Encouragement Methods

[Meg McKilty]

So, today, I was running my area and I have this giant, slow graded hill to climb. I started imagining of my neighbors coming out of their houses and screaming, "Go Go Go!! Beat this hill!" and the likes for encouragement. I have never had this fantasy before, but I have talked to myself before, such as, "You can make it up this hill; you've done it a million times before", etc.

What do yous guys do to encourage yourselves on tough parts of the workout? I need new things to keep me going.

[Tri Girl]

I like what you imagined today!!! Hey- whatever gets you through those tough spots is doing it's job!!!

I have mantras that I say when I need to focus and give myself encouragement. I say them over and over again until the words don't make sense (maybe I'm a little insane, but that's not news). They are situation specific. They're stupid, but they work for me.
When I do marathons (or long runs) and it gets tough I say "I own you 26.2- run fast run strong"
When riding up big (or long) hills I say "pedal, pedal, pedal, UP!"
When riding long (and sometimes boring miles) I say "time spent spinning is time spent winning"
When I'm racing I say "You're stong, you're fit, you'll win this race for you"
(disclaimer: I've never won anything except in my own mind, but telling myself I'll win boosts my esteem)

Dumb, but saying the same things over and over in different situations (I don't say one thing at another time- I'm weird like that) gives me focus and gets me through the tough spots.

(ok- after reading what I just wrote- it makes me sound a little weird...) :rolleyes: Good thing you ladies don't know my real identity.

[Starfish]

Tri Girl, I will now make you feel totally normal.

Sometimes when I am on a long climb, I start getting a weird rhythm in my head with the words: I know I can do it...I know I can do it...

The weird part is the rhythm, kind of like the old conga lines in those 1950's musical movies with tropicana themes...like:

da-da, da-da, da...DA!

[Zen]

I don't think what happens in my head is going to help anyone.

I have two people in my head, me and Party Girl.
Party Girl says things like "c'mon, it's hot. lets go get a bag of chips and watch Dr.Phil"

I call her names and tell her to shut up.

[michelem]

These ideas are so cool! I used to play that little game of, "I'll just jog to that next post" or whatever, but that never worked because as soon as I'd get to the pre-ordained spot, I'd poop out. So, now I just tell myself things like finishing this run will improve my follow-through/commitment/persistance/etc. Knowing how good I'll feel that I didn't quit really motivates me to keep going.

[rocknrollgirl]

I spent all winter visualizing last Sunday's race, and I actaully called on that visualization during the race. Coming in on the finish line, I picked it up and said to myself...come on, you have done this finish a million times in training.

I often talk to my bike too, I know, I am a big weirdo, but Bob and Gidget my bikes, they listen.... Come On Gigdet...just help me get up this hill....

Sometimes I hear my DH, who helps me train...Attack, Attack, Attack...or reel 'em in, get up in your big chain ring and reel 'em in....

Sometimes I count down the hard sets and bargin with myself....

hmmmm, I think I need help.....

[Tri Girl]

Tri Girl, I will now make you feel totally normal.

Sometimes when I am on a long climb, I start getting a weird rhythm in my head with the words: I know I can do it...I know I can do it...

The weird part is the rhythm, kind of like the old conga lines in those 1950's musical movies with tropicana themes...like:

da-da, da-da, da...DA!


HILARIOUS!!!! Now I'll have the conga line song in my head. Hey- I just found my newest mantra to add to the gang... :D Never thought of putting them to music before!

[HillSlugger]

I don't think what happens in my head is going to help anyone.

I have two people in my head, me and Party Girl.
Party Girl says things like "c'mon, it's hot. lets go get a bag of chips and watch Dr.Phil"

I call her names and tell her to shut up.

I think you win the award for weird ;)

It doesn't seem to matter if I'm swimming, biking, or running, I'll hear Dory from "Finding Nemo": "Keep swimming, swimming, swimming...Keep swimming, swimming, swimming...". However, on long, bad hills, when I think I can't give it any more, in time with my pedaling: "f*ck, f*ck, f*ck..."

