Rock n Roll Marathon is 2.5 weeks away!!!  And while I am no longer in San Antonio anymore and cheering you on where you always find me, you have my love and support every year!

The training is pretty much done. The mileage is put in. Now it is time to focus on staying fresh, do a couple of pick-up runs during the week, grab the packet, don’t try anything new on race day from the expo, and when that gun goes off on Sunday morning, you run 13.1 miles or 26.2 miles.

Or do you?

Have you ever been in the middle of a race or a training run and thought, “What the hell am I doing? Can’t I finish this? This is stupid. I am going to be the last runner.” So yes, self-talk is very common not only as an athlete but every day, and sometimes you hear positive self-talk, and other times, you hear negative self-talk.

Alright, Coach Jen, what the heck are you talking about? Let’s chat about self-talk and how you can change your ways this week heading into your race at the Rock-n-Roll Marathon or Half Marathon: 

What is Self-Talk?

Do you know that inner voice that always seems to be going? It is constantly “telling” you what you should and might do and reflecting on things you have already done. Then, it evaluates what you do while doing it, providing opinions and suggesting possible ramifications and outcomes. Psychologists have identified this type of inner monologue as “self-talk.”

To get a better idea of precisely what self-talk is, psychologist Susan Krauss-Whitbourne likens self-talk to the “equivalent of sports announcers commenting on a player’s successes or failures on the playing field.” But, unlike athletes that never hear a television or radio sports commentator’s voice, you definitely “hear” what your self-talk is telling you.

Running the Marathon at Ironman Florida 2019!

Unfortunately, this voice you seem to have no control over can be negative sometimes.

Think about the last time you were in a race. You may have experienced self-talk telling you how slow you were or how you are not good enough to be in the run. What happened? Maybe you started walking; possibly you DNF. Your mind was telling you something, and you started believing it.

Your inner dialogue can respond in two different ways.

As it turns out, you can respond with negative and positive self-talk to the same situation. It all depends on how you lead your thoughts. For instance, you are in your race. You see a person in your age group, and you can tell yourself one of two things:

I have the strength in my legs to run past this athlete.

or

I am weak and tired. I can’t catch them.

If you tell yourself the positive, then YES, you can run past that athlete and possibly get that top age group finish; or, if you listen to that negative, then NO, you won’t pass them because you started listening to that negative self-talk.

Psychologists believe that consistently driving your self-talk in a positive, constructive direction can train your mind to respond that way. At first, you will not be able to redirect your inner voice. Instead, it will simply blurt out a subconscious response. However, by continually appraising dysfunctional self-talk and turning it around, you create less stress in your life, boost your self-esteem, and feel good about your inner dialogue.

Moving Forward to Sunday Marathon or Half Marathon

In 2.5 weeks, I want you to do something different for yourself. I want you to prepare NOW when you head to negative self-talk’s “dark” side because I can guarantee you will go to a “dark” side on race day. So, what do you do?

Very easy…change the negative to a positive NOW and during the race. Yes, I CAN run this half marathon in under 2 hours. Yes, I can finish my first marathon. Yes, I will be a 10x Marathon Athlete!

Trust me. We all have self-doubt in the sports arena and the everyday life arena. Be gentle with yourself. You are your worst critic. We got your back. Step away from that negative juju in your damn head and start taking care of yourself on a positive level. You will ONLY become a better athlete and person inside and out!

If you want some help moving into your next marathon or half marathon, I have a Beginner Endurance Running Program for you to grab TODAY! 

Training for a Marathon? Grab my Endurance Plan TODAY!