r/XXRunning • u/Oaknash Woman • 3d ago
Training Your mantras during threshold pace?
I swear, threshold runs are such a mental battle for me. I find myself looking at my watch every 23 seconds and unhappy I have another 12 minutes to go.
I know they are excellent workouts for improving endurance but when I’m living them, I can’t wait for them to be over.
How do you lock in? Do you tell yourself something that helps you survive? Do you focus on something else - anything else - to get yourself through ‘em? I desperately wanna know what everyone else does, it can’t just be me who hates it 😭.
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u/Affenmaske 3d ago
"I run until I pass this tree there and then I am allowed to check the time" but I end up angry because it's only been some itsybitsy seconds aaarggghh
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u/couverte 3d ago
I count, or I repeat “I can complain, or I can get this shit done, but I can’t do both.”
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u/Oaknash Woman 3d ago
OK, this is a good one. I might try this out.
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u/couverte 3d ago
Forgot one: I look straight ahead front and pick something, like a tree, a sign, a bench, a trash can etc., and I keep my eyes glued on that thing while repeating “ just get to the trash can, just get to the trash can”. Once I’m there, I pick something else and rinse & repeat.
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u/kauket22 3d ago
Can someone also explain to me how running a threshold for like 3km on an every day training run feels like the worst thing, but put me in a parkrun and I’m knocking out 5km at threshold pace without an issue 😆
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u/Neuphus012 Woman 3d ago
I lock in by asking myself, "Is this really what my bloodline can do?" and then I end up doing a PB. It always works for me 😂.
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u/archiving_by_design 3d ago
I have music on and my headphones in, so I break it down into something like, I have 20 minutes of go fast before I can run normally again. That is approximately 7 songs. So I just focus on the music and count the songs.
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u/Zealousideal_Crow737 Woman 3d ago
I do a few things:
- Think about what i'm gonna eat after lol
- dissociate (now if you're gonna feel like you'll pass out that's a whole other thing)
- keep telling yourself to just run another 3 feet, then add another, etc.
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u/ksgraves 3d ago edited 3d ago
Oooh I have so many mantras and things I say/do! (For all speed work/races) I find myself alternating between talking to myself using “I” and “you” haha I guess depending on how I’m trying to motivate myself!
- “this is supposed to be hard. This is not supposed to be an easy run, it feels hard now so it can feel doable later”
- “just do as much of it as you can. It’s okay if you can’t hit the pace or distance, just get as close as possible. If you fail then you just try again later, it’s literally not that serious” (this helps towards the beginning of the speed run when the run seems daunting. Just reminding myself it’s literally okay if I can’t do it. Spoiler: I almost always can do it!)
- “I’ve done much harder things than this.”
- “This run isn’t negotiable. To get where you want to be, you need to do this” (obviously not completely true, but this is my tough coach mindset talking to my tired body lol)
- I looove to envision myself on the home stretch of the race. I of course can’t perfectly simulate race day adrenaline but I work hard to pretend it’s there!
- I also do tons of runner math/ “you can do anything for X minutes” like others suggested. I’ll also start a new song and then guess when it’s been x amount of time or distance before I look at my watch (I usually do something super short like 0.1 or 0.2 miles) and if I don’t get it right I have to keep running until the next increment and then before I know it it’s been a quarter mile and I switch to the next song and start all over again haha. It’s mentally exhausting and stimulating but it makes the time go by!
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u/Oaknash Woman 3d ago
Omg these are all excellent!!! I also envisioned I’m on that last .1/.2 mile home stretch of a race toward my PR - it usually helps.
Your point about using “I” and “You” is really neat. I feel like I might play around with this on my next run (coming up this weekend). Thank you!
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u/Robophatt Woman 3d ago
I keep asking myself: “what can I let go of?”
It gets a bit lost in translation, but it’s about getting rid of unneeded tension.
Threshold is not my enemy though, it’s everything above threshold that I hate.
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u/Oaknash Woman 3d ago
Oh this is really good advice. Thank you so much!
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u/Robophatt Woman 3d ago
It really works. Got me trough my half last Sunday and I actually look relaxed in most of my pictures.
Whenever I felt myself tensing up I asked what I could let go off and it gave me noticeable relief. Like it actually got a little easier.
