How to Not Lose Mental Endurance While Running

You head out for a 10-mile training run, only to come home at mile five. Your legs feel okay, but your mind told you to quit. Developing mental toughness as a runner is the only way to slog through long training miles and hit the treadmill on days that the weather won't permit an outdoor run. If you don't hone your mind's ability to endure speed work, hills and distance, you may not hit your potential during races. Don't think of run training as only getting your legs stronger and your lungs bigger but also as a way of toughening up your mind.

  1. Mantra

    • Your mind can defeat you before you even begin a run. Even if you are in peak shape, doubt in yourself impairs a successful training run or race result. Christie Aschwanden of "Runner's World" recommends a mantra, or phrase that you repeat over and over when your mind wants you to quit, to help you overcome these doubts. A good mantra distracts your mind from physical discomfort or negative thinking that erodes your mental endurance. To create a good mantra, keep it short, meaningful and positive. Pull it out when your mind starts to give you doubt. Examples of mantras include: "One more mile," or "Run fast, feel power."

    Segments

    • Whether you are running three miles or fifty, the whole distance can seem daunting when you take the first few steps. To develop mental toughness, break the mileage you have to cover into smaller units. For example, look at a half marathon as two 5-mile runs or a 5K as three one-mile surges. When you break up your run in this manner, you feel accomplished at the completion of each segment and can turn your focus to the next.

    Intervals

    • Intervals can keep your run from becoming monotonous. Alternating bursts of more intense activity with easy bursts gives your body a chance to recover and occupies your mind. For example, you could do Fartleks, which involve non-specific periods during which you speed up. You might pick a landmark, such as a tree, and plan to run as fast as you can to it and then jog easily to another landmark. Keep alternating these bursts throughout your run to distract your mind from the time passing. Run-walk intervals are another way to implement this strategy. Alternate measured running intervals with 30 to 60 seconds of walking. For example, you might walk for one minute for every mile covered. As renowned distance coach and Olympic marathoner Jeff Galloway told "The New York Times," the walking intervals give you a benchmark to hit and enable you to rest your running muscles periodically during your run so you can finish strongly and recover quickly.

    Visualization and Meditation

    • When running, visualize success. For example, if you are running in a race, and your mental endurance starts to fade, visualize yourself crossing the finish line in a time that is your personal best. Meditate regularly, focusing on overcoming periods of adversity during your run. Go over a past experience where your mind was challenged during a race or training run and visualize yourself overcoming it.