I think it is fairly obvious the amount of physical toughness that is required to run a marathon, but over the past few weeks, I’ve been thinking about the mental preparation and strength required to run for 26.2 straight miles.
Mental Toughness Is…
Making plans and schedules for training runs and then rearranging your life around them.
Going to bed before the party is over.
Drinking so much water that you are up numerous times in the night to pee.
Running with a sinus infection.
Early morning wake ups.
Boring dinners with good protein/carb ratios (when your boyfriend always wants to order pizza).
Sore legs every time you squat down at work.
Returning to a run after a set back.
Passing on all of the amazing fall brews coming out.
Remembering the end goal.
Recovering from disappointing performances.
Going to work with wet hair.
Missing fun times and adventures with your friends.
Wearing compression socks with shorts to the grocery store.
Having your weekends booked until mid October.
Running 20 miles and then driving down to St. Louis for a girls weekend. I leave in 1 hour!
For me, this is all practice. Because mental toughness begins at mile 21. And if you want to know what motivates me at that point, you can read all about it in this post.
Although that doesn’t mean that this morning’s 20 miler was a breeze. Luckily, I had my trusty side kick and support vehicle (aka Mom on a bike) to wind her way up north with me for 10 miles and then back again.
I had one mishap with my Garmin in which I forgot to turn it back on and then stopped it but it was back on and missed about .80 miles of my run. My mom’s bike computer was able to come through for us, but I don’t have a time for this morning’s run. Which is okay because I had no time goal. This is my first 20 miler and for the my second one, I am planning to push the pace some more. For this morning, I just wanted to finish, which I did, and then enjoyed a homemade smoothie with my Mom.
Where do you find mental toughness??
Weekly Running Update
I was rewarded this week for my early AM wake up calls with beautiful running weather and strong runs!
Monday-5 miles
Tuesday-8 miles
Thursday-5 miles pace run
Friday-20 miles
Total Weekly Mileage: 38 miles
Race Day Countdown: 36 days!
Luv What You Do 
Yes!!!! Mental toughness is half the battle. Nice job on your 20 this morning!! I’ve been working on my mental toughness and Chicago is going to be the true test!! 🙂
For sure! The weather makes such a difference so I am crossing my fingers for beautiful, cool, fall weather! But you NEVER know. Hope your 20 and 22 are coming along well!
Wow- awesome work on the 20 miler before heading out of town! I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again- I love that your mom rides along with you!
Mental toughness is ALL of the above for sure! Mine includes climbing the stairs on sore legs at work but refusing to take the elevator!
LOL! That is so true! it’s like when I squat to the floor at work and then can’t get back up and the kids are off running away and I can’t catch up : ) My mom is the greatest and I am SUPER lucky!
For me running is so much more mental than physical. I know I can push my physical body far, but my mind is what tries to talk to me out of it! Amazing job on your 20miler!! I love this post.
Thanks Brittany! This post has been many runs in the making. Since I don’t listen to music, now ya’ll know what I think about during my runs!
Your mom is awesome to ride with you. Love that!! Great job on the 20 miles. That is amazing, especially without any music or distraction!
Thanks! She is incredible and it’s always a great time for us to catch up on life : )
You must have the physical ability to train for an endurance event, but if you don’t have the mental toughness and mindset, it’s way harder to get through. Great post! Love that your mom bikes with you! Congrats on the 20-miler!
So true! Do you do any mental prep before the IM? I would think that you’d have to because that is one tough challenge!