Mind Games: 5 Mental Tricks To Take Your Running To The Next Level (Guest Post by Brooke Larrabee)

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Running is more than miles… and you are more than numbers on a scale, stopwatch, or spreadsheet.

If you think about it, there’s really a lot that goes into getting out there and breaking a PR, or even just putting one foot in front of the other on a rough day. No matter how much we love it, we all have those days.

The thing is, we’re often focused on our physical body, but not so much on our mental and emotional state.

Today I’ve invited Brooke Larrabee, a Master Certified Health Coach and owner of Wellspring Health and Wellness Coaching, to the blog to share some tips and mental tricks we can all use as runners, now.

Brooke is a mom, runner, and yogi. She has a background in nutrition, coaching, and health and wellness, and finds her inspiration in helping others find ways to live their happiest, healthiest lives! Ready for something new you can try on your run today? Let’s dive in!

5 Mental Tricks To Take Your Running To The Next Level

How many times have you heard people say running is 90% mental? I don’t know where that statistic comes from and I don’t know if it’s completely true, however, I do know that for me personally, my mental state makes all the difference in how well my run goes.

If you find yourself in a little bit of a negative running rut, try out these simple mental tricks to get yourself back in a positive place.

Mental Makeovers

When I was in college I spent an unforgettable summer working at Glacier National Park with a dear friend. We would go on these epic long runs in the Rocky Mountains. Often they were out and back runs and being just a little crazy (in a good way) and so in awe of our surroundings we’d sometimes run a little further than we had intended. More than a few times we found ourselves pretty tuckered on the way back so we came up with the game of Mental Makeover. It’s simple. At any point if either one of us started to find ourselves in a negative head space we’d both stop and yell “MENTAL MAKEOVER!” and we’d pretend that we just started the run over with all of the energy in the world. I know it sounds a little silly, but those mental makeovers got me home on a number of runs when I wasn’t sure how I would make it.

The Past as a Present

This is a trick that a friend of mine taught me years ago, but it’s so great that I’ve used it over and over again on long runs. We’ve all had runs or races that for whatever reason have been truly epic. Your mind and body are working together seamlessly and you are just really rocking the run. Those runs are awesome! When you find yourself on a run that feels less than epic try reliving one of those incredible past runs. Imagine with all of the detail that you can muster what was happening that day. Think about who you were with, what you were seeing, how the air around you felt, what you could smell. Turn your run around by giving yourself the gift of loosing yourself that positive past experience.

Positive Body Check In

When I’m really tired and my muscles are starting to burn I like to do a little positive body check in. Instead of thinking about the parts of my body that are tired and hurting I do a mental search for anywhere in my body that is feeling really good in that moment. That might be my fingers, or the the top of my head. I do a check in from head to toe “looking” for places that still feel good. Sometimes just taking my thoughts off of what’s not feeling good and tuning into what is can be enough to shift me back into a positive place.

Front Load

Do you want to have a really great run? Try meditating before you hit the trails. I know you’re itching and ready to go, but taking a few minutes before a run to settle your thoughts and bring you into the present moment can help you appreciate the experience at a new level. It doesn’t have to take a lot of time. I’ve found even just closing my eyes for a minute, taking a few deep breaths, and setting my intention for a beautiful run can make all the difference.

Pick a Mantra

Sometimes all you can do when you are really tired is to chant the same thing over and over again in time with your footsteps. It’s best if the thing you are chanting is positive! Pick a positive mental mantra to keep you going. Download a list of my 10 favorites below or come up with your own – it’s easier if you pick one ahead of time rather than trying to think of one after you’ve hit the wall.

Here’s wishing you many epic and unforgettable runs where your mind and your body are in beautiful alignment!

Be happy, be healthy, be well!

About Brooke Larrabee

Brooke Larrabee, is a Master Certified Health Coach and owner of Wellspring Health and Wellness Coaching. She is a mom of two little ones, an avid runner and yogi, loves cooking fresh healthy whole foods and spends as much time in her garden and outdoors as possible. She has a background in nutrition, coaching, and health and wellness, and finds her inspiration in helping others find ways to live their happiest, healthiest lives. You can find more of Brooke’s writing on her personal blog, Elephant Journal, Trail Sisters, Daily Cup of Yoga. She is a featured contributor for LiveWell Collective.