What is your Mantra (Page 2)

I have actually been telling myself something that I learned on this forum (I think it was a thread along the lines of 'what was the best advice someone gave you').

One of the comments on that post was:

"When you are tired and want to give up, just slow down and plod along slowly, eventually you will feel better..."

I've been using it in my running when I get to that wall... I just tell myself - "slow down a little, keep your feet moving, eventually you'll loosen up and get going again" - works everytime.

The other thing I do is concentrate on technique, starting at the top and working my way down.  So in swimming I will concentrate on one thing at a time, something like "hand coming into the water, glide forward, stretch out in front,  then finger position, then concentrate on keeping a slightly bent wrist, high elbow pull/bend elbow, sweep arm back and push through...." etc

Of course, my other mantra is: I could stop running training and go home, but then the missus will make me wash the dishes, so i'm best off doing another couple of miles....

Practice makes perfect so be careful what you practice.

In order to finish first, first you have to finish.

I don't have one

I LOVE swimming, biking, and running, and get kind of sad each time I end a training session or leg of a tri.  And I LOVE the pain of working out so I'm actually happy when it sets it because I expected it.  And I know with all three there's going to be high and lows and rush of endorphins throughout so I just wait for those and bask in them when they come.  I love to close my eyes, raise my head up to the sun, and enjoy the moment when I run and there's a straightaway in front (i.e. track with no debris, park path with no bumps, etc.).

I have a few life sayings....

Veni, Vidi, Velcro.  I Came, I saw, I Stuck Around.
Harder, longer, faster.
Anything, anywhere, anytime.

Triathlons are a huge chess/mind game.  I love pain, hills, heat.  Because if I suffer, others are suffering too, and one of my biggest assets/strengths is that I can make myself suffer more and longer.  So I don't really have a mantra because when it gets hard I just enjoy it and look around and imagine others suffering too

I also spend a lot of time going over form checks, etc.  With swimming I make sure I'm pushing water back and not down, don't stroke too wide, get a good pull, remember to exhale under water, remember to kick, during an actual event sighting and not running into people and not getting run over takes a lot of time, etc.  Biking make sure upper body is relaxed, hands relaxed, use only legs to move forward (no upper movement), pedal stroke mechanics, pull, pull, as opposed to push push, forward, back instead of up down, heel down on the down stroke, head up, look forward, elbows in and down, etc. etc.  And not running into anything and not getting run over.  On the run I just go because for that one the body just knows what to do after you've ran enough and I don't really have to pay attention to breathing anymore.   All this takes a LOT of time either in training or an actual event.

I stole this from a friend: "Feet fast, legs strong, I can do this all day long!"

During HIM over the weekend I got Big Krit's song "I Got This" stuck in my head. "I got this here, I got this here, n**** I got this here....f*** these haters, f*** these hoes..."

Yes, this very white suburban girl uses gangsta rap as motivation, what of it??

What's really funny is that around the last mile of the HIM, this thought popped into my head: "F*** mantras, just get to the finish line!!!" And THAT became my new mantra.

OK...now along the same line, what scenarios do you play in your mind to keep you going? I know some of you must envision yourselves at the olympics, or maybe "if I don't finish under two hours the whole human race will be destroyed!" I swear I've never used that...just trying to get people talking!!

Don't worry we won't laugh...well, at least you won't hear us!!

Now I gotta pee!

I tell myself on my long marathon training runs, "Today you will do what others won't, so tomorrow you can accomplish that others can't"

During racing, "Smile for the camera!" or "You got this" over and over as often as necessary

"pain b4 glory"  usually holds true at the IM distance....haha

SHUT UP, LEGS!

When it gets horrible, i use out loud self talk i.e.  "you got this Bill", "Quit being a -ussy!'  "this ain't nothing!"  "HTFU -uss!" etc.

in big magic marker i write "STRONG" on one forearm and "STEADY" on the other....just as a reminder.

My sister, who is a cancer survivor and does Tris, came up with this and we both right this on our forearms before each race:

B.I.C == 'Because I Can'

Just saw this. My brother sent me a text message before the first race I ever did on my "own". 

The message was short, sweet and to the point:

DEATH BEFORE DNF!