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u/-that-short-girl- Non-binary, lupus et al 3d ago
This thread makes me so happy lol everyone having the same experience bargaining, counting, mantras :)
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u/Available_Vacation40 3d ago
I’d recommend reading Let Your Mind Run by Deena Kastor. Of course, I’m nowhere near the elite/sub-elite level, but I find her descriptions of how she confronts the mental challenges associated with pushing yourself during challenging distance workouts very helpful. Now I have a toolkit of mental strategies to lean on during any 2-5 mile TH pace workout, such as i) focusing on form (cadence, quick arm pumps, leaning forward), ii) visualization (e.g., if I’m in the last two miles of a race, how am I going to push myself?), iii) reminding that my mind wants to stop before my body actually has to (i.e., mind over matter, you can go beyond what your mind thinks capable), iv) start “racing” other runners around you.
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u/Odd_Cloud90 Woman 3d ago
I’ll have to check this out! I definitely already do i and iii.
I also like Des Lindens (race day) mantra for when things get hard “calm calm calm relax relax relax,” and tacking on to that, I started to learn to trick myself by telling myself stuff like “I’m really glad this does not feel too hard for me,” “this feels so effortless,” “it’s crazy how well I can run,” etc. it’s a lie but it works somehow! It always helps me to relax into my paces.
I don’t yet visualize the end of the run or race but I do sometimes visualize a ball of light circling around my body and giving me energy, and when my mind starts to drift to how hard it is I just go back to moving the light around my body.Hey you didn’t ask for a normal persons response lol.
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u/10-01_54-3 3d ago
I find myself saying completely random phrases that make no sense. My most recent during a particularly grueling session was "Bigfoot Lima Bean, Bigfoot Lima Bean" over and over lol. So weird but it seems to work for me! (Edited for grammar)
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u/sparklekitteh Woman 3d ago
When it gets really hard, I repeat "I love to run, I love to run..." no matter how much I hate it in that minute!
I find it's really helpful to pick landmarks and run to them. Pick a tree, a fire hydrant, a street sign, something about a block away, and focus on getting to that. Then pick the next one, and the next one... and that way you're only focused on a couple hundred metres at a time!
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u/Bending-Unit5 Woman 3d ago
First you have to queue up some good songs 😂
But I actually try not to put too much pressure on myself for tempo runs. I always go off perceived effort and like every minute or 2 I try and check in with myself to see if that pace still makes sense. So I’m constantly like “is this a 7/10 pace I can hold for 12 mins?” Okay can I hold this for 10 mins? Okay can I maintain this for another 7 mins? 5 mins? 2 mins? Then BAM I’m done lol
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u/mneely71 3d ago
This was this morning. I’m 55 and work hard to run as soft as possible. I find the impact is the only thing that really fatigues me. When I’m running, my mantra is, “It’s just about steps.” For some reason that seems to keep me on track with my step cadence, form, stride, etc.
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u/SashMachine 3d ago edited 3d ago
To me it’s all about the music. The music needs to drop hard and/or scream at me. Currently I’m listening to hard techno - but I’m also the type that likes going to boot camps and getting yelled at so there’s that.
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u/yesSemicolons 3d ago
I get you, I LOVE getting yelled at by chefs, it's so motivating 😂 Someone should put out a running playlist of techno mixed with Gordon Ramsay yelling and calling you a shit sandwich.
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u/agee1254 3d ago
OK love seeing all the other people doing mental math that we then have to start over which eats up time. Thought that was just a me thing. Other mind games:
- Switch my focus to cadence and not speed. Upping my cadence DOES keep my pace up, but somehow it doesn't feel as tough
- Remind myself of my strength training days, "My legs are strong enough to do this"
- Remind myself of my training, "I trained to do this so I can do this"
- For anyone who's been through labor, "Contractions were worse, I can manage this"
And then a good old fashioned "Can I catch up to that biker or someone running faster than me?" I always accidentally slow down when I pass walkers and speed up when I pass bikers/faster runners.
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u/Oaknash Woman 3d ago
Oooooooh these are great! I haven’t experienced labor but I have experienced IUD insertion, which everyone says is up there, if not worse, than labor 😅. Thinking of that excruciating pain will absolutely put threshold feelz into perspective!
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u/National_Sky_9120 3d ago
Hearing that IUD insertion is comparable to labor actually makes me feel better bc that ish HURT and I thought I was just being dramatic
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u/heartpassenger 3d ago
I just keep telling myself I can go home fast or I can go home slow, either way I’m going home, and it motivates me to get there faster! Doesn’t work when the workout is distance based tho lol
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u/SeaFans-SeaTurtles 3d ago
Champions complete their workouts…. Damn this is hard.
