I Had a Mantra... Once

I read some fantastic book about some magical training program before I started training for my first full marathon. Ok Ok I read like a dozen books with magical programs. I didn't FOLLOW these programs, I just wanted to read lots of people say that I could get to the finish line. And they all said that using all kinds of pretty words. YEAH!

One of the books I read had a lot to say about the mental game. Which was an interesting concept. My main concern was just not dying. And also finishing. I wanted to do that. I thought that getting to the finish line just meant that I had to make my body learn to move forward, don't die, and repeat. It didn't even cross my mind that my brain would have to function the whole time. Ugh.

So this magical book says I have to come up with a repetitive phrases (a mantra if you will) to repeat over and over and over and over in my head. And that will help magically knock this thing out. Well, I do have OCD so I'm a girl that knows how to be repetitive (did I lock the door? did I lock the door? did I lock the door? did I lock the door? Screw it I'll just drive back and check). So the first thing I did before I took my first leap into marathon training was pick a mantra. And now I will share it with you....................

I love to run. This is fun.


Genius right!?!?! Oh my good lord. My mantra, that I would repeat over and over in my head was just a reminder that this is something I like to do. Total lame. I repeated those stupid words in my head a trillion times through training and race day and I have no idea if it helped me at all. But it was the ONLY thing in all the prerace books I read that I felt like I could do well. You know, I can't run well, but I can repeat words in my head. I don't know what Fartlek means, but I can repeat words in my head.

So, do I still use this mantra? No. I think of all kinds of other dumb stuff to fill up my head. But if I had to pick a new mantra today, what would it be? I dunno, maybe...

Cookies at the finish line. Cookies at the finish line.

Mmmm.... cookies.