[7rider]

What do yous guys do to encourage yourselves on tough parts of the workout? I need new things to keep me going.

Okay, so I don't do tri's. I can't run to save my life.
But when climbing a hill on my bike, I think of this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHJErrp4eOw&mode=related&search=
And chant "If that don't make your booty move, your booty must be dead!"
(you gotta watch)

[Meg McKilty]

These ideas are so cool! I used to play that little game of, "I'll just jog to that next post" or whatever, but that never worked because as soon as I'd get to the pre-ordained spot, I'd poop out. So, now I just tell myself things like finishing this run will improve my follow-through/commitment/persistance/etc. Knowing how good I'll feel that I didn't quit really motivates me to keep going.

I do this all the time, as far as saying, "I can make it to the lamp post/mailbox/next driveway/fence/whatever" and play on my competitiveness (?) for go-drive. I'm like, "Oh my lungs don't hurt that badly, I can make it to the next [fill in the blank]... oh, you can make it farther than that/this!"

[northstar]

I do some writing and have taken a few writing classes where we are supposed to name our censor (the voice in our head that tells us we suck) and then we fantasize about ways to take the censor out. Like turning them into frogs or dropping pianos on them...ok, I'm weird, but it helps. Perhaps I need to name the voice in my head that shames me for being in worse shape than I'd like to be...and then have fun torturing that being...:p mine shows up mostly on runs (because I'm a beginner) or on hills...

[Meg McKilty]

Double post, +1

I also listen to my iPod and try to stay in step with my 80's music! It's great step-by-step music. Good beats and great tunes.

[Zen]

...when climbing a hill on my bike, I think of this video:


Party Girl says she can groove to some Fat Boy Slim

[Zen]

Oh, and
I think you win the award for weird ;)
....."

Thank you, I graciously accept your award.
I'll put with all the others ;)

[HappyAnika]

So the whole reason I started cycling was to improve my hiking. Little did I know that cycling would soon consume my life and leave very little time for hiking. However, when I'm climbing a hill (on my bike) and I want to stop but the goal is to not stop, I picture myself getting to the top of a mountain, which for me is somehow a huge motivator. I think its because growing up I was a couch potato and had never accomplished any great physical challenge. Hiking was the first thing I could "do". I couldn't play volleyball or tennis, or run, but I could hike to the top of 14,000 + ft. mountains. I have some strange inherent drive to get to the top of a mountain and picturing that helps me keep going on the bike.

Running is different, music is a HUGE motivator for me there. I have a playlist on my ipod of music for running that will keep me going. If I don't/can't have my ipod, I'm really good at "listening" to songs in my head. I also use a mantra here, "Stay strong, you can do this". Finally, I try to look to passers-by like I'm fresh and having a wonderful time. Even if I feel like crap, it helps to pretend I don't. Kind of like how forcing yourself to smile when you're sad is supposed to make you feel better.

[rocknrollgirl]

Running mantra.....
Light and fast, light and fast, light and fast......

[HeatherErin]

Running mantra.....
Light and fast, light and fast, light and fast......

Oooh - I like that.

I'm still so new to all the training that everything sucks (most of the time). When I feel like quitting I'll stop thinking and focus on my body - how the muscles are moving, the air entering my lungs, etc. It helps me realize the benefit of what I'm doing, regardless of how far or how fast I go.

[Starfish]

However, on long, bad hills, when I think I can't give it any more, in time with my pedaling: "f*ck, f*ck, f*ck..."

Oh! Thank you for the real laugh...I literally laughed out loud when I read this.

[Starfish]

Okay, so I don't do tri's. I can't run to save my life.
But when climbing a hill on my bike, I think of this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHJErrp4eOw&mode=related&search=
And chant "If that don't make your booty move, your booty must be dead!"
(you gotta watch)

Thank you for reminding me about this...I also love to watch my TDF DVDs...they really are motivating to me.