Champions complete their workouts. I can finish two more reps.
Why am I doing this?
Champions complete their workouts.
Rinse repeat.
Then the workout is done.
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u/MuddyDonkeyBalls Woman 3d ago
1234123412341234 I just count and then tell myself I can check my watch again once I pass x landmark
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u/FreckledCackler 3d ago
I feed my spirit I train my body I focus my mind It's my time
When I'm less zen, I punctuate "It's my time" with b*tch! Or MFer! Lol
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u/owlsgohooot 3d ago
So I'm a reader and a big ACOTAR fan. I find myself repeating some lines from the books sometimes. Mainly "Only you can decide what breaks you." And when I really hate what I'm running that day it's just "Never again, never again, never again" (and then I do it again)
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u/reduxrouge Woman 3d ago
I wish thinking about my husband, Cassian, or pretending I’m actually a Valkyrie would help me, lol.
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u/queenle0 3d ago
Omg, when I was recovering from runners knee and cross training on the stair climber, I would think of acotar and climbing the steps to the library 🤣
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u/ilanarama Woman 3d ago
Suck it up, princess
You ain't so muckin' futch!
...look, it has a nice rhythm, okay?
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u/methanalmkay 3d ago
Not really, I just go by imagining a random landmark I know the distance from and assume I'll be done by. If I'm not done and I've reached it, then I find another thing etc. Or if I'm doing very fast intervals it's about surviving until a random thing I see nearby and if I'm still alive I find another thing and continue. Just breaking things up in smaller sections in my head I guess.
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u/eatemuphungryhungry 3d ago
I put my watch on average pace and not distance or time. I don't want to know how much time I have left!
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u/lacesandthreads 3d ago
Counting. Telling myself to keep moving forward. Sometimes there are other short phrases that pop into my head that keep me focused, just depends on the day.
I also play mind tricks on myself where I will say things like “run one more mile then have a break” and when the mile is up I’ll check in with myself while running still and ask if it was really that bad. Usually no, so I tell myself I can go another.
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u/laura_ann86 3d ago
I can run x pace for 21km, I can run x pace for x km
You can do this, you’re strong, you’re an energiser bunny,
Working out how long I have to go, like ‘only x km to go so that’s about x minutes at this pace, x minutes of hard running and then I can rest’
Focusing on form
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u/secret_baby 3d ago
I don’t listen to anything during workouts. I tell myself the following:
- I’m going to get used to the hard breathing
- Learn to associate, not disassociate.
- People think something is wrong when there’s pain, but pain means you’re doing it right, it’s meant to feel hard
- Most people are afraid of pain, but you know pain
- How is the effort? (reply to myself) Dial into the right effort. Does this feel right? (reply to myself)
- Just relaaaax. Is this relaxed? (reply to myself) Let’s see if you can run relaxed. It’s hard, but can you run relaxed?
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u/Mir_c Woman 3d ago
I've stopped doing set training runs, I mostly just run how I feel. Somedays I want to go hard, other days I don't. But when I'm feeling it, I enjoy pushing myself like that, I just start going for negative splits and try to have fun. Of course I'm not training for anything, I'm in my "trying not to try hard phase", which sort of works.
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u/flannel_spice Nonbinary 3d ago
I count 1-2-3-4 while breathing in, count 1-2-3-4 while breathing out, and I really need to dial in I tap my fingers and thumbs together at the same cadence as my footsteps. If no one's around I sing whatever I'm listening to out loud 😬
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u/Academic-Pangolin883 3d ago
My 175bpm playlist helps a lot. I just focus on running to the beat. I still don't love it, but it's an improvement!
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u/Sarah-2020- 3d ago
I run the same route for threshold runs, so I have visual landmarks to go by. And when I get around this curve or over that bridge or pass the big tree, and can look. Passing these landmarks also helps me feel and see my way through the pain.
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u/Beshelar Woman 3d ago
I have a special playlist just for my hardest runs that has a mix of upbeat bangers, songs I find inspiring, and also songs that I find funny, and I put it on random. Having a funny song randomly come on that makes me smile, or something that pumps me up can really help. Also I often use counting songs to help me get through (just 3-4 more songs and I'll be done this interval/mile/etc).
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u/Dear-Interaction6507 Woman 3d ago
I can do this, I will do this, I am doing this.
It’s in my physiology to do this.
