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75 Funny Running Quotes

by Katie McDonald
written by Katie McDonald

I’ve been running for over ten years, and I can tell you with complete confidence that humour is one of the most underrated parts of being a runner.

Because running is brilliant. It genuinely is. But it’s also, at various points, deeply unpleasant, slightly embarrassing, and absolutely ridiculous. And sometimes the only thing that gets you through mile three of a run you didn’t want to go on is remembering a quote that made you laugh.

I’ve collected these over the years — some I’ve seen on running forums, some on Instagram, some just in the heads of other runners who’ve been there. I’ve organised them by mood, because depending on why you’re here, you might need a different kind of funny.

Whether you need a caption for your post-Parkrun selfie, something to put on your race day sign, or just something to remind you that literally every runner has been exactly where you are right now — you’re in the right place.

Funny relatable running quotes

These are the ones that make you laugh because they’re just embarrassingly, uncomfortably true. Every single one of these has applied to me at some point. Possibly last week.

1. “Running is the sport where you pay money to suffer in public.”

2. “My running playlist is 40% power anthems and 60% me lying to myself.”

3. “I run because I really, really like food.”

4. “The first mile is a lie.”

5. “I told myself I’d just do a quick 5K. That was three weeks ago.”

6. “Nothing motivates me to run faster than a wasp.”

7. “My body said no. My alarm said yes. The alarm won. It always does.”

8. “I have a love-hate relationship with running. I love finishing. I hate everything before that.”

9. “I thought they said rum. That’s why I showed up.”

10. “Running: the sport that lets you eat carbs and feel virtuous about it.”

11. “Some days I feel like a gazelle. Most days I feel like a slightly determined tortoise.”

12. “I don’t run races. I survive them at a pace that suggests I might eventually finish.”

13. “My Garmin says I’ve been running for 47 minutes. My legs say it’s been at least three years.”

14. “Training run: went badly. Rest day: went great. I think I’ve identified my sport.”

15. “The hardest part of running is the bit between putting your trainers on and actually going outside.”

That last one is genuinely the truest thing anyone has ever said about running. Once the door is open and I’m outside, I’m fine. It’s the deciding-to-go part that gets me every time.

Funny motivational running quotes

These are the ones that are funny but will also, quietly, get you out the door. I love this category because it proves you don’t need to be earnest to be motivating.

16. “Run now. Wine later.”

17. “You don’t have to be fast. You just have to be faster than the person you were yesterday.”

18. “Someone who is faster than you started exactly where you are.”

19. “Your future self is already proud of you for going. She just wants you to actually go.”

20. “You’ve survived 100% of your worst training runs. Today will be no different.”

21. “The only bad run is the one that didn’t happen.”

22. “Run like you stole something. Or, you know, run at whatever pace is sustainable for your current fitness level.”

23. “It never gets easier. You just get better at it.”

24. “Pain is temporary. Your Strava is forever.”

25. “Your legs are not giving out. Your head is giving out. Keep going.”

26. “At mile one, everyone is a runner. At mile three, you find out what kind.”

27. “The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the audacity to start.”

28. “Running is 90% mental. The other 10% is also mental but wearing trainers.”

29. “One day you will not be able to do this. Today is not that day.”

30. “Go for a run. You’ve never once come home and thought: I wish I hadn’t done that.”

Number 30 is the one I tell myself when I really, really don’t want to go. I have genuinely never once come back from a run wishing I’d stayed on the sofa. Never. Not once in ten years.

Short funny running quotes and one liners

When you just need something quick, punchy, and slightly ridiculous. These are brilliant for putting on a t-shirt, a mug, or — let’s be honest — a motivational sticky note on your fridge.

31. “0.0: because I’m sensible.”

32. “Toenails are overrated anyway.”

33. “Will run for snacks.”

34. “I run so I can eat cake. And then I eat the cake.”

35. “Currently accepting medal for getting out of bed.”

36. “Run now. Brunch later.”

37. “I’m not slow. I’m enjoying the route.”

