“I am a 1:39 half-marathon runner.”
Not yet, but I will be.
“This will make me stronger.”
*****
I woke my mind and muscles up with an hour of yoga this morning; Alex invited us to focus on our own mantras. This could be something very different for each person, depending on their goals, their attitude, their outlook, their mindset for now.
My thoughts immediately went to a current goal of mine; a 1:39 half marathon. I know I can do it; I know my legs need some work to get there.
My thoughts didn’t stop there; the second quote above is what I repeat on really tough workouts. It could be the end of 20 miles, or the end of 3 tempos. It could during the last 5 seconds of a 2-minute plank hold, or during a tough push up a hill on the bike. The only way I can keep my muscles moving is to remind them, you’re getting stronger.
What’s your tough-workout mantra?
As class progressed today, we dived into deeper backbends, stretches and mind games. I found other things popping into my own head:
I am a hard worker.
I am dedicated to the challenge, and the practice.
I actually wasn’t relating it to yoga, initially (ooops, be present!), but it worked either way. I was relating it to a new job, new speed tempos, new strength routines, new daily routines; accepting the route and going with it.
Our two goal poses really pushed past limits, we ultimately worked into this:
I actually took these the other night; a pose I was already working on “mastering”. Just ignore how low my hips dip, that’s definitely not the right form.
Work towards something; we don’t gain anything from ease, we gain from the push.
******
I am a 1:39 half marathon runner. I am dedicated to the challenge.
Repeat.
Go for it – what’s your mantra right now?
Dietitian on the Run 
You can totally get the 1:39 half! I love that I am not the only one who thinks of running while doing yoga. And it definitely goes the other way around too! At mile 24 of Boston this year, my quads were burning but just kept thinking…only 2.2 miles left. BREATHE. Yoga has made me mentally stronger and calmer through the long distance of running. Keep up the awesome training Heather!!
Couldn’t agree more – my mindset is completely different now! Love it 🙂
Awesome post. I love mantras and often have things like that running through my head. Some of these may be cliche, but they work:
-if it was easy, everyone would do it!
-no pain, no gain
-you’ve GOT this
etc.
This is not exactly a mantra, but something else that works for me is to remind myself that if I stop/slow down now, I’ll have to start ALL OVER AGAIN next time just to get back to that point. Might as well keep pushing and get it done now. 🙂
1:39… yeah baby! I want that too. Eventually!
Uh, I don’t think that 1:39 is very far out of reach for you, gal!
I love this! Mantras are so crucial when pushing through discomforts of reaching new levels of physical activity. “This will make me stronger” is a good one! I’ve used “I’m stronger than I think I am” – but I like yours better! It’s even more positive. I also like, “If you can, you must.” There are times when I want to fall out of a pose, or get off my bike to walk it up a hill, but I ask myself if I can…and if the answer is yes, I must do it! 🙂
I love that “I am dedicated to the challenge.” My favorite thing to tell myself to get through a tough workout is “I’m so much stronger than I think.” It helps me push through rough patches.
Mantras can be so powerful, and repeating them in my head definitely distracts me and helps me when running or a pose gets hard. Sometimes on long runs, I write a short mantra on my hand to look at during the run.
That’s a great idea – might try that for the next race! 🙂 Sort of like having a pace-bracelet reminder, but even better.
You know my mantra: “This is hell. I’m in hell.”
With a 100% success rate so far!
Sooo I have never heard the word “Mantras” but I take from this it means goal. 🙂 Dustin actually asked me what my workout goals were now that our half-marathon is over. I told him when I move to ABQ my goal is to find more yoga/spinning classes like you do! Also, train for our next half-marathon of course! My goal- GET A BETTER TIME! Not just by a minute, by like 10. 🙂 1:47…that might be a stretch, but I’ll try.
i love this. My husband always says pain equals performance. I don’t agree 100% with this but I get his point. I always say You can and You will….GO FOR IT!
I like “I am dedicated to the challenge, and the practice” a lot! I am running my first half marathon on Sunday! I can’t wait! 🙂
i can i will i am
run strong
you are strong
I often tell myself, “In order to become a faster runner, you have to run faster.”
I definitely run/train by that rule, too! My easy days are only ~once a week, and even then I like to end on a “fast” note – it works wonders! 🙂