[teigyr]

Thank you for reminding me about this...I also love to watch my TDF DVDs...they really are motivating to me.

There have been times that I envision Lance's legs as he was climbing; there were times he made it look so easy but I know it wasn't. That will work for sometimes, especially if I'm running on a hill.

For cycling...when it's really bad the song "Rawhide" starts going through my head. Oddly enough, it is a decent cadence so each "rolling" is a pedal stroke. Mr. Roboto works also but I have to force that one, Rawhide just comes naturally :o

[crumpincommuter]

Mantras definately help- the key is finding the one that's right for you, and sounds like you may be on the way to that discovery.

One thing that helped not only cycling but also the very mental (in more ways than one) game of golf; a book called Mind Gym (by Gary Mack). There's excerpts from premier athletes of almost every sport. I keep a copy in my car and read a few well worn pages before an event (kind of pre-game mental warm up)..

All else fails--- try to old tried and true I THINK I CAN- I THINK I CAN---:D

[Veronica]

I say, "Danilo Di Luca" over and over in my head.

http://eur.news1.yimg.com/eur.i1.yimg.com/eur.yimg.com/ng/sp/ap_photo/20070524/all/l2551513.jpg


V.

[tangentgirl]

During my last race, some lovely drunken frat boys were teasing the bike riders, offering them delicious Sam Adams. Alas, I was only at mile four and had to politely decline, postponing it for later.

The thought of that nice cold Sammy kept me going for the whole race. Yes, even during the hot, hilly run, I kept thinking, the faster I go, the sooner I get my beer. Mmmm.

[HillSlugger]

Originally Posted by MDHillSlug View Post
However, on long, bad hills, when I think I can't give it any more, in time with my pedaling: "f*ck, f*ck, f*ck..."
Oh! Thank you for the real laugh...I literally laughed out loud when I read this.

I forgot to say that before I get to that point my mantra usually is "push it, push it, push it!"

[Starfish]

I forgot to say that before I get to that point my mantra usually is "push it, push it, push it!"

Sorry, MDHillSlug, the above might be a little higher-minded, but the next time I am hauling myself up some hill, it is going to be your other mantra that cracks me up and keeps me going! :p

[Meg McKilty]

I thought of something else important that I think of whenever I am struggling to make it through the workout: hot movie people.

I think of Blue Crush and Kate Bosworth's body.
I think of Charlie's Angels and how Drew Barrymore and I have curves alike.

[eclectic]

whenever I am sucking air going up a hill and my legs feel ready to give out I just tell myself - "you are not in abject, crushing pain in the throes of death, all you are really feeling is a little discomfort - in the entire scope of your life this is only a measley 5 minutes (10, 20, 1/2 hour - whatever) Suck it up and get tough.

Once I put my discomfort into perspective it lessens considerably. (and then I say "why the H$!! do I do this :D

[VeloVT]

hmmm... running & biking are totally different in this respect for me. Biking, I just go into a kind of zen flow where I focus on pushing my cadence and keeping my breathing deep but under control, and upshifting as soon as I can. No room for commentary. Running (which is actually easier/more natural for me & I started doing first), paradoxically, I have all sorts of tricks for. Going up a really steep hill (8+% grade), I'll tell myself, "think how hard this would be if you were on a bike -- think how hard you would be breathing/how your quads would burn" because actually those really steep climbs ARE tougher on a bike. On more moderate hills, (ok I'm about to embarrass myself) sometimes I think the lyrics to, well, I'm not sure if this is one song or two songs actually, (Frank Sinatra lyrics, "let's take it nice and easy" and "all the way", and I imagine that crooning voice) cause my problem running is more that I lack the discipline to hold back than it is that I have trouble motivating myself. I also establish benchmarks -- "once I get to x landmark, I'll only have 2.5 miles left -- that's almost home" or "ok, now LESS than 2 miles to go" -- this is very effective for me. I use it to cheerlead my bf (who runs only for practical reasons, not because he likes it) when we run together and it seems to help him too. I also sometimes focus on trying to pick up my turnover rate (basically, cadence for running), this keeps me going too... Sometimes on long, cold, early morning runs (marathon training in the winter), I think about the delicious cup of strong, hot, sweet imported British tea with milk and sweetener I'm going to have when I get back :)... Sometimes when I'm easing back into running after a layoff, or upping my mileage significantly, times when runs can be more tiring, I'll tell myself, especially in the first few miles, "this isn't about speed, it's about endurance, it doesn't matter how fast you go, just that you put the miles in" and in those cases, sometimes I"ll just leave the watch at home, since I know it will create pressure when the most important thing is just to put one foot in front of the other.