38. “I don’t sweat. I sparkle aggressively.”

39. “Certified crazy (runner edition).”

40. “My pace. My race.”

41. “Running: cheaper than therapy. Marginally.”

42. “I run. Therefore I am. Exhausted.”

43. “Somewhere between ‘I can do this’ and ‘what have I done.'”

44. “5K: three miles of questioning every life decision.”

45. “Legs: sore. Heart: full. Medal: earned.”

Funny running captions for Instagram

Right, the bit you might actually be here for. These are ready to paste — just add your photo and go.

46. “Did it for the medal. Stayed for the post-run breakfast. 🏅”

47. “Current mood: I did the thing and I want everyone to know about it.”

48. “This is what a 6am run looks like. Not glamorous. Absolutely worth it.”

49. “My face at mile one vs my face at mile three. Both equally tragic.”

50. “Parkrun done. Dignity: optional.”

51. “Legs: heavy. Lungs: offended. Heart: actually pretty proud. 🏃‍♀️”

52. “Proof that I went. You’re welcome, future me.”

53. “The trainers went on. That’s basically the hardest part.”

54. “Running because therapy is expensive and trainers are a one-off cost.”

55. “Still slower than I’d like. Still going anyway. That’s the whole thing, really.”

56. “I didn’t want to go. I went. Now I’m insufferable about it. Standard.”

57. “Out here making my Garmin proud. 📱”

58. “Not fast. Not slow. Just absolutely, stubbornly going.”

59. “The sun was barely up. So was I. We’re both doing our best out here.”

60. “This is my ‘I actually went for a run’ face. The red cheeks are included free of charge.”

That last one is very personally me. I go crimson within about four minutes. I’ve made my peace with it.

Funny half marathon quotes

The half marathon has a very specific energy. You’ve signed up for it feeling brilliant. You spend thirteen miles questioning that decision. You cross the finish line and immediately consider doing another one.

61. “13.1 miles: because 26.2 would be ridiculous.” (narrator: she said, before signing up for a full marathon)

62. “A half marathon is just two Parkruns back to back. With more crying.”

63. “Miles 1-6: I’ve got this. Miles 7-10: I have made a terrible mistake. Miles 11-13: I am a warrior and nothing can stop me. Mile 13.1: medal please.”

64. “Half marathon training: the art of being tired for several weeks on purpose.”

65. “I didn’t hit the wall. I gently embraced it and we walked together for a bit.”

66. “The half marathon told me it would be hard. I thought it was exaggerating. It was not exaggerating.”

67. “13.1: the distance at which you find out exactly what you’re made of. (Mostly stubbornness, it turns out.)”

I’ve done two half marathons — Birmingham and Ironbridge — and number 63 is so accurate it’s almost painful. The emotional range of a half marathon is genuinely something else.

Funny marathon quotes

If you’re training for a full marathon, firstly: respect. Secondly: you’re going to need these.

68. “26.2 miles: because at some point I stopped making sensible decisions.”

69. “The marathon is a charismatic event. It smiles at you at the start. It stops smiling around mile 18.”

70. “Mile 20 of a marathon is where your body files a formal complaint.”

71. “Marathon training: the process of getting very tired so that one day you can get extremely tired in public.”

72. “I’m not running a marathon for a personal best. I’m running it for a personal story.”

73. “There is no wall at mile 20. There is only a very long conversation with yourself about all your life choices.”

Funny running quotes for beginners

If you’re just starting out, these are for you. And I promise — every single runner who now looks effortless was once exactly where you are.

74. “The beginning is the hardest part. After that it’s just the middle and the end, which are also hard, but differently.”

75. “You are lapping everyone on the sofa. Every single one of them.”

That second one is genuinely what I hold onto on bad runs. Whatever pace I’m going, I’m out here doing it. That matters.

Funny running quotes for race day signs

If you’re spectating at a race and want to be the most popular person on the course, these are your options. The crowd carrying a good sign is the one runners remember at mile 10 when everything hurts.

“Worst parade ever.”

