Putting Mental Tricks From Running to Work in the Rest of Your Life

The first ten minutes are the hardest and it never always gets worse.

Forget about running which I think overall is bad for your health in the end, mental tricks are good for anything we have to or should do. Whenever I have to do something I don't want to do I say to myself this thing will not get done by itself. It really helps ie a version of Nike's Just do it.

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. Trouble is we know for sure the best ain't never gonna happen, while preparing for the worst can make you seek refuge in your comfort zone. For me that that exists inside my fridge.

thank you for this. absolutely! x-xountry growing up and into my adult years has kept me so very very strong and able to roll through all situations!! big hug and absolute agreement!! love.

That's it? There's so much more to running that applies more broadly! Pacing yourself, tracking your team and competitors, attacking to dispirit others (e.g., as you crest the top of a hill). Seeing how far (and fast) you've come after months at a plateau. Relaxing every muscle and nerve not required to run smoothly, to reduce excess energy and nervousness. It involves really knowing yourself and your body: when pain is injury and when it is a breakthrough. Will and stamina are physical things: how better to learn how to make a life?

Thank you for introducing me to the concept of bracing. With all the pressure to "be positive" I think the power of acknowledging how hard something is going to be gets lost.

Running? What's the hurry? Eat less, give the money you save to poor people and walk instead.

running, like life, is all pain management

I remind myself to run my own race, which helps me immensely when I'm running among other runners, but even more when I'm just living my life and tempted to compare myself to others.

The great ultra runner Courtney Duwalter uses the mantra "Everything is alright, even when she is struggling. I've tried it and it helps. The focus on breathing really helped me when I got a root canal; everything was numb, but the duration of the procedure and other senses made it worthwhile to focus on breathing.

I think we all use mental tricks to get through our workouts, I know I do! To paraphrase the late great Yogi Berra, working out is 50 percent physical and 80 percent mental :)

Nice to see what I kind of just do is now endorsed by The Times. Telling myself that it’s terribly cold out before a run allows me to say, “It’s not so bad,” when I get out there. But occasionally, I do say, “You were right. It really is cold.”

I really enjoy your articles!!! Thank you.

I've been using the endurance I developed from running. It helps me get through really long hours of work and also helps in other activities like endurance bike rides and marathon hikes. I did the Blues Cruise a few years ago but my day was just the opposite- it was cold and rainy. I don't like the cold so I never went back. It was funny, though, when they made us wade through that chest-high stream in the middle of the race!

Great article, acknowledging the difficult doesn’t make it any easier but with your practice and planning its do-able.