During the last month or so of my usual readings about running, one theme has popped up repeatedly. Unavoidably. What at one point I felt was cotton candy psychology, I decided to test on one run the immediate results still amaze me.
Overcoming negative thoughts while running by identifying them immediately and replacing them with positive thoughts has resulted in an instantaneous difference in my running. It may help you too if you give it a chance.
It all started when I bumped into a story by Jill Diaz in the book Running for Good, from the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. She talks about setting a BQ goal but her mental confidence not being there. So, she experimented on identifying and replacing negative thoughts during a 5K. This was her experience with positive thinking in running:
I am at least 20 years older than these girls —> Yup, and you have 20 years of experience on them. They don\’t stand a chance.
My heart start to pound and my legs get shaky —> Good, use that energy.
Well, there goes my lead. I knew it was too good to be true. —> Don\’t just give it up, you pansy! You can stay with her! You got this!
My legs are dead —> Correction: They are alive.
Who did I think I was to actually win a race —> You are a fast runner, that\’s who. Stay with her.
Slow down, second place is still really good —> First is better. You know you want first.
My body feels so heavy —> I feel like a feather.
What if somebody is right behind me —> So what if they are? They can\’t catch you.
I can\’t do this —> You ARE doing it.
They seem like too many bad thoughts for a short 5K, but that is how we operate. Right after reading this story, I went out for a run in the South Florida Summer heat, and I started identifying my negative thoughts. I was surprised by how many and how fast they came. Immediately I set on overcoming them. Selling them to myself. By the end of my 6-mile run I was feeling like a million bucks. “This really works”, I yelled through a smile. “The body does respond to what the mind tells it.”
A week or so later I started reading “Let Your Mind Run,” by Deena Kastor. And since the first few lines in the prologue, she expresses how when she became a professional runner she thought the hardest part would be the physical training, to quickly realize the real issue was “wrestling with my mind.”
“I had no idea running would be so mental,” she states. “No idea that the most important aspect of my success would come down to how I thought. Replacing negative reactions with positive ones infused me with energy and offered a boost in motivation. Focusing on positive emotions further increased my drive and self-belief, powering my training. I became fitter and faster and began reaching goals I\’d originally believed were improbable. So, I set new ones.”
And throughout the book, during the peaks and valleys of her storied career, she narrates how often she caught herself thinking negatively and then finding a positive alternative in which to focus.
“Thought after thought and action after action showed me I could get to the top of that hill, I could finish a workout faster, and I could barrel past the competition. By identifying a thought that was holding me back and replacing it with a new one to help me move forward […] I built better mental habits that not only propelled my success but also prepared me to handle setbacks and challenges.”
And then there is Eliud Kipchoge. The legendary marathoner often smiles during races as a deliberate tactic to manage pain and enhance performance. A 2017 study by Noel Brick supports this approach. He tested 24 runners who completed four 6-minute runs while either smiling, frowning, relaxing their hands and upper body, or thinking usual thoughts. Results revealed a 2.8% improvement in running economy when smiling compared to frowning, an improvement typically achieved after months of plyometrics or weight training. This translates to a 1.4% reduction in race time, meaning a 10K run in 60 minutes could be cut by 50 seconds, and a 5K in 25 minutes could be reduced by 20 seconds through smiling. Are you sold yet?
Initially you will feel like a phony, but after a few little triumphs, it will flow more naturally (Photo: Donald Tong, Pexelx)
To cap the theme of today’s post, I bumped on Instagram into some tips on performing under pressure by Coach Steve Magness.
Reframe Your Narrative: Shift your focus from external validation and achievement on internal growth and self-improvement.
Embrace your imperfections and vulnerabilities as part of your journey”.
Cultivate Self Awareness: Learn to differentiate between productive and unproductive emotions.
In conclusion. Always remember that nobody is forcing you to run. You can stop if you want to without sacrificing your livelihood. But sacrifice and personal growth are part of the journey. Embracing the mental aspect of running can unlock new levels of performance and joy in our runs. So next time you\’re out there, pay attention to your thoughts, replace the negative ones immediately, and see how far you can go.
Try implementing these mental strategies in your next run and share your experience in the comments below!
AUTHOR’S NOTE: . As I kept reading throughout the week of publication of this post, I found yet another great quote about the subject, which I want to share wit the readers:
”You\’ve done it before, and you can do it now….Redirect the substantial energy of your frustration and turn it into positive, effective, unstoppable determination.
As we gear up for our goal races for the 2024-25 season, we set up objectives, benchmarks, training plans and invest countless hours, sacrifices, money, and emotions into what we want it to be. So, this may be an appropriate time to remind ourselves that we do this because we like challenges, because we are a little bit crazy, and because we like running. Nobody runs (or shouldn’t) because of a desire to be miserable.
