Running is really a very simple sport. Simple, but certainly not easy. Every training run or race you are competing against others - either the other runners on the day or a time you know a friend ran this course last week, for example. You are competing with your previous times and also the expectations you have for this run. But the biggest competitor is yourself on that day - “right here, right now You”.

You’re into a hard workout, a race or an LSD run, and you are getting tired. Your left brain is telling you that you can’t reach your goal today. The little voices have plenty of excuses:

• “Just slow down a little, there are other days when you can push it harder.”
• “You didn’t get much sleep last night, slow down - take it easy.”
• “Stop and walk, go on - you’ll feel much better.”
• “You’ve run enough today, why are you doing this?”
• “Who are you kidding? You’ll never be a real runner anyway.”

And the list goes on. You start thinking that you can feel a twinge here and a niggle there. It doesn’t take much talking to before you feel like giving up. But, luckily, it’s pretty easy to talk over the top of the “little voices” to keep on running through the tough times.

Strategies for fighting fatigue

First, is there a real medical reason why you can’t run as projected? Be honest with yourself. Is it a niggle coming from your left brain? Or is it something more serious that you shouldn’t ignore?

Second, are there external factors coming into play? For example, if the race was delayed the temperature may be much hotter than you expected. Strip down any extra layers of clothing you have on and slow down accordingly.

Once you’ve evaluated the situation and it boils down to that you are not willing to push through the discomfort, here are some effective strategies to get tough mentally.

Make a commitment

Mental toughness starts by not giving up. Just keep going and you will gradually push back your limits. In speed training programs this is done naturally by gradually increasing the number of repetitions. In distance training, this is done by gradually adding to the length of your long run. With these increases your body and the mind work together to keep you going when you are challenged.

Make sure your training program is suitable for you and your goals. Commit to your training plan. In a race, if you’ve trained adequately, then it’s a case of hang on and keep going. You know you can do it.

Make a deal with yourself

It’s all about negotiating with your left brain. It can be quite easy to trick your left brain and you are probably doing some of these deals with yourself already.

• Tell yourself “Just one more lap” or “Just one more kilometre” even though you know there might be four more laps or nine more kilometres. By breaking up the workout or race, focusing on one bite-sized piece at a time, you’ve run the whole thing before you know it.
• Start counting steps. Count to one hundred and then do a couple of easy steps before starting counting again. Or you might just repeat to yourself “One more step” over and over and over - you’ll get there.
• Break the run down into parts you can see. Say “To the end of this street” or “Just around the curve” or “To the next water station”. When you are nearly there pick another goal and work towards that.
• Make a deal - after, say, two minutes you can shuffle for a few strides. Then repeat. You’ll find, with practice, that a few strides of shuffling can reduce the tension on your leg muscles and feet without slowing you down much at all.

Use your magic words

A simple, but very effective, brainwashing technique, using your magic words can help you not only reach the finish line but overcome those challenges that may pop up in your training and racing. It might be that you tense up when you are getting tired and worried about not being able to finish the run. The more you worry the more you tense up which affects your running style to make you worry some more. Magic words can break this cycle and the more you use them successfully the more successful, and powerful, they become.

Think back to past training runs and races. Think of the challenges you have had. Pull out the instances when you started to lose motivation but finished and overcame the challenges. Develop your magic words from these instances. So, in the example above, the magic words may be “Relax …… And fly!”. When the runner feels the tension building up, they repeat their magic words over and over. The repetition has a calming effect alone. The runner focuses on staying relaxed and keeping good running form and being able to “fly” along the track or trail. The magic words have an empowering effect in that it invokes the memory of successfully overcoming this problem before and also in the adjustments made in this run to keep moving ahead and finishing successfully.

Play tricks on yourself

These tricks are quick fixes that distract the left brain for a while. They may be crazy but when you counter a left brain message with a creative idea, you often confuse the left brain and stop the flow of negative messages - at least for a while.

• Example 1: Taken from the world of public speaking - imagine everyone you see is naked. Runners certainly come in all shapes and sizes and if it works long enough to get you down the road or track another 300 metres or more then it’s done its job.
• Example 2: Imagine you have a giant elastic band that you can loop around a runner in front of you. Focus on the strong elastic band that pulls you along as the runner in front is pushing ahead. This may keep you amused for a minute or two to get through a tough patch.
• Example 3: Think of the one memory or TV show that always makes you laugh. Laugh out loud. Laughing activates the creative right side of the brain. This usually generates several more entertaining ideas and may even keep you entertained the rest of the way.

It always seems easier to listen to the negative voices, especially when you’re tired or finding the going tough. But building mental toughness is a vital ingredient in running and it starts by not giving up. Just ignore the negative messages and stay focused to the finish of your run.

When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.

Franklin D Roosevelt