3 Power Words to Get You Through the Run
I don’t drink often but when a New Year comes to town it’s time to pop the champagne, don’t you think? Also, this was a total surprise, my newsfeed had this in it from BeautyBuzz411: Fit, Forty and Family with American Grit’s Lisa Traugott
But I digress.
New Year’s Day was a long run day. It was a gorgeous Texas afternoon- blue sky, 70 degrees and sunshine. I was supposed to meet a friend at 10 a.m., but since the night before was New Year’s Eve, 10 a.m. was so not going to happen.
Around 2pm I made it to the park. The first part of my run was going really well, my pace was faster than the previous week and I was feeling good. The hill drill I had done earlier in the week with my kids and new friend Teri was paying off!
Then at mile 3…a leg cramp from hell attached itself to my left calf. Darn it! Part of me wanted to call it a day, but then I considered that in less than 2 months I would need to run 13.1 miles, and what happened if I got a leg cramp during the Austin Marathon? I had to suck it up and deal.
If I could have lifted my leg I would have kicked myself, because this was partially due to dehydration (hello Champagne). So I drank some water, walked for a few minutes and did some calf stretches.
And then it was time to stare down another 4 miles. In the Marathon, You Can Do It! book that I’m following by Jeff Galloway he said that when you feel tired or that you can’t run another step it’s time to dig deeper and use 3 power words:
- Relax
- Power
- Glide
Each word became a mantra for me. Mile 4 I kept repeating “Relax” and I realized that I was holding a lot of tension in my shoulders and focused on loosing them up by shaking out my hands and rolling my shoulders. Saying “Relax” had a calming effect on me. That word helped a lot.
Mile 5 was getting tough, so out came the word “Power” and an interesting thing happened: I ran faster. My leg still hurt but that didn’t seem to matter as much for some reason.
When I was on “American Grit” my teammate Clare went on to eventually win the competition. While we were running through the forest carrying a log I began to pant and she said to me, “Don’t make girly sounds, grunt. Show your power!” So I connect the word “Power” to her and in my mind I saw her running next to me.
Maybe you could use this too. Who is the strongest, most powerful friend you have? Picture them encouraging you as you run and you will feel more powerful as well.
Mile 6 seemed easier since I knew I was almost done. I said “Glide” and I was able to then focus on keeping my feet straight and knees facing forward as I ran. This is particularly important for me since my right knee tends to twist inward when I get tired, causing all sorts of hip and knee pain. But when you glide you’re like a swam across a lake and not a contortionist, right?
So the next time you run (or do a tough workout) and feel like quitting but won’t allow yourself to, pull out the 3 words: Relax, Power and Glide and let them help get you through it!
Final thoughts…
I’m running (and blogging) to raise money for Johnny James Follis’s medical expenses. Click here to: DONATE NOW
Any gift is greatly appreciated by JJ and his family. Thank you!!
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Lisa 🙂
If you’re serious about getting healthy, but need help getting started, try my S.L.I. Method on my website ShesLosingIt.com. Only YOU can do the work, but I can give you the tools that I’ve learned over the past four years about nutrition, exercise and overcoming excuses.
Lisa Traugott is a Mom’s Choice Award winning writer, fitness blogger, wife and mom of two….and Original Cast Member of AMERICAN GRIT, starring John Cena, on FOX!!!
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