For years one of my biggest challenges when racing was mental strength and motivation. As I was out on the course, I would give up mentally and couldn’t dig deep enough to really push hard to work towards my goals. I think this led to years of plateauing in several distances. Combine that with a long injury, followed by pregnancy and childbirth, and it’s been a long time since I’ve set PRs. As I’ve been participating in virtual races, I have found some things that have helped me to stay motivated when racing alone. I thought I would share what has worked for me to stay mentally strong in these races.
My last half-marathon PR in 2015
I’m going to take a minute to retell the story of my last half-marathon PR in 2015. I was running the Baltimore Half-Marathon as part of my training for the Route 66 Marathon. I didn’t go into it with the goal to set a PR. Around mile 10, I was giving up mentally. I didn’t realize it but Rob (my husband) was behind me as I was trying to get a gel from my belt. As he caught up to help me, he started to give me a pep talk.
He had run the 5k before the half and said his legs were dead but that I should go ahead. I started to tell him how I wasn’t on track to PR, and my legs were tired, and I didn’t taper…basically lots of excuses. He gave me a quick lecture about how he doesn’t want me to complain about missing a PR by 1-2 seconds again, and that I knew the course was easier from here on out, and I could easily throw down a few 7:30s if I had to. I started to try to give him some more excuses, but he just said “no talking”. Tough love, I guess.
But he was right. I did have something left in the tank, and there was no reason why I couldn’t go for it. After the 10 mile mark I started picking it up. I was also able to do some math and at mile 11 realized I was pretty much guaranteed a PR at that point. So I kept pushing hard, and surprised myself each time my watch buzzed. I ended up with a PR of about 1 minute and 20 seconds.
So what do we do when we don’t have someone there with us in a race to tell us what we need to hear at just the right time? Worse yet, what do we do during those times when there is no crowd support? Or if you are running a virtual race? Here are some things that have worked for me.
Prepare yourself ahead of time
If you are going to race hard, it’s pretty much a given that at some point in the race you will struggle mentally. Come up with a plan ahead of time. What usually happens when a race gets hard? How will you respond when you want to give up? You can actually role play these scenarios before the race, or try them out during a training run. When you expect a race to feel hard, then it’s easier to respond and push through when it actually happens. Even just telling yourself “I’m racing really hard, this is supposed to hurt” is validating.
Play mental games
This is a good distraction technique. Come up with something to take your mind off of the negative thoughts, like breaking up the miles into smaller chunks. Last week when I was around mile 7 I decided that I would try to hold on to my pace until mile 10 and then pretend I was racing a 5k. So I basically broke down my last 6 miles into 2 sets of 3. Thinking about those final 3 miles as something separate made it slightly less intimidating, even though I knew that it would be hard.
You can also try something like “think about something you are grateful for at each mile”. Different strategies will work better for different people, so you have to find what works for you.
Focus on your reward
Try to think about how good it is going to feel when you are done. Picture how happy you will be if you give it all you’ve got and you reach your goal. Sometimes this alone can be extremely motivating. If you need something more concrete. you can focus on a delicious breakfast you will enjoy after your race. Of course you can also bribe yourself with a special treat like new running shoes. I told myself I could buy the new Brooks I’ve been eyeing if I ran sub 1:45. Since I also ran a PR, I got a new pair of shorts as well.
I think more than anything what really helped me to push it at the end was thinking about how disappointed I would feel if I missed a PR by a few seconds. I wanted to be able to look back and know that I really gave it everything during that last mile.
Remember what you sacrificed
If you have put in a full training cycle leading up to a race, you have likely sacrificed alot. Think about the long runs, the events you missed due to training, and the hard workouts that you got through. Even though I didn’t put in a full training cycle I was able to tell myself “you woke up today at 3:00am to do this- you better make it worth it!” Also, now that I have a baby I am always reminding myself that when I am racing that I am taking time away from being with him and also that I am relying on my husband to do more when I am training or racing, so I better put in the hard work for them on race day.
Think back on another time when you did something challenging
The nice thing about having some racing experience is that you have probably had races that went well and others that did not go so well. I often remember running the Baltimore full marathon in 2013. During that race I went out too fast in the first half and then completely fell apart in the second half. I was definitely tired, but my biggest issue was that I gave up mentally. After that race was over I had alot of regrets.
But there have been many other times that I was able to push through challenges during races and workouts. I try to think back on those times and compare how I’m feeling. “Ok you have 3 miles to go, and you have run tempo runs at this pace on tired legs…” Most importantly you want to remember that you have been able to persevere in the past, so you can do so again.
Staying mentally strong and motivated when racing alone is challenging. Many of us appreciate support from others when a race gets hard. However, no matter what the circumstances are, being able to motivate yourself is very important in becoming a stronger runner and being able to reach your goals.