Unfortunately, the ubiquitousness of the GPS watch in our sport has made us a bit miserable by turning our attention to countless measurements, mostly of parameters we don’t understand or should even care for. This, combined with social media oversharing, has turned training into competition. It has led to many a runner burnout, injury, and the withdrawal of the fun element of running.
I am writing this blog post because I recently saw the meme below (Credit to the appropriately named website www.dumbrunner.com). Is this you?
From www.dumbrunner.com
Unfortunately, this is not meant to be a funny meme. It is a sad reflection on what many of us have become thanks to a combination of what our GPS watch can measure and what we can share in social media. If this is not you, someone close to you certainly is.
We all know that person who:
• stops the watch at a traffic light or water break because it will mess their averages.
• equates their personal or athletic self-worth to their racing PRs.
• complained that a World Marathon Major was mismeasured because their GPS watch said so.
• ended up on the verge of death on a day it just wasn’t meant to be rather than show their unknown Strava friends that they had a difficult day.
• lives by his/her VO2Max fluctuation without even understanding what that VO2Max measures.
• refuses to take a day off because they’ve been predicating they are in a streak and nothing can stop them.
I once heard Coach Jonathan Marcus state that “the watch is a record, not a director”. What a deep thought! And sure, we all want to know what’s happening with our running, especially now that instant feedback is a wrist flip away. But most of what is being measured is product our running, it is not our running per se.
We must understand that:
• A 9.94 vs. a 10.00 run is not going to make a difference in your training.
• Not all intervals are supposed to measure how far or fast we can run on a predetermined amount of time or distance.
• Not everyone is interested in the splits of each one of your 20, 200-meter repeats.
• It still counts towards your fitness even if you did not post it on Facebook.
• Sure, courses may be mismeasured sometimes, but this is not determined by your GPS watch, regardless of how advanced it is.
• A day off, or two, is not a sign of weakness.
Not looking at your watch from time to time is a liberating experience. Try it. And the coolest thing of all is that your run still counts towards your fitness, your yearly milage and your training log even if your friends don’t know about it.
I am not advocating against GPS watches. It is a useful tool, with mass appeal, affordable and has revolutionized training in almost every sport. I can only imagine what Emil Zatopek, Paavo Nurmi or Frank Shorter could have done with one of those on their wrist. What I am promoting is the return of having fun on our runs. Making sure we are putting ourselves through a 20-mile run on a muggy summer day for the right reasons. In my book, showing strangers on Instagram how tough you are is not a valid reason.
Have you experienced and unhealthy relationship with your GPS watch? If so, share how you were able to overcome it, in the comment box below.
I’ve wanted to read Marathon Woman for quite a while. For years. But because I thought I knew the Kathrine Switzer Boston Marathon story, other running books ended up jumping the line. Now that I tackle it, and finished it, I am glad I did. There is so much more to the generic story most of us think we know. There is so much more about this pioneering woman that every runner with the most basic interest in the history of our sport, especially women, should know.
The book was originally published in April 2007, for the 40th anniversary of her historic 1967 Boston Marathon. A new and updated version was released for the 50th anniversary.
Runners with basic knowledge in the history of running may know who Kathrine Switzer is. Yes, she was the first woman that while properly registered, ran the Boston Marathon. Yes, she is the protagonist of that set of three photos where the marathon official, Jock Semple, attacks her while trying to rip her bib. And yes, she is one of the pioneers of women’s long-distance running.
The set of photos by Harry A. Trask that propelled women’s running into a legitimate sport
But that is just part of the story. Only part of her legacy. She did so much more to promote that women were more than able to run beyond 800 meters, that they could run as far as they wished, including marathons at high speed without their uterus falling out. She was the catalyst of the women’s marathon becoming an Olympic event starting in 1984. And she did it not as a banner of feminism but because she believed women could do it, and se set out to prove it through actions. Not just words.
I am not going to go deep into the history of women’s running in the last 50 years. That is what the book is there for. But have this in mind: if you are a woman runner reading this post, next time you are in a race and see that more than half of the field being female, make sure you thank Kathrine Switzer.
I am sure that if Switzer did no endured and persevered through what she did, women would still be running marathons today. Another pioneer would have risen to the occasion. But Switzer was the one who did it, and as such, she should be recognized as a trailblazer in our sport. One of the most influential figures in history.
Switzer was more than a curiosity. She won the NYC Marathon, 2nd set up at 2:52 PR in Boston.
In her first-person account the author is very candid, vulnerable, and open about her life, both on and off the asphalt. She starts as a girl who just wants to run but finds no outlet, through her fateful first marathon, her win in the NYC Marathon, her 2:51 PR, the AVON race series for women and finally establishing the female marathon as an Olympic event.