“You trained longer than Kim Kardashian’s first marriage.”

“Run faster! I just saw a clown behind you.”

“Chuck Norris never ran a half marathon.”

“Your feet hurt because you’re kicking so much ass.”

“Smile if you wet yourself a little.” (controversial but effective)

“You’ve got this! (We have no idea if that’s true but you seem nice.)”

“Pain is temporary. Your Strava is forever.”

“The faster you run, the sooner you get cake.”

“Toenails are overrated anyway.”

The clown one is genuinely brilliant and I will not hear otherwise.

FAQs

What is the funniest running quote?

Genuinely impossible to pick one, but “I thought they said rum” is consistently the one that makes non-runners laugh the hardest and runners laugh the most knowingly. “Pain is temporary, your Strava is forever” is the one that gets the biggest reaction in the running community specifically.

What is a good short running quote for Instagram?

Some of the best short running captions for Instagram are: “My pace. My race.” — “Did it for the medal.” — “Not fast. Not slow. Just absolutely going.” — “Run now. Brunch later.” They’re short enough to not need a read more button, relatable enough to get saves, and don’t take themselves too seriously.

What do you write on a funny running sign?

The best race day signs are either very short and punchy (“worst parade ever”), or very specific to the runner’s pain point at that point in the race. Mile 10 of a half marathon needs something about stubbornness and nearly being there. Mile 20 of a marathon needs something that acknowledges the suffering while making the runner laugh. “You trained longer than Kim Kardashian’s first marriage” works at any distance.

What are some funny half marathon quotes?

Some of my favourites for half marathon specifically: “13.1 because 26.2 would be ridiculous” — “I didn’t hit the wall, I gently embraced it” — “A half marathon is just two Parkruns back to back, with more crying.” All accurate. All slightly too real.

What are good funny running captions for Instagram?

The ones that tend to perform best are honest and self-deprecating rather than aspirational — “This is my I-actually-went-for-a-run face, the red cheeks are included free of charge” does better than a polished quote because people relate to it. Anything that captures the real feeling of running — the mix of pride and exhaustion and slight disbelief that you did it — tends to get great engagement.

Written by Katie McDonald, Updated 18th June 2026

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running after a break
Just starting runningMotivationrunning

How to Start Running Again, After a Long Break

by Katie McDonald
written by Katie McDonald

I took a break from running years ago – and I wrote my story on why I did that break. It can happen to us all. And it’s nothing to be shamed of, I will say. I just fell out of love a little with it. For whatever reason, my gut was telling me I needed to step away for a while.

But once you’ve had the break, sometimes for a week or two, sometimes for several years,  how do you start up again? How do you get back ‘out there’? Well I’m no Mo Farah, but I’ve done x2 half marathons and I run pretty regularly and have done now for years. So here’s my advice.

What’s the best way to start running again?

1. Just do it

It can be easier to plan it all in your head and then find a reason – ANY reason – not to do it. You’ll be scared or a little embarrassed maybe you’re not as fast as back then. If you’re a runner, you’ll probably have experienced some kind of procrastination. That’s okay. But the best way to get back into running after a long break, is to just do it.

Jump on the treadmill, or get outside. It doesn’t have to be long. Start with 10 minutes if that’s easier. Start with something. A bit like writing – another one of my loves, you can edit or improve a blank page. And it’s the same with running. You’re not going to be perfect the first time you jump back into the laces. You need to warm back up that muscle memory.

Start with something.

2. Run for the sake of running

Not to have a ‘goal’ or desired pace might seem odd to those of you who are into a habit of running. I’d want to strive for something. Like a good 5K pace or something. But if you’ve taken a break from running, you need to get back into it first. Run for the enjoyment of it. Remember what it feels like. And allow yourself to settle back in first. Get that adrenaline going before you start setting goals.

Otherwise it might feel far harder, and it should be about enjoying it!



