How I Finish My Runs, Even When I Want To Stop
My heart is pounding, my legs are heavy, I’m breathing hard. I’m on kilometer 9 of my 10 km run, and I’m over it. I want to stop, but I won’t. I decided when I started this run that I would do 10 kms, and I will make it!
This is the point in my runs when the mental gymnastics start. The last km or two, the last few minutes, I often have to push, encourage, persuade, and even trick myself to finish.
Here are a few of the strategies that I use to keep myself going, even when I want to stop.
Just run to the next landmark
Even if I’ve already done 90% of my run, the last 10% seems like a long way to go. My first go-to strategy is to mentally break up the remaining distance into very short spurts. “Just make it to that mailbox.” When I get there, I keep moving, look ahead and choose another nearby landmark. “Now to the next corner.” “Now to that tree.”
Those short distances seem less daunting, and before I know it, I’ve covered a lot of ground.
Tell myself a story
Distraction is powerful. I like to take my mind off my run by focusing on my thoughts. The most effective thoughts, in my experience, are hopeful and captivating ones. I tell myself a story. I dream about my future.
I often imagine a fantasy vacation house in the stunning West Australian town of Exmouth, or the global fitness empire I’m going to build (what can I say, I need to dream big 😊). I get swept up in those thoughts, and the burning in my lungs fades into the background.
Shift my focus
When I’m too tired to think of a good story, I’ll shift my focus to my body. I’ll count my breaths or my steps, tallying them up to 10 and then starting over again. Being present in the moment helps pass the time almost as much as escaping into my thoughts.
Remind myself why
Sometimes I’ll convince myself to keep going by drawing on my motivation. The best motivations are deep and meaningful ones connected to a self-identity, so I dig deep and remind myself why I’m running in the first place.
“This is to set a good example for my kids. This is to show them what it looks like to take care of their bodies and achieve hard things.”
I’ll draw on my previous experiences: “You’ve done this distance before, you can do it again.” “Come on, you always feel so great when you’re done”.
I’ll remind myself of my strengths: “You’re strong enough to finish this. You’ve done more difficult things than this before.”
Become a drill sergeant
If all else fails – it’s time for some tough love. During the last hard push to the end, I often find myself screaming in my head. “Let’s gooooooo!” “You are not a quitter, don’t you dare stop now!” “Push!!!” This is usually a last ditch effort during a sprint to the finish.
I often alternate these strategies, since most of them work best for just a few minutes at a time. There’s only so long you can distract or persuade yourself before the fatigue creeps in again. So I’ll spend a few minutes on each one, and pretty soon I’ve successfully completed my run. Then I get to enjoy the immense sense of pride and satisfaction that comes from achieving a goal.