Switzer is funny, intimate, candid and holds no punches while discussing her personal life experiences, especially when it comes to the men she has shared her life with. Her romantic relationships were not the best, yet she was able to persevere and come victorious on the other side, without surrendering as a victim and still making her life’s goal a reality.
You don’t have to be a runner, or a woman for that matter, to enjoy and learn something from Marathon Woman. I highly recommend it. It is worth two particularly important resources: your time and your money.
Have you read Marathon Woman? Let me know your thoughts in the comment box below.
Exercising in the heat will inevitably elevate your heart rate and elevate your needs for hydration. This means that with more effort you will accomplish less. The sooner you accept it, the quicker you will adjust to your new reality of running in summer.
You must understand what’s happening in your body during the summer before you can adapt and progress (Photo Pexels)
Running writer Brownyng Griffiths, puts it this way in her Polar blog: “After all, exercise should be a celebration of your body’s capabilities, not a battle against the elements. So, stay cool, have fun, and keep moving”.
This said, here are 11 tips to take into consideration to improve, enjoy and be safe during your summer running:
1 – Adjust your intensity: If you can take one thing from this blog post, let it be this one: The body keeps your skin cool by circulating blood. The hotter you get, the more blood pumping is needed, thus, a faster heartbeat, thus, you work harder, thus you will tire faster, thus, accept it and adapt. Your performance won’t be the same, but if your main running goal is not coming up next week, you have enough time to adjust your intensity to your reality.
2 – Be intentional about your hydration: Hydration is not just for when your Garmin is running. Intentionality is the name of the game. When you hit that start button you should have been consuming a balanced mix of water and electrolytes throughout the day. And not just during running days but every day. Same applies to post-running rehydration. You don’t have to replenish every drop as you lose it, but you must understand what your body requires to function properly.
3 – Plan your water stations in advance: know where the water stops are, what gas stations are open at the time you run or plant your water on the route ahead of time. If you are not sure about will be available, carry what you will need. There are countless options available in your local running store. Running holding a bottle in your hand should be avoided unless it means no water.
4 – Overhydration is a life-threatening condition: It may be counter intuitive, but you can drink yourself to death. Hyponatremia is a potentially fatal condition where an individual’s level of sodium gets so diluted by the combination of over guzzling of water and not replenishing electrolytes that the body’s electrical system fails. Understand how much water you need and/or can manage.
5 – Your body should adapt. Be patient: I’ve read experts stating the body takes about two weeks to adapt to running in the heat. In my experience it takes much longer. But if you are patient, understand your output will not be the same as in benevolent weather, and remain constant, your body will eventually acclimate and improve its ability to remain cool.
The right clothing in the right environment can make all the difference (Photo: Retha Ferguson, Pexels)
6 – Know your environment (BE FLEXIBLE): Knowing the weather for your run is just a click away. There is no excuse to be unprepared on a hot and/or humid run. Pushing back or rescheduling your run may be the wise choice. Or jumping onto the dreaded treadmill. Don’t just check the temperature, but also the heat index, which measures how hot it feels outside when combining air temperature and relative humidity. Overlooking it may get you into the danger zone.
7 – Choose light-colored clothing: I’m sure your dark shirt is beautiful, and that black hat from that important marathon will raise your profile with your running buddies, but it is about basic physics. Dark colors absorb the heat of the sun and get hotter while light colors reflect it and are cooler. That simple.
8 – Wear the right clothing: Breathable, moisture-wicking clothing will aid sweat evaporation and thus, cooling of the skin. Wear as little as you can feel comfortable with. Avoid tight materials that will stick to the body and hinder evaporation. Remember that sweat and evaporation is what will keep you cool and healthy.
9 – Know your route: The middle of the summer is not the time for exploration. You don’t want to find yourself lost and short on hydration in an area where there’s not another soul or a shaded area to be found. Know where you are going, know where the water is, know where the shaded areas are. This could be the difference between success and disaster.
10 – Understand your body signals: Heat will affect us all. It is a matter of the degree to which it will happen. It is not an if, but a when. Learning to recognize dizziness, cramps, cold sweats, or fatigue could help you identify heat exhaustion or the dangerous heats stroke. This is not the time to show your machismo by plowing through a hard workout when you are exhausted.
11 – Protect your body: It is not just about the sunscreen. Your eyes, your head and your face also need protection during the brutal summer runs under the sunlight. Wearing sunglasses and a cap/hat, even when it is cloudy, is always a good decision.
Keep on moving, keep on training, remain constant. Those who do are the ones that will set up PRs during the Fall/Winter running season.
