My Self-talk Paragraph

Last week, week seven of our training, we ran 26 miles. Just .2 miles short of a marathon...spread out over four days. Saturday we ran 12 miles. It was cold. It was windy. There were lots of hills. Our bodies hurt. We wanted to stop and sit down and do anything but run. But we didn't. We finished. Instead of feeling like I accomplished something after this run, I felt doubtful that I'd ever be able to run twice the distance. My bad attitude continued through the day Saturday as I sat on the couch icing my sore knees and into Sunday. Today I picked up my training book and read the section for last week that I hadn't read yet. It was about creating a "self-talk paragraph" to memorize and play back in your head when you hit hard spots in your run. Here was the example the writers gave:

"I am a marathoner. I love to run and I do it four times a week (I am going to avoid making a certain "The Office" joke here). I am in great shape and I look and feel like it. I never quit before I finish my runs. I always feel strong when I run and I feel terrific after I finish. I can't wait for my next run. I am a marathoner."

So this may sound hokey, but after reading this and creating my own self-talk paragraph (mine had to include a line dedicated to how good I look in my matching running gear...ha!) I already felt better, more confident, and excited to run my four miles tonight...even though I have a cold. I was surprised to get into my run tonight and find that my legs felt stronger and I had very little pain left over from Saturday. So I'm going into week EIGHT (halfway!) with a new & improved attitude.