Thursday, November 29, 2012

There’s Something About Mantras

It seems as though it’s uphill, downhill for me. Don’t get me wrong, today was a good run … a strong run. I ran 6-miles at a 9:27 pace. But as soon as it began, I couldn't wait for it to be over. It didn't help that a gym pal (who was also running 6-miles beside me) asked midway how much longer we had to go. That’s a situation where “like-minded” isn't necessarily a good thing. It would have been better had she channeled Lou Gosset’s character in An Officer and a Gentleman and screamed, “Pick it up, loser!”

I felt as though I spent 50-something minutes trying to distract myself from the time I had remaining. I had been watching The Good Wife on my iPad. I wondered what it would be like married to “Mr. Big” (aka Peter and Chris Noth). Is he as handsome in person as he is on screen? And why the blonde highlights? Is he filming a movie? I also couldn't help but notice how thin Julianna Margulies looked in her black pencil skirt. What’s her work out routine like? Is she a runner? Does she eat?

I was thinking of anything and everything to push this run along. I even checked my time frequently. I never let myself do that.

Then I remembered my mantra. “I can do anything for 10 minutes.” When I run, regardless of how long, I break my mileage into 10-minute intervals. When I start to tire, I say to myself, “I can do anything for 10 minutes.” It doesn’t matter if I have 50 minutes left to go. Just getting through the next 10 minutes helps. It’s a push ... and it works.

For those of you unfamiliar with mantras, it’s a simple word or phrase that you repeat mentally while you’re running in order to achieve a goal.

When I take a hill, as another example, I repeat to myself over and over again until I reach the top, “I eat hills for breakfast.” I even bought a shirt with those words as a reminder.


For me, my mantra is my “kick in the butt” because it gets me over whatever hurdles I'm facing and to where I want to be.

Do you have a mantra … a key word or phrase that puts zip into your step? What do you do when you’re tired or bored and want to quit? How do you forge ahead? Is there a person you think of who inspires you to keep pushing forward?

1 comment:

  1. I love this, especially because mantras can apply to every aspect of life. I don't have a specific mantra I use, but when I'm running and am ready to call it quits or feel like I've had enough, I tend to say to myself: "just one foot in front of another." It's so simple, yet powerful. I block everything else out and do just that.. One foot, then the other and just push myself through it.
    I also always find motivation, whether it be pre-workout or during my workout, by reminding myself just how fortunate I am to be able to workout and exercise. During my military training, I worked directly with the Wounded Warriors coming in from overseas who were primarily 18-25 year old young males with missing limbs.. now that, will surely humble a person.

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