things you say to help get you through (Read 636 times)

I've been thinking about this since my marathon on 10/26- Marine Corps.... My friend jumped in with me at mile 21 and ran 21-25 . I didn't think that I was in great need of the help, but happy for the company. Turns out, he really helped me because I was really fatigued by mile 23. I had tried to speed it up in mile 22 and then paid the price. So, my friend was doing everything he could to get me to keep up a pace. He started talking about this trail that we run on all the time and telling me where we were. He said, " Kim, I can see your car up ahead. I can smell the BBQ and see Partlow's. We're going under the bridge. You've run the last two miles of this section of the trail a million times. You can do this. " All of a sudden I was able to pick it up. I knew exactly how far I had to go. We all know how far 2 miles is, but for me, the last 2 miles in a marathon can feel like forever. ( I must need more training) I told him how much this helped me and he said someone used it on him. That's so cool. So, what have you said or done - or somebody else said to you- that's helped you when you wanted to slow down at the end of a race?

"just keep pushing play"

"If you were going to quit this sucker you should have done so fifteen miles back. You've got too much pain invested in it now to quit."

At that point, I actually stop talking to myself. To clear my mind, I imagine I'm running across the sponge bridge from Unbeatable Banzuke. It actually helps me to pick up my feet and gives me some forward momentum. If you've ever seen sponge bridge, you know the ones who make it are quick and light on their feet and... well, never mind. This is already sounding too weird.

I tend to get random songs stuck in my head that repeat endlessly for 3+ hours. So, mostly I say "shut up, brain. shut up, brain. Oh wow, that woman is hot. shut, up brain."

I am nowhere near a marathon-level runner but this is how I get through. I pick something in the distance (sign, lamp post, tree, etc) and say "I'll just run until I get to that [thing]" Then once I reach it I pick something a little further. Repeat, repeat, repeat. p.s. Congrats on the marathon! You people are amaing...The only way I'm ever going 26 miles is in a car

When it starts getting difficult to continue I concentrate on maintaining my leg turnover, counting strides helps me focus on this.

I seem to have a problem with the oddest songtrack playing in my head and I can never relate them back to a reason for that song to show up at that time. That, and a harsh inner critic voice that rotates between "pick it up bitch", "push it bitch", and "take it home" -- yes, for some reason my inner critical voice calls myself a bitch. It is just sad....

Hahahaha that is very funny!! I think "I'm above and beyond this challenge....above and beyond....above and beyond..." on my second race ever I could see a woman ahead who had a group of supporters on the sideline,they just kept popping up. A couple of Kms to the end she started to look a bit sluggish, I thought she was going to stop, then a male friend jumped in and started chatting as they picked up the pace, by this time I was right behind them, so I just rode their wake. I was smiling in the end at my "oh no, you won't go without me!!" thoughts...