3. Celebrate every milestone

If you’re starting from scratch again, this is super important. Find a way to celebrate every single milestone. Not been out in over 6 months, and then you go and do a run (of whatever mileage)? That’s amazing! Seriously, your body won’t be used to that. Even if you’ve been active, through strength classes or walking etc, running is a sport entirely to itself.

So every win needs to be acknowledged. A 5K race, going from couch to 10K, just getting started and running outside! They all deserve recognition. And not for the speed – pace doesn’t matter when you’re starting after a long break. Please remember that, otherwise you’ll beat yourself up. Which you will, because running is hard. So if you need any motivation, check out these funny running quotes for when you need a little pick-me-up.

4. Slow down!

It might be tempting to start out suuuuuper fast… Don’t! Go slower than you think. Yep, even slower than that. It’s far easier to pick up speed (a little!) if you feel good and comfortable than it is to slow right down because you’re not as fast as you used to be and now you’re struggling to keep that pace.

It’s not a weakness to run slow to run fast. It’s a strength! Know your body, but also knowing how running works. It comes back to that muscle memory again. If you used to be able to do an 8 minute mile, that’s great – but you used to be able to do that. Likely with regular running, and maybe some strength training, great nutrition and good sleep.

So, slow down. Forget about pace. In fact, when I got back into running, I wouldn’t track it on my Runkeeper app. Because I didn’t want anyone – even digitally – to tell me I’m “slow”. Because I knew I would feel like I’d failed on the first run. But actually, it’s a huge win to be back doing that first run!

5. Put some feel-good music on

When you’ve not run for a while, you might feel a bit heavy, a bit sore, and not too light or nimble. But go with the first two tips, and just run for 10 minutes. Find a good running music playlist – specifically choose one that’s been made for slower runs so you don’t burn out after the first song (see point 4!). Enough to give you a reasonable tempo to find your feet to, but not too fast to drain your cardio battery too fast!

I always try and make sure I’m happy with a rough tempo of the general playlist before I start running again. Otherwise, you’re 2 minutes in after a 2 year break, and your music’s not giving you the right tempo – not what you want!

Here’s a slow running playlist on Spotify that might help. Start slow and ease yourself back in.

That’s my advice on how to start running again after a long break. Welcome back to the club – try out these tips because you might feel rubbish, deflated and unnecessarily disappointed if you don’t!

You’re allowed to take a break from running

I will always stand by this! Running will always be there for you, when you’re ready. I can’t emphasize those 3 words enough. When you run, there’s no criteria that says you have to be running X times a week to ‘qualify’.

No, running doesn’t work like that. It understands that life happens. Because it does! Most the time, you plan, you do your run, you feel great and you make a plan again.

But sometimes, work gets in the way. You have family plans or a house move. A friend needs you. Something else happens in life. Because running should fit into your life. It’s a balancing act. Sometimes running can wait. There! I said it.

And sometimes you will just get busy and even though you totally meant to get that run done, you just forget. That’s okay.

You can always come back to running. It will welcome you with open arms. Welcome back!

 

Written by Katie McDonald, October 2024, Updated, 25th April 2025.

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beauty standards affect mental health
Motivation

How Does Beauty Standards Affect Mental Health?

by Katie McDonald
written by Katie McDonald
I wrote this almost 10 years ago, and now, in 2025, I think beauty standards definitely still have something to answer for when it comes to mental health.
Now we have Instagram and Tiktok When you add the power of AI to that list, it’s pretty scary how technology can make you look a certain way. In fact, the BBC even reported in 2023 that AI may even help you change your profile picture to get a job.
To think it used to be magazines and magazines only!

Beauty in the Western world

Beauty standards are a type of look that the Western world tells us. It’s a way of saying “this is what’s beautiful and healthy”. It can affect lots of people, but often young women and people of color. I know I’ve felt:
  • too pale (not tanned enough)
  • too tall (but my BMI is healthy)
  • too freckly (I got from my mom, so out of my control – but I’ve learnt to love them)
  • too skinny arms (so I started balancing strength training and running)
  • too bushy eyebrows (so I started plucking them after being bullied in school)
  • too knock-kneed (so I’d cover them up and often run in the early morning when there’s not many about!)