As far back as I can remember, movement has been a prominent part of my life. Whether it was always wanting to play outside as a child or being old enough to join team sports, I’ve always had a desire to move my body. This was fundamental to my upbringing, and little did I know that movement would evolve into one of my best coping mechanisms.
In honor of mental health awareness month, I wanted to share a little bit of my story and how running has helped me cope.
“ I used to be one of those people who felt like running was my therapy, but I have since grown to realize that running is therapeutic, not a substitute for therapy”
I think we can all attest to life being hard sometimes. As a child I dealt with my parents’ divorce and as I grew up, I began to see that life was not always so pleasant. In the seventh grade I decided to try out for the track team. I missed my dad and wanted to find more time with him. I knew if I started running track it would allow me to see him more and provide another way to bond. My dad was a track star in middle school and high school. Running track started out as a way to see my dad often. He picked me up from practice every day and came to every single track meet. He would always get there right as I was warming up for the 100-meter hurdles, an event he also ran as a teenager. He would give me the usual pep talk and meet me at the finish line. Those memories became the kind you cherish for the rest of your life.
In college I played intramural sports as a distraction, and I ran here and there to try to stay in shape. It was in college where I had my first panic attack. At the time I had no idea what it was, I honestly thought I might have been having an asthma attack. I found myself in my first toxic relationship with heavy insecurities and inadequate coping skills.
Fast forward to 2012, the hardest year of my life thus far. I felt like life was trying to keep me down that year. My mother got diagnosed with leukemia, I was going through yet another extremely hard break-up, and my grandfather passed away from cancer. It felt like one thing after the other. I was treading water with the fear of drowning that year. I was not well, and I didn’t know who to turn to.
That was the year I started therapy. Mental health can still be a taboo subject for some people and to be quite honest I felt more scared to walk into that office than to open up and start talking. I remember arriving and sitting in my car contemplating if I should go in or put it in reverse and drive away. I felt like if I needed a therapist then I must be crazy, right? Walking through that door was the catalyst of my growth journey.
Lizzie used running track to form a tighter bond with her dad.
As I started to work on myself in therapy, I started to run more. Being outdoors in nature is a common recommendation, whether it’s running, walking or just sitting outside letting the sun hit your face. For me, I felt liberated doing something for myself. It allowed me to be alone with my thoughts and with every step I felt as if I were moving in the right direction, leaving all the negativity behind. The energy I exerted seemed to keep my anxiety in check. Running gave me hope.
I used to be one of those people who felt like running was my therapy, but I have since grown to realize that running is therapeutic, not a substitute for therapy. Some of my deepest, most profound thoughts come to me when it’s just me and the monotonous sound of my feet hitting the pavement. Running forces you to stay in the present moment, no phones, no scrolling through social media, just you and the road.
Endurance running came into my life when I turned 30, I wanted to celebrate in a different way and ran my first half marathon. Here we are eight years later, and it has become much more than a hobby, it’s quite a passion of mine. Putting my body through a rigorous training block pushes me to believe in myself and that I am capable of all hard things. This belief bleeds into all aspects of my life, not just running.
If I can push myself physically then I can certainly push myself mentally. Running serves as the ultimate metaphor for life: keep moving forward. It does not matter how fast or how slow you go, so long as you keep putting one foot in front of the other.
———
Elizabeth Morales, known in the South Florida running community as Lizzie, has completed 20 half marathons and seven marathons. You can follow her on Instagram through @lizzyontherun.
![\"\"](\"https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c2e49f525bf02ce9657df92/1a6a642f-8592-4de4-b54c-4abc28477cd8/Running+for+Good+Cover.jpg\")
It all started when I bumped into a story by Jill Diaz in the book Running for Good, from the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. She talks about setting a BQ goal but her mental confidence not being there. So, she experimented on identifying and replacing negative thoughts during a 5K. This was her experience with positive thinking in running:![\"\"](\"https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c2e49f525bf02ce9657df92/f8c772bf-cda5-4007-a07d-518eb039ec5d/DK+-+book+cover.jpg\")
A week or so later I started reading “Let Your Mind Run,” by Deena Kastor. And since the first few lines in the prologue, she expresses how when she became a professional runner she thought the hardest part would be the physical training, to quickly realize the real issue was “wrestling with my mind.”
![\"\"](\"https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c2e49f525bf02ce9657df92/8317d5b9-a44b-4b3e-a021-c1bcdf074f2f/meme.jpg\")
I once heard Coach Jonathan Marcus state that “the watch is a record, not a director”. What a deep thought! And sure, we all want to know what’s happening with our running, especially now that instant feedback is a wrist flip away. But most of what is being measured is product our running, it is not our running per se.
