We’re in the midst of peak racing season. What better time to talk about strategies for those late, hopefully really late miles when the wheels feel like they’re about to come off? Wait, let’s hope it never gets that hard. But who am I kidding? Sometimes it does. Confession: I may have written this for selfish purposes. As a pep-talk to myself.
Relax. Easier said than done, I know. Open your fists, relax your arms. Get your shoulders out of your ears and allow tension to release down your back as you run. Many runners complain of upper body soreness post-race and it’s because they hold so much tension there.
Distract yourself. Embrace the scenic course. The spectators and their signs. Chat with other runners. Moral support on the course is worth its weight in gold.
Breathe deep. Sometimes just a couple of slow, deep breaths will help your heart rate get under control.
Speed up. Sound counter-intuitive? When you’re really hurting pick it up for a bit. It’ll help you correct bad, tired form. When you settle back to your “easy” pace it’ll feel “easier”. It’s all relative.
Stop slouching. Slouching puts pressure on your diaphragm limiting how deeply you can breath. Plus it looks really nasty in race photos, so catch yourself and straighten up.
Do a body part check. Start with your feet: Are they feeling ok? Yes? Then how about your ankles? Shins? Knees? Work your way up and assess where the agony is coming from. OR is it just in your head? Then tell yourself you are stronger than whatever pain. Note: We’re not talking about running through serious injury here.
Assess your fuel situation. Are you staying on schedule? Did you get behind the 8-ball? Is your tummy sloshy from over-consumption?
Use positive self-talk. You’re enough. More than enough. You’ve got this. Believe it. Pull out those mantras. Be grateful you can even do this.
Reflect on your “why”. What motivated you to do this in the first place? Are you running for someone? Is this a bucket list race? Remember all the work you put in. That was the hard part. This is your celebration. Savor it.
Visualize. See your strong finish, your recovery meal, reuniting with friends and family. Think about how great you’ll feel with that medal around your neck. Bragging rights are forever.
How do you stay strong in the final miles of a race?
I must admit that it can be a struggle all the way to the finish when you things aren’t going as well as you had hoped for. I just keep reminding myself that I have covered the distance and to take it one step at a time even if that means walking. My body has shut down just feet away from the finish line before, but I took a few minutes to pull myself back together so that I could step across the finish line.
Such a great post Marcia 🙂
I think having those mantra’s ready is a must. Visualizing a strong finish is also another must!
Changing my focus to deep breathing has helped me several times…I try to pull in hard through my nose and slowly exhale, till I feel calm.
Thanks for the timely advice. I hope that I don’t need this next Sunday during my half but I probably will.
GL in your marathon.
The first 20 miles is the warm-up for the last handful of miles. In the last 6.2 I always think “this is what you’re paying for – the last 6.2”. There will likely be only couple of dozen times in my life when I will be in this part of a race so I need to stare it down and savor it at the same time.
These are great tips and I may just need to tatoo them on my arm!
Good tips. I try to break it up into smaller sections to help cope with the pain. In my last tri with a long uphill run I kept saying “just make it to the water station,” okay, now make it to that group of kids giving high 5s,” okay now just around the bend.” It seems much less overwhelming that way. I’m not always successful, though. I can look at my Heart Rate file from some races and pinpoint the exact moment I gave up and eased off the gas.
When I read the title of this post I wondered if you’d written it for yourself as much as your readers. They’re great tips. But I hope you don’t have to use many of them.
I know it is all in my head! I go thru that list too: does your feet hurt, do your knees hurt, does your ankles hurt? Nope, nope, nope- keep moving! this is why I love those people that come to the races and blow horns and wave signs, they are such a fun distraction and very much appreciated by me!
Doing a posture check does really help me at the end of a long run too. Visualizing the finish is great too!
This is great! I have done these very things during a race, and they really do help! I do get really tense in my upper body so I have to keep an eye on that. Hope you motivated yourself sufficiently!!
Great post Marcia! All good tips – especially visualizing your finish. It really does help!
How I stay strong in the final miles? Have talks with God! (seriously) :)Thank you for sharing this, Marcia! I am preparing for my 20 mile training run this weekend and this was right on time.
This is great! It’s so important to keep these things in mind during a race! Relaxing is easier said than done:)
Personally, I feel as tho you wrote this for me! After that awesome advice you gave me this week, things really turned around!
One thing…you mentioned unclenching your fists. When i took piano as a child, my teacher told me to play as if I had an egg in each hand. Nice and loose. I use that advice when I run. So great to keep the hands loose.
Good luck this weekend! I’m cheering you on!
I seriously just try to get in a ZONE. Or make small goals for myself. Make it another 1/2 mile, make it to that tree, make it 3 more steps… When shit is actually REALLY tough there is nothing I can do but just DECIDE to keep going. I have to seriously make the decision to not stop. I’m doing this, there isn’t another option.
Positive self-talk is my go-to when it comes to tough miles! I will sometimes yell in my mind like “YOU GOT THIS GIRL!!!!!!!!” haha it can get a little intense in there, but it works 😉
Best of luck to you at your race!
Great tips, as always! What works for me is to enjoy (and run) the mile I am in… and to trust the training. 🙂
I try to keep my focus on getting to the finish line by putting one foot in front of the other. I also remind myself that if I were to give up that I’d be extremely disappointed in myself.
The last part can be so tough. This is some great advice thank you!
Love this! I never thought about doing a body check or speeding up when you start to feel sluggish – those are great tips!
It’s a great idea to have this list as a self pep talk 🙂 And they’re great points!
The struggle is real. Visualize that finish and imagine the feeling. Together they work wonders.
Great tips! Perfect timing for Brooklyn RnR on Saturday!