Do you struggle with your motivation and mental strength when racing?
How do you get yourself to push through when a race gets hard?
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All these points are excellent! I do calculations in my brain all the time (“you’ve done over 66% now, only a few miles to go”). I also tell myself that I have to run the course anyway, so I might as well give my best.
Giving yourself a reward at the end is a nice idea, too!
Yep I also remind myself that I have to run the course. Except during my virtual race I kept running past my house!
Such great tips. Thanks for sharing with us.
You’re welcome!
Excellent points! I tend to be my own worst enemy and have sabotaged a race many a times. Positive self talk has been a huge game changer. If I find a couple of phrases as my mantra throughout the race and repeat them over and over during the race, I can keep myself on track. That and telling myself the faster you go the sooner you’ll be done!
Yes those are both great tips! I think we really can be our own worst enemies when it comes to racing. Positive self-talk is such an important skill for runners to work on.
I do those mental calculations too! Mostly though, I tell myself how badly I’ll feel if I don’t finish. One benefit of being a type A person, I guess, is that self-shaming thing…lol
Haha yep! Or even knowing that your time will be posted on the internet forever!
All good points, Lisa! I ran my 1-mile time trial last night (due to the actual race being postponed). As if a 1-mile race is easy to begin with LOL Dang, I had to keep telling myself “you’re almost done” (even though there was no finish line or crowds of people or a “rabbit runner” to follow). Definitely a lot of mental strength needs to be there to compliment (or replace?) the physical.
I bet a 1 mile race has just as many challenges as longer races! I did 1 mile one afternoon that weekend for a challenge, and it felt harder than my 5 mile run that morning. (Maybe because I was thinking it was “only” a mile?) So I bet racing one all out it really hard!
Great tips! I try to tell myself to make it worth it. Especially with a baby, it takes a lot more teamwork to pursue running goals.
Absolutely! It makes me feel like if I’m going to commit to something I have to be 100% invested.
I am definitely one of those people who finds it hard mentally when I am alone in a race or a long run. I did not realize how much I counted on the support of my friends and even the random crowd support. I do play the mental games of breaking down the miles left. It is a great distraction.
The mental games are so good! I end up struggling with math alot when I am running so it keeps me really distracted for awhile as I try to figure it all out:)
Great tips, Lisa! it’s funny, I’m mostly pretty good at pushing myself, but there are races where I give up. And I always do kick myself afterwards! Usually heat is involved — but I’ve also PR’d many very hot races.
I think that those races when we give up sometimes help us in our next race, because we remember how it felt afterward to give up!
I definitely play tons o mental games when I am racing. I like to race alone so also often think of a song or mantra that motivates me to keep me moving along my path to my goal.
That’s a great idea! I’ve used mantras during big races before and they can be so helpful.
I think for me, the playing mental games helps the most. Or envisioning another trying time. It can definitely be a challenge to race alone, that’s for sure.
The mental games can be such a good distraction!
These are great tips! I think having that mantra in your head is key, especially when you don’t have other people to rely on. “Dig deep” is one of my favorites, and focusing on one mile, or one 1/2 mile at a time. I usually enjoy using other people ahead of me to push me when I’m struggling.
Those are great ideas! I agree it helps to focus on the mile your in rather than how many more miles you have left to go.
Thanks for the good tips about staying motivated to run a virtual race. I especially like the one about remembering how you have done hard things in the past. That’s the one I tend to forget. I did one virtual half – that replaced the actual half I registered for that got canceled – and a bunch of free virtual 5Ks. I can stay motivated for the shorter races, but the half just seemed like a training run to me.
I know what you mean! Its much easier to push hard when you’re by yourself for 3 or even 6 miles, but 13 is much harder. I had to really prepare myself to push hard otherwise I probably would have settled into a moderate pace.
I think I’m a lazy racer LOL. I like to run alone just so that I don’t have anyone giving me pep talks when I don’t want them. When I’m with someone, I always worry that I’m going to hold them back, even though I know that’s just me being silly.
Haha I definitely didn’t want a pep talk during that race I talked about in my post! But looking back on it I would have regretted not pushing hard. So it worked out that he was there to give me a reminder.
So much of racing we’ll is mental! I have talks with myself all the time! Even though my PR years are behind me I still want to stay strong all the way to the finish line. Great tips. Now I guess I need to sigh up for a virtual race!
You should definitely do a virtual race! They’ve been alot of fun!
The mental games thing is my go-to in races. I break it up into chunks. So for a Half, I will always just focus on 5k chunks and it really helps. Somehow it makes it easier to handle!
PS: Sometimes that tough love really works even if it doesn’t feel nice at the time, LOL!
Yes those mental games can be so helpful! The longer distances seem less intimidating when you think of them in smaller increments. And I know what you mean about the tough love! It can be helpful even if we won’t like it at the time!