We get exposed to society’s beauty standards in all ways; social media, magazines, billboards, TV programmes, celebrities, and influencers too. It’s all become a way of life, and it can really affect mental health. For example, people subject to these beauty standards can feel insufficient, and it’s a wonder this affects mental health; issues like depression and anxiety going skyhigh.

How does beauty standards affect mental health?

Society paints a picture for us to live up to. Eat the right things, do your exercise and you’re the perfect citizen, health wise. That message, as we all know, is plastered across the billboards of social media in the form of Instagram pictures, tweets and Facebook posts.
I would love to ask society about the ‘healthy lifestyle message’ that is shoved down our throats. The term itself is so broad that it’s almost vague and we lose what it really means to be ‘healthy’.

Instagram and beauty standards

Being a keen Instagram user, it is on a daily basis that I find myself scrolling through endless posts of ‘how to be the best, fittest and healthiest you that you can’. My screen is filled with delicious looking smoothies full of fruit and coconut milk rammed into jars that you see on Pinterest, captioned “So much goodness, crazy to miss”.
Unavoidable and sometimes overused, hashtags are at the heart of most captions. They highlight what are ‘#bodygoals’ and even show us images of ‘#perfection’.
Lots of fitness lovers post screenshots of their ‘Summer Body Workout’.

But hang on..

As motivating as that can be and means to be, it is not uncommon for it to have the exact opposite result. How can we think positively about getting fit when what we are faced with is a photo-shopped picture of what we should look like.
I’m sure you saw the magazines of young models posing in their summer wear and will soon see the Christmas outfits advertised that will suck the life out of you but are the must-wear clothes.
Society’s concept of having a healthy lifestyle is an important message and yes, I do wholeheartedly agree with it. But please, note my word use here: ‘healthy’ and ‘lifestyle’. It is by these words I stand, and only these. Allow me to break down exactly what I mean.

What does ‘healthy’ mean?

If by ‘healthy’, you mean a skinny, rib-visible size 4 whose poor stomach rumbles, I dread to think what you label as ‘unhealthy’.

Why does food and exercise have to be seen in such a negative light?

‘Get your summer body now!’
‘How to lose weight fast!’
‘Get fit quick!’
On the surface, not one of those is positive. I acknowledge that they all have good intentions of encouraging us to be healthy but I would love to read a title that doesn’t infer that I need someone else’s body to look good. I want my own body.

The bottom line about healthy

I have my own body and that’s the bottom line. If you’re doing some exercise every day, whether it be walking to the train station or going to the gym, and you’re eating a well-balanced diet with the occasional treat, then you have my vote. I agree with you that we shouldn’t just eat, drink and exercise with the purpose of losing weight.
Let’s enjoy eating a diverse and wonderful range of foods that nourish our amazing human bodies and exercise because we love our bodies.
Influencers encourage visitors to ‘follow’ and ‘subscribe’ to their protein shake delivery service, or risk missing out on the latest way to ‘get fit fast’. It is to those people I ask:

Do I really need to take protein shakes on a regular basis to be ‘healthy’?

Or can I just eat a balanced diet that will feed me with the right-sized portions of the various food groups I need?

“This will make you think twice about your sugar intake” – A Facebook article I saw years ago.

I didn’t even read the rest of this Facebook article when I scanned my eyes over the title. “Why?” I hear you ask. Well, I am certainly not the healthiest person on the planet nor do I know anywhere near enough about health to lecture anyone. But I, like you, am a tired victim of our culture’s preaching.
If I had a penny for every time I came into contact with the ‘GET FIT’ shouts, be it on social media, through TV or magazines full of models, I would have more than enough money to buy one of the fitness companies myself, not just the £2.99 mag I can afford to splash out on.
I chose not to read the article because I felt content with my diet and I didn’t think I needed an article written by someone working for Facebook to tell me I need to re-consider what I eat.