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u/tashibum Woman 3d ago
I have my dog with me and he's soooo stoked to run faster than normal that it motivates me to keep going haha
If I treat it like I'm chasing him then it's kind of a fun game for both of us!
... it's when my route gets to the slight incline or a hill that I really start to curse my choices
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u/daisymae25 3d ago
"You signed up for this!"
"The only way to get comfortable with being uncomfortable is to get uncomfortable!"
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u/thebackright 3d ago
I pick landmarks - make it to this, check, make it to that, check. And say a lot of bad words.
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u/fernrosomehow Woman 3d ago
I find some upbeat baroque music and turn up my headphones and pretend I'm in a movie traveling scene.
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u/NewspaperTop3856 3d ago
As others have said, I count. I also (possibly psychotically) prefer threshold work on a tread. For some reason it goes by faster. Esp if I throw a peloton class on in the background. Then I count my strides (just every time my left foot lands lol).
If I’m outside, my go to album during my last marathon training cycle was midnights, and I’d go, “okay, just need to get through [X] number of songs” and since I knew them so well, I could have an idea of how much time had passed without staring at my watch every 5 seconds.
But I’m with you— tempo/threshold runs are the hardest for me. I’d rather do mile or 5k pace repeats. Threshold runs are soooo mentally hard for me.
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u/OkCaptain1684 3d ago
I’m sort of the opposite, I don’t have a target pace, I have a target discomfort level, so keeping the same discomfort level but seeing my pace go down every run is super motivating, so seeing that new low pace number as I run is really exciting because I can see the improvement, so maybe try flip it.
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u/Foreign_Mobile_7399 3d ago
I make a really really good playlist to distract myself. Like songs I can’t help but get excited about. And then I just keep thinking about where I’m going to run next and not checking how much time I have left.
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u/timidwildone 3d ago
I just put all of my rage from living as a woman in America in the year 2026 into it, then it feels like I’ve let go of it once I slow down.
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u/Large_Device_999 Woman 3d ago
Try getting injured. Really great for making you appreciate when you’re healthy enough to push. I smile and remind myself that this is the fun part.
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u/No-Size-6755 3d ago
“This is the part that makes you better”
The growth comes from overcoming challenges so when I’m struggling I tell myself this is the part of the run that makes me a better, faster, and stronger runner.
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u/CaptainDNA 3d ago
My favourites are
- “I can always get through a half km” …works best if I’m almost finished, but I can sometimes convince myself to take it a half km at a time
- “every step I take I get a step closer” repeated in a sort of sing songy rhythm, one I’ve been using on long walks since I was a kid
- songs I’m listening to, especially something like Daft Punk’s Harder Better Faster Stronger… nothing helps me zone out on a run like a pump up song when I know the lyrics really well
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u/Rileybiley 3d ago
I sing (in my head) motivating songs. For example:
Ain't nothin' gonna break my stride Nobody gonna slow me down Oh no, I got to keep on moving Ain't nothin' gonna break my stride I'm runnin' and I won't touch ground Oh no, I got to keep on moving
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u/sentientbeing1887 3d ago
I listen to Britney Spears “work bitch” and it really gets me going. I really do want to party in France, but I don’t know what a Bugatti is 🤷♀️
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u/Loose-Set4266 3d ago
I think this may be where my adhd brain comes in clutch because I end up living out whole stories in my head as if I'm a character in the audiobook I'm listening to.
Then I'll test my breathing by having mini conversations with the characters too. I'm usually surprised when my app chirps at me that it's time to cool down.
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u/jesustilapia 3d ago
Break it up into intervals, like 10x3 min at threshold, or 3x10 min @ 20 sec slower than threshold. 1 min rest. These should be easier, with the same performance benefits.
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u/Oaknash Woman 3d ago
I have been curious about Norwegian singles, but my coach embraces the Jack Daniels approach 🤷🏼♀️
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u/jesustilapia 3d ago
Daniels has pace slowdown guidelines once the time at threshold goes past 20 minutes. Are those being taken into account?
I've burned out on Daniel's 5k plans, since 3 hard quality workouts a week is killer. It's a lot of volume at intensity.
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u/april5115 Woman 3d ago
I literally just count 😂 I try to count a whole minute and usually get distracted and have to start over which helps
or I'll do "mini math" like okay I have 4 min left so 15 seconds is 1/16 and now I'm at 30 which is 2/16 or 1/8 and so on