Steven Kempton

Ground yourself in reality.

If you're psyching yourself up for a workout or event, you want to swap vague affirmations for fact-based statements, says Fader. Think: "I've made it through this workout before" or "I've run fast despite feeling tired in the past". "These statements don't assume you're necessarily going to have

“Running is real and relatively simple… but it ain’t easy.”

Mark Will-Weber

Connect to your why.

We are much more willing to tolerate discomfort when we know that doing so is tied to a meaningful purpose or long-term goal. As you warm up, bring to mind the big goal you are currently working on (maybe that sub-4 marathon) and why that goal is meaningful to you. Be specific. Doing this as you ease into the run will set the st

“Winning has nothing to do with racing. Most days don’t have races anyway. Winning is about struggle and effort and optimism, and never, ever, ever giving up.”

Amby Burfoot

“Your body will argue that there is no justifiable reason to continue. Your only recourse is to call on your spirit, which fortunately functions independently of logic.”

Tim Noakes

runners run too hard. We log the majority of our miles at moderate- and high-intensity speeds, barely deigning to hit the low-intensity paces that are so essential to building an aerobic base. Yes, running slow takes longer. Yes, you may not feel quite as accomplished postrun. But go too hard too often and instead of seeing performance benefits, yo

Seiler’s rule also helps runners by explicitly defining low intensity. The boundary between low intensity and moderate intensity, according to Seiler, falls at the ventilatory threshold, which is the intensity level at which the breathing rate abruptly deepens.