Health is important, but it shouldn’t rammed down our throats

I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, saying we shouldn’t be thinking about our health because it is clearly pretty important to every one of us. The science behind the programmes we see is well-intentioned, giving us the most up to date facts about what foods are good or bad for us and what the recommended weekly exercise is.
TV programmes, magazines and so forth all form a massive part of an ongoing, never ending cycle that we, as citizens, are in with the rest of society. We, naturally and probably wisely, believe this new information that we are bombarded with and do try to think twice about our own diets.
If we are being told that we need to think again about our health, all I am asking is that surely it’s worth thinking twice about what exactly we are defining ‘healthy’ as.
As someone who walks to most places, runs a couple of times a week and tries to get in her five a day, I would go as far as to say that, yes, I think I am of acceptable health. Don’t get me wrong, I am wondering what smoothie I can make next, but here’s my point. Despite the little insight I have just provided of how I squeeze my exercise in, I don’t think that’s enough for society.

Am I really not ‘healthy’?

The question that runs through my mind is this. Just because I am not the perfect waist size, protein-shake-drinking, vitamin-pill-taking or kale-eating skeleton, does that really mean I’m not ‘healthy’? Can anyone ever be healthy enough? Will society ever be satisfied of our health and fitness levels?
Personally, I don’t think it will, regardless of how ever many vegetables we consume, there’ll always be a better, magic tablet you can take. Society is defining the ‘healthy’ that we live by, but it’s a blurry line.

Written by Katie McDonald, 24th September 2016, Updated, 24th April 2025.

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runner comparing to another runner
Motivationrunning

Never compare yourself to others – Quotes

by Katie McDonald
written by Katie McDonald

Never compare yourself to others 20 Quotes

  1. “Comparison is the thief of joy.”
  2. “Don’t compare your chapter 1 to someone else’s chapter 20.”
  3. “Your path is unique; comparing it to others is like comparing apples to oranges.”
  4. “Focus on your progress, not someone else’s.”
  5. “The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday.”
  6. “Stop comparing your behind-the-scenes to everyone else’s highlight reel.”
  7. “You are enough, just as you are.”
  8. “Celebrate your own journey, not someone else’s destination.”
  9. “Your value doesn’t decrease based on someone else’s success.”
  10. “Run your own race.”
  11. “Comparison is an act of violence against the self.”
  12. “Everyone is walking a different path, so don’t compare your steps.”
  13. “Embrace your own pace.”
  14. “Your story is unique, and that’s what makes it beautiful.”
  15. “Don’t dim your light so someone else can shine brighter.”
  16. “Your worth is not determined by external validation.”
  17. “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
  18. “The only competition you have is with yourself.”
  19. “You are not in a race against anyone else.”
  20. “True success is measured by your own growth, not by comparisons.”

I used to compare myself as a runner

When I first started running, it was my dad who got me into it. And I always thought, gosh he’s so much stronger and faster at running than me. He looks like his legs are moving better, and it all looked, just “better” than me. I thought, “I need to run like he does”. And I’d try to do that. But it was really hard. And I understand why only now, years later.

runner not comparing herself

My dad is a different human altogether. He’s a man too and men and women are built differently. He doesn’t smoke, eats very well and has great mental health.

He’s also quite a bit older than me (obviously!). As I write this, I’m 28 and he’s in his late 50’s so he’s about 30 years older than me. So I would always think “gosh, I’m so unfit”. when I’d watch him and try and learn. But actually, I wasn’t unfit; I was running with my dad say 2 times a week, and he’s completed several races!

My dad, the ‘better’ runner

My dad has done his fair share of marathons. On 28th October 2017, he completed his second marathon, racing in Snowdonia, England (UK). He absolutely smashed it in 4:29:16.

He’s done even the Ironman race. There’s even a race called “Race the train“. Yes, you literally start at the same time as an actual, physical train, and you race against the clock. He’s done that too.

So, there’s 18 year old (ish) me, comparing myself to this man. You see how crazy that is!

