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I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the mental battle we runners face when we’re pounding the pavement or hitting the trail, especially when things aren’t going well. It’s unrealistic to expect to experience “flow” everytime we head out for a run.

In fact, in my experience, the fabled flow state - that sense where you enter a dissociative or hyper-focused state and you feel like you’re floating effortlessly - is as fleeting as it is rare. It’s one of the reasons I keep running: because I’m chasing that buzz.

More often it’s bloody hard work, and every sense I have is telling me I should stop. Resisting that urge is a skill, and over the years I’ve developed a few tactics that can help.

I’ve been thinking about these because I’ve been talking to Sophie in Cairns again. Sophie was the inspiration for my piece about “Jeffing”. She’s a newbie to running, and is training for her first 10k race, which will be held in July.

But she’s finding it tough. “Hey Stu, I am still struggling so much with the mental challenge of running. 😂 Any tips for me? I just came back from a really hard, bad run and did a really bad run on Saturday. I just feel like I’m getting worse.”

I’m sure there isn’t a person reading this who hasn’t felt the same way. I enjoy running, but I don’t enjoy every run. However, I do know every run I complete makes me a better runner.

So what to do when your brain is telling your body it should stop running? There are a number of tactics you can try. Essentially, the trick is to distract your mind. Failing to do so risks allowing it to dwell on how much this running business sucks - and that’s no good for anyone.

One simple tactic I’ve used to achieve this is to count steps. For me at least, it short-circuits the “it hurts” message every sinew is sending to my brain. But I find this isn’t very effective, unless you are in the final stages of a run. There are really only so many steps you can count before your mind wises up.

I’ve found a better tactic is to focus on running technique. This has a double benefit - the better your technique, the more efficiently you’ll run. This means less effort for the same speed. It’s also a more complex task for your mind to wrap itself around, and therefore a more effective distraction.

This has been highly effective for me when I’m starting to tire. It has the added benefit of kicking in just when it’s needed - my running efficiency goes downhill fast once fatigue kicks in. Focusing on it can counteract that effect.

There are a number of different elements you could focus on, here are a handful that work for me.

The puppet

When I tire, I tend to stoop like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. This is bad for a number of reasons. It makes it harder to fill your lungs with every breath, which means less oxygen delivering energy to muscles, and it’s a sure way to end up with a sore neck and back, especially when coupled with tension in the shoulders.

To get around this, I imagine I’m a puppet, with a string attached to the top of my head and a puppeteer pulling that string to keep me upright. I am careful not to overdo it though - the ideal running posture has a slight forward lean - ideally a full body lean rather than bending at the waist or the mid-point of the back.

Another simple tip is to keep your head up. To do this, focus on looking at the trail ahead, rather than your feet. Of course, this may not be wise on very technical trails, but even so you should be at least scanning ahead.

Lightfoot it

Another focus area is cadence - the number of steps you take per minute. Essentially, the higher your cadence the less time each foot spends in contact with the ground, which reduces the braking effect.

To focus on this, I think about three things: a) stepping lightly so my feet are kissing rather than thumping the ground; b) turning my feet over more quickly to increase my stride rate; and c) driving up and forwards with my knees to avoid the dreaded “shuffle”.

As an added bonus, research has shown an increase in cadence leads to a decrease in load on the body, theoretically reducing the chances of running related leg injuries.

Armed for success

Probably my favourite of these tactics is to focus on arm drive. This is one of the first things to go when I start to tire on a run. Instead of having nice, relaxed arms with a 90 degree bend at the elbow swinging straight out and back in the direction I’m running, I find my arms start to flail wildly across my body.

For me, this is a great cue that my running technique has gone to the dogs. But it’s also super-easy to fix. When it comes to arms, there are a number of linked issues I focus on. First there is the arm swing itself - nice and relaxed straight out in front of my body.

Then there is the hand grip. Fingers relaxed making a very soft fist. I like to run with my thumb, index and middle fingers in a configuration as though I’m holding an imaginary pen in each hand.

The arm swing is also related to shoulder position. When I focus on arm swing I also drop my shoulders and roll them back. This releases tension through the shoulders and neck.

Finally, there is a connection between arms and legs. If you focus on a strong, steady arm swing, your legs will follow suit. It’s a great way to maintain momentum, even when you’re tired.

You’ve got this!

Finally, it’s nothing to do with running technique, but mantras can also be super-effective. Mantras are common in meditation. They are specifically designed to give your mind something to focus on to distract it from other inputs - like the pain of running for example.

When used well, they quiet the mind. Ultimately, you’re aiming for a state where there is only the mantra. They are very common among endurance athletes. Courtney Dauwalter, who is one of the all-time greats of ultra running, uses: “Robot, robot, robot…”

Des Linden, a US marathon champion and podcaster, uses: “Calm, calm, calm; relax, relax, relax…” There are plenty of others - “embrace the suck”, “don’t think, just run”… you get the idea.

But what I find fascinating about mantras is that there’s a stack of evidence that says they are more effective if they’re in the second or third person. So you could repeat: “I’ve got this” over and over again when the going gets tough, but it’d be more effective to say: “You’ve got this.”

The theory is that by using the second person, the runner achieves some psychological distance from the pain being experienced. Using first person (“I can do this”) puts you inside the pain. But second person (“You can do this”) makes you an “observer”.

Another study found this psychological distance means the pain involved is seen as a challenge rather than a threat. I’ve taken this to heart and use a number of variations, all in second person. A particular favourite is: “You are strong, you have no limits, you’ve got this.”

When even my eyelashes are in pain on a run, that usually keeps me going.

Upcoming Events

There are way too many events for me to list everything that’s happening around the country, but here is a selection of upcoming races (with a bias towards South East Queensland).

The Running Calendar website is a great source if you want a comprehensive understanding of what’s available around the country.