Running Mantras

LOL! I don't really have a mantra, but for some reason, "Saturday Night's Alright for Fightin'" by Elton John ALWAYS has gotten stuck in my head during runs. I think it has something to do with my candence. After a couple of years of just thinking "Saturday, Saturday, Saaaturday, Saturday, Saturday", I finally bothered to learn all the words and now it's like a good friend rather than an annoyance. :-)

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I don't have a mantra.  I usually find myself counting out my breathing/cadence, though.  That is: "One, two, three, four" as I breath in then the same going out, over and over.  Of course, depending on the terrain and tempo it may be 1,2,3,1,2,3,4 or 1,2,3,1,2,3, etc....Almost never gets to 1,2,1,2 unless I'm sprinting.  I've gotten the impression that this is unusual.  It seems a lot of people are at 1,2,1,2 in their normal run.

"Run through the pain."
"Tiredness is all mental so get it together."
"Run, b*$%h, run!"
"If you make it up this hill, you'll rock."
"(halfway through the run) Okay, you're just beginning a x (however long the last part is) mile run -- no sweat!"
"Marathon shuffle, marathon shuffle, keep cadence up, breathe in on left foot strike, more on your midsole, use your abs and butt, don't swing your arms, head up, chest forward."
"Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut ... "
"Gains come when you push yourself so get uncomfortable."

As you can see, I am my own coach and cheering section. I really ought to get a training partner.

Lately it's been a line from a Nelly song -- "I am number one. Two is not a winner. And three no one remembers. I am number one. What does it take to be... number one?" Over and over and over.

When I have hard runs, I like to count my foot steps until a certain point in the distance. It's just something to distract me.

In the past, I've tried the alphabet thing -- "A A A Antelope, I'm running like an antelope... B B B..."

Hey, whatever it takes to keep you going.

One for the weird catagory...I find the chant from the "Wizzard of Oz" bad guys  (WeeOHHo..Oweeooo!) has the effect of getting me over that last hill before the house.

help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me!

great, now i got "Oweeooo! Weeehooooo" stuck in my head!!!

I count also ...1 to 7 and repeat except usually i say it in german and i also remind myself to run tall

"OK brain, we're GOING to run now...what a beautiful day...oh look! A bunny! Bunny-bunny!...lots of kids in the park today...watch the branch, ok...oops, sand...Wow! She's cute!...good pace going, Joe, just run your own race here...Hey, I can catch that guy, just a little faster, passed him! How do you like me now buddy?! HA HA HA HA!...ACK! Stupid bugs...ptui...need water to wash the bug out...4 ducks, no geese yet; little early for geese...WHOA! Look out dog!...Was that five miles already?"

"I will not DNF....I will not DNF.....I will not DNF" Can be used in the swim or run.

wish it was that easy for me! more like, just make it to that tree, good....now to that puddle...alright, see that mailbox up there, good....dont start walking yet....just keep shufffling...
that's the first 5 minutes...then a song usually gets trapped in my head, something terrible that the last car was playing...britney spears or something like it...
im in need of a real mantra

So i tried a couple of the suggested mantras today to include counting and 'Oweeooo! Weeehooooo' and neither got my juices flowing. I used 'lighter, stronger, faster' and holy crap, wouldn't you know it worked. Up until now, I'd usually zone out when running, but that crap actually works. Thanks for suggesting mantras.

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This is what I am doing now. Since I am still new to running, I inevitably get a stitch. I find that keeping my tempo as 1, 2, 3, 4 and exaling on the 4th count with my left foot helps with my stitch. So, unfortunately, right now I am focussing on my breathing, and haven't used a mantra yet.

I'm not sure why, but I always seem to count my steps up to 100. Then I start counting over again. Probably some kind of running OCD.

Bill

I haven't used any lately. When I first started running I was doing some army cadence songs in my head but since I forgot most of the words, It has been 12 years since I have been in, I mainly kept saying Standing tall and looking good, ought to be in hollywood. It kept me going.

Mine is like Dorrie from finding Nemo. I use it on the swim and the run " just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming". "Just keep running, etc".

I use the counting method (1,2,3,4). Then I remind myself (about mid run when I'm ready to stop), of the hardest time in my life, that if I can get through that, then I can surely finish this short little run which is only a matter of mintues and not years.

I use the thing that I have as my signature. In high school my team's mantra was "distance pride," which I like a lot too.

Those are for running. For swimming it's "what the hell am I doing out here? Just stay alive!" And for biking I whistle

-dave

I rarely intentionally mantra, usually I zone out. Running is when I get peace and quiet!

But lately I can't get the line "Don't fall down now, you will never get up" from an old Everclear song in my head...

oh, great!!! now I have that song running through my head now. Thanks alot. :P