Who I compare myself to now

Me! I make a conscious effort to compare myself to previous me. Because that’s the only person you can compare yourself to. I know what makes ME feel good, and how I can feel successful, like I’ve done better than I have before. That’s why I make commitments to go the gym every week (ideally 2-3 times). I make an effort to go to a gym class like a yoga or pilates class. And I do my stretches before and after the gym exercises. I now take my resistance bands every time I go to the gym so I can do the movements that improve my running. Not compared to my more experienced dad, or anyone else. Just me.

When I go for a run, I’ll try and improve the time or feel stronger each time. But I won’t beat myself up, and I definitely don’t look at anyone else at the gym (on the treadmill) or any other runners I might pass if I’m running outside.

And I feel amazing for it. So, never compare yourself to others. Focus on your own health and running journey.

How to not compare yourself to other runners

I posted a reel on Instagram talking about how to not compare yourself to the next runner from my experience. 

My top tips: Never compare yourself!

Enjoy the process! Not every run will be the best feeling ever, and that’s okay. Never delete pictures of your runs! Every run counts, even if it’s 10 minutes. Celebrate every win! Strength training, a run/race, and pilates.. all helps to improve YOUR journey.

Motivate yourself! That’s why I started posting on Instagram (as lifeofamissfit) to log my runs and my successes. Next up, here’s my take on how much volume to increase in your running.

Written by Katie McDonald,  Updated 15th March 2025

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Motivation

How To Not Beat Yourself Up

by Katie McDonald
written by Katie McDonald
Today was a strange but memorable day. I set out on a 5 mile run with my (then) running partner for the first time in around a month at 08:35am. It was cold, raining and downright miserable. But my partner forced me to do it. Don’t get me wrong, he’s well-intentioned but half of me really didn’t like him this morning. The other half knew he was right. So with that, I wolfed my scrumptious oats up, downed my shot of tea and tied up my Skechers. The mud from my last triumph was now dry, brittle. We laughed off the cold, stretched and started.
Running in his hometown with not a clue where the next turning would be was quite an experience. Steady at first, then slowly dropping behind. Running had felt so easy before today, effortless in fact. It was like breathing, I just did it. But now I’d forgotten how to move my legs. Was my stride too long? Was I breathing too slow, or too fast? Shoulders tight again, I had forgotten all the tips my own father had once given me. I was a new runner again; a fish out of water. He was a shark, slaying the seas of Cheltenham. Fishing in and out of the pedestrian’s path on their morning route to walk. I was a baby dolphin, unsure how to swish my fins.
I have only ever stopped running to walk once. Several years ago, running just behind my dad in a local park, I felt stitch running through my veins, piercing through my muscles. I was a mere beginner, unaware of the stitch-avoiding tactics. So I’d dropped my arms and walked briskly. But walking in a hurry is not running. The moment from running to walking is disappointing and self-pitiful and it was nothing like the disappointment that showered through my body from my wet eyelashes to the filth of my pink laces.
“That’s a mile” he had twisted his head from meters in front of me to shout down the street. Deep down, part of me appreciated his letting me know. Thanks, but was I really starting from scratch?
We ran for a few more minutes and then I walked. I was four years younger again – only worse, by a mile, or 26. My legs weren’t aching, it was my breathing and mental game that was down. I looked ahead of me to see my very own Rocky Balboa steaming ahead like it was marathon day. I quietly thanked goodness that it wasn’t and then allowed my eyes to meet the floor for a few moments. Mumbled yelps were ringing in the distance, so I glanced up to be met by Balboa himself effortlessly jogging downhill towards me. With one breath, he asked if I was okay.
My heart was thumping. My arms had lost rhythm. The air was frozen, pushing against my face. Ice cream isn’t good for sensitive teeth. This precipitation and coldness was not good for my mind, pressing against my forehead, slowly squashing all of the strong mentality I once stored. So, naturally, I exhaled with a yes. The two of us walked side by side for three and a half miles. I trust you get the gist when I tell you that those 15 minutes were a breath of fresh air. With the little breath we both had in our somewhat tired lungs, mine less than his I swear, he told me I could do this, despite how behind schedule I insisted I was. “You’re life of a miss fit, right?”
Disbelieving and self-loathing as I was, we had turned the corner, literally and metaphorically. With 50 yards to go until the warmth of the flat, I picked up my pace after catching a glance of the chocolate eclairs in the nearest patisserie. I may have felt lost in the last three and a half miles, but I was going to win the rest of the race because I took Balboa by surprise. I was not about to waste this head start. It was seconds before I heard the familiar sound of his stomping again so I pelted my way through the last dozen yards. It had been a bumpy ride to say the least and barely marathon training. But that’s when I realised it was exactly that. Training is mental and physical. I hadn’t managed to run the whole distance. But if I could beat my Balboa on our first training session after 40 minutes of battling my own mind, that’s a successful training session in my eyes.
I am slightly behind schedule. I do need to re-train myself to breathe properly, swing my arms and bounce my feet off the floor. Today was not easy, neither is running. But it’s true. I am life of a miss fit and I don’t plan on letting my readers down, nor myself.

