Monday, February 21, 2011

What to you tell yourself when you're running?

What's the interior dialogue that keeps you going?
My last two runs have sucked. Today I walked the last mile home and felt like I was going to die. I feel like I've hit a mini wall. My weight loss has plateaued. I can't seem to break 170 and running is feeling like death.

I thought I'd share some of my internal screaming at self and see if there are some things I'm missing. I need some good one liners to keep me going.
Here's my usual self conversation:

- If you keep moving you will get there eventually
- At the end of this you'll have burned 600 calories.
- At the end of this you'll be able to eat 600 calories!
- You're not going to do anything else active today...keep going
- Sometimes I yell at myself like a drill sergeant calling myself all kind of things I shouldn't share on my blog :)
- If you keep going it's really unlikely that you're going to die. 10% possibility.
- Sometimes I trash talk myself. Go ahead and stop...go home and bury your face in an ice cream tub...that 25 lbs. you just lost will look amazing hanging from your love handles.

Not sure if some of those are helpful thoughts but it's all running through my dome and certain points in a run. What's your thing? What keeps you going? I need some help.

Let me have it.

4 comments:

Matt Harvey said...

I always sing some random song in a cadence to my steps. In my younger days, it was always something horrible from the pop radio that went over and over in my head. "I will be your father figure/put your tiny hand in mine/I will be your preacher teacher/anything you have in mind..." As horrible as the song would be, it kept my mind off the pain till the adrenaline kicked in...

aaronhayes1212 said...

Dude that was amazing. I just try to run like I'm being chased by a pack of wild, starved dogs after falling in a vat of bacon grease.

Littau family said...

Great Post... it is a battle at times running. Sometimes it is easier to stare at the ground in front of you as looking far ahead seems much of a challenge knowing where you are heading.

-Mike

Emily Branca said...

I'm with you... lots of swearing. It motivates me.