We all get those pretty nifty endorphin’s to boost our self-confidence after a run but nothing beats those workouts or races where we’ve truly pushed ourselves out of our comfort zone. Okay, maybe while we’re pushing ourselves we don’t like the feeling, but after the workout…it’s pretty amazing. I know there can be one problem while we are getting those tough workouts in…is that we get TIRED! When we feel tired we sometimes end up telling ourselves we want to quit, am I right?! I have been there and so I’m here to fill you on ways to really push yourself the same way that I do.
Here are 5 TIPS that really help me during a run, especially when I am tired:
#1: Pump the arms harder and faster. Now I am not saying to do this at mile 3 of a marathon because you would waste a lot of energy doing so but try this towards the end of a race when you want to give a good kick or at a time when your legs are exhausted but you still want to go faster. This is something one of the veteran runners once told me, especially when I had to go up a hill and I was tired. For some reason when I pump my arms faster and focus on my arms, my legs just naturally speed up too, no matter how tired they are.
#2: Set mini-goals. This is one of my favorites because when I break things up into small steps my main goal seems so much easier to accomplish. So next time you are running, tell yourself you will run faster until the next stoplight or for the next mile and then when you reach your mini-goal re-evaluate how you feel and slow down if you have to. Chances are when you get to that mini-goal you will realize you are one step closer to your big goal, you survived and that you CAN do it again. I like to do this at the end of my run, when I’m a bit tired but I know in the back of my mind I can still do it. Speaking of the mind-set…
#3: Remind yourself that our minds give up way faster than our bodies. Mentally we quit long before our bodies will. It is built into us for survival so that we don’t ever reach the point that we actually run too fast or too far but that signal is sent to our brains WAY before we would ever need to worry about actually dying from running. So next time your brain is trying to get you to quit, you tell yourself you are not finished and you CAN do this!
#4: THIS is what I do during a race….pick another racer in front of you, and try racing them (without them knowing, of course!). You would just look crazy! This is a mentally visualizing exercise, but believe me it works, especially if you are competitive in anyway. This is exercise can be done over and over again all you have to do is once you’ve passed the first person you will do it again with someone new.
#5: Get your music list perfected before your training or race day. Put on some FAST songs (try to match your cadence to the beat of the song), repeat your favorite mantra (for me: I CAN DO THIS…I CAN DO THIS) and go on autopilot. For some people they have to stay focused if they want to keep a certain pace but at some points for me during a race it is better for me to zone out and just think of my mantra and keeping up with the song I am listening to.