 

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Does Running Make You Mentally Stronger​?
Motivationrunning

Does Running Make You Mentally Stronger​?

by Katie McDonald
written by Katie McDonald
All runners always succeed. All runners smash their time every time. All runners always cross the line with a strong finish. Right? Wrong!

Does Running Make you Mentally Stronger​?

Yes it absolutely does. Marathon runner? Or just getting into running as beginner? You WILL have days where you are weak. You will have days where you’ll be slower than last time.
You’ll have days where you won’t push your legs to their limit in the last hundred yards or mile. You’ll have days where you start a workout or a run and you’re just not feeling it, so you turn around and go home. You’ll have days where you’re running and you get stitch, so you stop and call it quits.
You know what? That’s OK! No really… We need these days because that’s where we make a really important decision. In fact, I’d argue it’s probably the most important one you make on your fitness journey.

Go hard or go home

Option 1: “I really struggled with that. Maybe this running thing isn’t for me”. – Giver-upper.
Option 2: “OK. That was tough. But I am tougher. I can do this.”
And then this person (option A) gets up the next day and with no less than 110% of their willpower and effort, they do it. No, they smash it.  It’s a really simple choice, where you choose who you are and how bad you want that unstoppable buzz at the end.
And now you’re thinking something along the lines of… “Well, that’s all well and good but be realistic – it’s easier said than done”. If that’s you, I agree. It is easier said than done. But that is exactly the point. Any runner or fitness lover will agree with you how hard it is to pick the latter choice. But they will also tell you how much it’s worth it.

A real life example: How running makes you mentally stronger

I know first hand how hard it can be to pass that mental block when running.
If you know me, you’ll know that I’m currently half-marathon training and you’ll also know how much I hate running in the heat. In a heatwave a few years ago, I stopped 6 miles into an 8 mile route. Not just a quick pause for water running on the spot. Gasping for air, I practically fell onto a nearby handrail because my legs couldn’t stand any longer.
How in the world am I supposed to finish a half-marathon? Floods of doubting questions whizzing round my mind, I had to walk the last 2 miles in 28 degrees of heat. Kitted out in all my new running gear, trainers, Kvidio headphones and running armband included, I did the walk of shame.
Disheartened and disappointed in myself? Yes.
Giving up? Please. I had made my decision. A few days late, I ran 8 miles in 80 minutes and I didn’t stop or walk once.

My advice to get stronger through running

I have been on both sides of the fence more times than I can count on my hands. You have to pick yourself up again because that’s what makes you a better athlete.
Whether you’re training for couch to 10K, maybe you’re wanting a better 5K pace, or you want a good treadmill pace. Believe in yourself, push yourself and you might just surprise yourself.
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Passing Mental Block When Running
Motivationrunning

Passing Mental Block When Running

by Katie McDonald
written by Katie McDonald

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.

  1. The mindset you have when you click ‘START’ on that stopwatch.
  2. When that voice creeps in
  3. 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.

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