My Secret Tool: The Running Mantra

Words are powerful. They can rally crowds, inspire greatness, and get you out of a terrible funk halfway through a run. Several years ago, while out on a 30-mile training run, I found myself repeating the phrase, "You can do anything for 10 minutes." I had roughly 10 minutes to go before arriving at my car where food and water were waiting, and as terrible as I felt in that moment, I knew I could push through for another ten minutes. That mantra has gone on to get me through many rough patches over the years. Moments when negative thoughts and doubt were so overwhelming that all I could do was focus on the next ten minutes. Then the ten minutes after that, and the ten minutes after that. Running mantras have been such an important part of my training and racing that a few years ago I collected a set of short stories from other runners featuring their mantras. It's called The Power of a Running Mantra and can be downloaded in the show notes. And in today's episode, I share my story from that eBook, along with a few tips for creating a mantra of your own. Because you never know when a short phrase could be the difference of you crossing the finish line and not.