to dig deep. It was my comeback marathon (after the previous year’s knee surgery), and I was not going to let the hills of NC, the crappy race course, or lack of crowd support win. Somehow MC Hammer’s “Too Legit to Quit” popped into my head, but I swapped out the words…and it became Too Much Grit to Quit. That mantra has stick with me ever since 🙂
That’s a perfect example of a mantra having personal meaning for you! It probably works really well.
Oh yes, I remember that 40% from somewhere. So powerful.
You are right, we remember our mantras because it resonates with us in a special way.
I often think of this quote: “What if I fall?” Oh but my darling, What if you fly?”
And then I tell myself “fly, fly”!
Quite weird, come to think of it.
No, I love it!!! And I think I first heard the 40% thing from David Goggins, but I’m not sure who originally came up with it.
Positivity is so important.
Many runners tend to focus on their paces and if they were slower or inconsistent or if the run was hard or something hurt. (including me)
But we were out there. Many people cannot run.
I repeat to myself that It’s supposed to be hard. I can do hard things. You rest when you’re dead.
Yes, “it’s supposed to be hard” is good, as well as “this is hard for everyone.” If you remind yourself that other people are hurting too and they’re not quitting, it really helps.
“People who participate in ultramarathons and other extreme sports have found that when your brain is telling you you’re done, you’re actually only about 40% done. ” – Now this is incredible! But it just goes to show how much more is in us as soon as we change how we think. I’ve found this a lot in races – when I think I’m done but stay positive the outcome is completely different from when I think I’m done and then start being negative.
Yes, we’ve all been in situations where we thought we were done and then found a second wind. Our thoughts can get us through those tough moments where we think we need to quit.
Only 40% done? That is interesting! I just keep it short and simple with “I can do this!” and “let’s go” or “just keep moving”. A positive outlook really does help!
Short and simple is good. And “just keep moving” is better than “don’t stop.” You don’t want the word “stop” to be repeated in your mind, because your brain might fixate on it.
I absolutely love the name you selected for this post! Whenever I’m having a bad run or workout, I will say something positive to myself and it can turn everything around. It’s amazing how powerful our minds can be.
Yes, it really is! There are whole books written on the subject, like Deena Kastor’s Let Your Mind Run- I love that one.
I LOVE mantras. I don’t actually have a good one for running though. I’m more likely to use a distance or song I’m listening to be my cue to complain – as in, when this song finishes I can be grumpy about how hot it is, but until then I have to just get on with it.
I do sometimes tell myself “You can do hard things” – it’s a saying I use with my kids a lot, too! Or “the only way through is through.”
But I love the shorter, catchier ones people are mentioning here!!
Actually I like that method of using a distance or song to limit your grumpiness- I’m going to try it!
Sometimes I think of that old I Am Woman song, and I think “I am strong – STRONG! – I am invincible – INVINCIBLE – I am womannnnnn!”
“If I have to, I can do anything…” I love that song!
Ha! Maybe this is why I don’t really care for exercising. I find all these mantras kind of cheesy and get annoyed by them. Clearly I need to change my mindset about them.
Ha ha… well, maybe mantras just aren’t for you!
Our thoughts have real power both negative and positive. I know I can talk myself out of a workout just as easily as I can talk myself into a workout. The key for me is realizing what is happening early enough to turn the thoughts around. I used to work on this much more but have not thought about it in a while. thanks for a reminder
I know, I haven’t been thinking about it as much either. But I should start again- I need positive thoughts for my longer runs in this heat.
I definitely used positive self-talk when I was training for and running marathons. So much of long distance running is mental! I didn’t have any oft-repeated phrases, but I would try to tell myself ‘you can do this, you’ve done the work’ or ‘one foot in front of the other’ or to just take it a mile at a time and don’t think about how many miles you have left. When I ran marathons, I would use a pace bracelet as a prayer bracelet and I’d write a person’s name next to each mile and I’d think about that person/pray for them during the mile and it took my thoughts away from the physical discomfort!
Staying in the mile you’re in is really, really important! And that’s a brilliant use of a pace bracelet.
Mantras are so powerful. I have definitely started to use them more and more the longer my workouts have become. They can carry you through a hard stretch! My favorite mantras are “I get to do this”, “I know I can” and “Run the mile you’re in”!
I like all of those- especially “run the mile you’re in.” I actually use a variation of that in other areas of my life.
Haha, I love your participation whether it is about the topic or not. 😀 Our mind seriously likes to mess with us and our mood and attitude can change quickly. Oh gosh, only 40%?
Yes!!! I know- 40% seems low.