The watch can be a big motivator too, though...

[wildstreaktn]

TriGirl,
I am doing my first tri next week,I don't think I am going to drown anymore,I love the cycling,it is my true passion,and I suck at running.My mantra for running is "Pain is temporary,quitting is forever" and for some reason the tag line from the Power Station's version of "Bang a Gong" gets me thru the flats and imagining my legs as the pistons in a car engine helps on the hills.I hope this helps you:)

[Meg McKilty]

Okay, so I don't do tri's. I can't run to save my life.
But when climbing a hill on my bike, I think of this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHJErrp4eOw&mode=related&search=
And chant "If that don't make your booty move, your booty must be dead!"
(you gotta watch)

I downloaded this song. It's Fatboy Slim's "Acid 8000".

[Wahine]

I think you win the award for weird ;)

It doesn't seem to matter if I'm swimming, biking, or running, I'll hear Dory from "Finding Nemo": "Keep swimming, swimming, swimming...Keep swimming, swimming, swimming...". However, on long, bad hills, when I think I can't give it any more, in time with my pedaling: "f*ck, f*ck, f*ck..."

I do Dora too when I'm riding, "Just keep swimming" has a nice rhythm and helps my cadence especially in head winds. I'll be adding your other mantra as well.

Running, I always think of a Heather Fuhr passing Paula Newby-Fraser at IM Kona 1997. No one thought she could win and she rocked that race. In the IM broadcast they played the song "Bittersweet Shymphony" by The Verve while you watched Heather overtake Paula. So, often I get that song in my head and go over it again and again while I run. I wish I could find a link to the actual IM footage, but I can't. Here's the video for the song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLZ2aQz8KVE

I'm going running tomorrow!!

[Meg McKilty]

Too bad The Verve ripped off a song the band broke up due to bankruptacy and lawsuits from royalty rights.

[quint41]

Regina! GREAT VIDEO!!! I rode a hilly route this morning and did my usual stare at the pavement right in front of my bike, not up ahead, in denial that I have much farther to climb, and silently swear the whole time.

Next time: "If that don't make your booty move ...."

THANKS!

[rocknrollgirl]

During my brick workout...a painful run....

She's a brick...house....she's mighty, mighty, just lettin' all hang out....

[Tri Girl]

TriGirl,
I am doing my first tri next week,I don't think I am going to drown anymore,I love the cycling,it is my true passion,and I suck at running.My mantra for running is "Pain is temporary,quitting is forever" and for some reason the tag line from the Power Station's version of "Bang a Gong" gets me thru the flats and imagining my legs as the pistons in a car engine helps on the hills.I hope this helps you:)

That's awesome! I'll have to try the Bang a Gong song next week at my first tri of the season. May be kinda fun!!!

I also love Brick House- nice one's ladies. I'll have to put those in the rotation!

[Starfish]

Does anyone here watch Bear on the Discovery Channel? That show...Man vs. Wild?

Sometimes it is fun to think about him and his survival exploits (and fabulous face & other attributes ;) ) if I think I'm suffering. He so totally epitomizes the British understatement that it cracks me up. "We've just come upon this group of white rhinos...we'll want to be a bit careful here..." I start thinking along the lines of, "Well, a slight bit of hill here, but not to worry."