Running is hard! How do you pass the mental block to get through the run? I’ve faced it many a time. Here’s my advice:
How to pass the mental block
1. Remember you are okay.
This is a mental block to a challenge. Your brain is just frightened – it’s a natural instinctive blocker that happens here. It’s trying to stop you from getting injured, falling down, you get the picture. It’s trying to keep you safe. And yes, stopping your run might feel ‘safe’. But you are actually okay, and you can work through that mental blocker.
2. Breathe
No sarcasm here. Breathing is super important to keep yourself under control when you’re running. There are lots of breathing techniques. But you should find the one that works for you. If you feel that mental block coming in a run, I often breathe in for two, and then out for two. And I keep doing that until I’m steady again.
If you can control your breathing the whole duration of your run, you’ll find yourself struggling an awful lot less. If you feel out of breath, it’s quite natural that you’ll feel you’re struggling and your brain will tell you “you’re not safe, stop”.
3. Adjust if you need to
Running will teach you to listen to your body, and adjust where you need to. If you’ve hit a wall on a run, you’re allowed to slow down. Relax your shoulders. Take some big, deep breaths. Put the unhelpful, negative thoughts that are popping into your head to the side. Count your breathing. Refocus, slowly slightly. More if you need to. Walk if you need to. Don’t stop, just adjust. And then when you’re ready, slowly get back to the pace you were doing before, if you can.
Focusing on my breathing is if not the biggest way I get through my mental battles in a run. If your brain doesn’t have anything to focus on and you’re struggling, it’ll obviously tell you to stop. But if you’re focused on your breathing, or the beat of the running music, podcast or audiobook, you’re distracting yourself.
4. Imagine yourself at the finish line
Whether you’re doing an actual race, training or just running for fun, imagine yourself at the end of the run. You’ve done the run and you didn’t stop. You did it! Now you want to get there right? Push through it and imagine how good you’ll feel once you do it.
What are the 3 most important moments in a run?
There are 3 most important moments of a run.
- The mindset you have when you click ‘START’ on that stopwatch.
- When that voice creeps in
- The finish line!
The first moment: When you start
The buzz you feel rush through your veins when you hit the finish line and, if you’re lucky, the moment somewhere in between when you forget you are running. Your heart is pumping fast and your arms swing parallel to your feet as you are in sync with the beat that rings from your headphones; I use the Kvidio headphones and here’s my review.
With the thought of the race day in my mind, I start my shuffle and stopwatch. ‘No Easy Way Out’ is the first song to meet my ears. I try to find a comfortable pace to run to as my new trainers bounce off the floor. In the first mile, I listen to Robert Tepper telling me “there’s no shortcut home”. He powers me through my second mile with the help of Jess Glynne and The Human League. Each song fuels me with the motivation I need to reach the next milestone. I’m doing it, running like there’s no tomorrow. Legs willingly pump up the hills, a glance down at my stopwatch tells me I’m faster than I anticipated, which in itself energizes me, overflowing with endorphins. This unstoppable feeling of no limits, I tell myself, is why I run.
The second moment: The negative voice
“Stop, you’ve had enough now” is what that little voice inside your head tells you. The real workout begins with a choice.
Dealing with the mental block when you’re running
1. Quit
Giving yourself an excuse that usually involves it being too cold or hot or that your legs hurt too much. Sometimes, you simply don’t care for an excuse because you’re tired.
2. Carry on
Tell yourself to suck it up because you only stop when you’re done. “I won’t give up” are the words you give power to. You refuse to allow that scream overwhelm you. You cling to those self-assuring ‘can do’ words with all of your might, focusing 110%, because you know it only takes a mere one second to lose focus, letting that voice take over and tell you that it’s okay to stop and walk home.
Of course, it is okay to quit. If you’re okay with the feeling of giving up. If you can accept the disappointing feeling of not finishing. If you’re okay with walking back to the start line, knowing you couldn’t push past that voice. If you’re okay with knowing you will have to fight that battle all over again on your next run and push even harder to succeed. If you’re okay with that, then quit. I would also ask yourself why you are even running in the first place, if you give up before the real workout.
When a runner decides to plough through the pain, it is not easy. In fact, it is the hardest part of the run as it is a battle, the winner of which is up to you. Your burning legs and your racing pulse will beg you to stop. A real runner will not stop. They know the agonizing burn that they are about to endure. But they also know that with no pain comes no gain. So, they take their deep breaths, gulp their water and run.
3. The final moment: finish line!
The last moment is the moment you finish your run. Congratulations! Whatever distance you’ve done, or mental wall you’ve gotten through, or maybe you’ve crossed a race line, well done. Maybe you’ve done couch to 10K, or a half marathon. It’s hard to describe the runner’s high. But it feels AMAZING. So good for you. Celebrate it. Enjoy the feeling and pocket it for next time you need the motivation, maybe when you next procrastinate a run.
