I’ve had this post sitting in my draft file since August.  Until a few minutes ago, I had it titled “Marathon Mantras”, but I changed it to “Marathon Motivation”.  Mantras have never really worked for me (although, being honest, I’ve never really used any of them while running).  I’ve been thinking a lot about my upcoming marathon (it’s in FOUR days!!!) and figuring out where things could go wrong.  Thinking back over my training, the place where I had the most issues was when I got bored on runs.  I get bored with my music and after zoning out for the first 10 miles, it’s hard to keep that up for many more.

So, I kept coming back to this mantra post I was trying to write.  I know I need to find a way to keep my mind engaged and entertained while I’m running.  Maybe mantras haven’t really worked in the past, but I’ve never run this long before.. and I’ve never tried them.  I’ve read a lot of articles about how effective they are, so why not give it a shot?

Not all of them are mantras, some are people or things that inspire and motivate me to keep going when it gets hard, but here’s what I came up with:

1.  Never ever  judge a run by the first mile.

2.  Start slow, finish strong.

3.  ”Whether you believe you can or believe you can’t, you’re probably right.”  – Henry Ford

4.  Pain today, pride tomorrow.

5.  Be strong, you never know who you are inspiring.

6.  Just keep swimming.

7.  Every mile may not be good, but there is good in every mile.

8.  Remember everyone who told you you couldn’t do this, those who never supported you.  Prove them wrong.

9.  What screws us up most in life is the picture in our head of how it is supposed to be.

10.  If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.

11.  ”If you don’t believe in yourself, how can anyone else?” — Dorothy Beal, Mile Posts

12.  ”It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard…is what makes it great!”  – Tom Hanks, A League of Their Own

13.  Adam, Braden & Mackenzie

14.  The real workout starts when you want to stop.

15.  ”Ask yourself: ‘Can I give more?’. The answer is usually: ‘Yes’.”  – Paul Tergat

16.  Shut up legs.

17.  “You only ever grow as a human being if you’re outside your comfort zone.” — Percy Cerutty

18.  Granny Moore and Papa Merk

19.  Finish what you started.  You’ve worked too hard to quit now.

20.  ”Nothing, not even pain, lasts forever. If I can just keep putting one foot in front of the other, I will eventually get to the end.”

21.  ”Think strong, be strong, finish strong.” — Renee Metivier Baillie

22.  You’ve had two med-free births.  This is nothing.

23.  Don’t let your head give out before your legs give out.

24.  ”Don’t let fatigue make a coward out of me.”  – Jessi

25.  The faster I run, the faster I’m done. — @texas4ever3

26.  You ARE doing it.

Last .2.  PANCAKES!

So now you can tag along with me while I’m running, and you’ll know what I’m thinking about as I keep putting one foot in front of the other.  Hopefully I’ll be able to set up the live runner tracking on twitter.  I know that they will have a live feed of the finish line on the Space Coast Marathon site, so if you start watching about 4 and a half hours (being super optimistic!!) after the race starts (so around 9AM) you may be able to see me finish!

 

What are your favorite mantras?

What do you think about most often on long runs?

Any last minute tips for a marathon first-timer?