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The Runner’s Mindset:

Train Your Mind to Improve Your Performance

You’ve started strong. But soon your legs throb with lactate. Your breath quickens. Splits grind down from race-pace and take your confidence tumbling with them. Your brain screams at you to stop.

But hey, don't throw your bib away just yet. Racing doesn’t have to be this way. Sure, you’ll feel the burn when you’re running hard, but training your mind can help you stay focused, avoid the bonk and finish as strong as you started.

Unfortunately, there’s no foolproof plan for nailing race day every time. But if we make sure we train our minds as well as our bodies, there’s a much better chance your race will go well.

Here’s five ways to develop a runner’s mindset and start improving your performance.

1. Pre-race positive self-talk 

Athletes are high-achievers. And that can lead to some of us not being as kind as we could be to ourselves when we don't perform. 

Positive self-talk is hard to get into, but small affirmations in the mirror can do wonders. It’s cringe, yes, but if it’s going to make a difference to your racing experience, isn’t it worth it?

Start small: put a Post-it next to your mirror that tells you something good. Maybe it’s something like, ‘You’re a great runner’. Or maybe, ‘You’re hot’. Whatever speaks to your self-esteem will help you to start believing in yourself.

2. Less thinking, more chanting

When you’re going for it, allowing negative thoughts in can throw you off your game entirely. One trick to keep them at bay is to chant, or even SHOUT in your head positive phrases. They can be designed to help you to unlock another level of effort, or form cues. Or hey, why not try both. For example:

• This is tough, but I’m tougher

• Think strong, run strong

• Relax, run tall

• Breathe one, breathe two, breathe three

• I can do hard things

Paula Radcliffe famously used counting to keep her mind occupied during the hard miles of a marathon. Go up to 100 and back down again, or if things are really biting, just keep counting to 10 or 20. It’s surprisingly effective.

3. Remember your training

It’s race day. You’ve slept… Ok. You’re a little jittery. That’s fine, it’d be kinda weird if you weren’t a bit nervous. The key here is to not let those nerves take over your whole race.

This is the time to think back to your training. The countless runs, pushing yourself faster, further. You’ve put in the hard work and this is your reward. 

If you’ve had a good block, or even if things have gone awry, your body can handle the distance you’re about to take on. Trust your legs.

4. Big goals, small targets

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with setting yourself a big, punchy goal to work towards. But it’s a good idea to add in mini-targets that’ll help you build confidence and feel a sense of achievement along the way.

Let’s say it’s a sub-20 5k. Even if you’re just under 22 minutes at the moment, there’s a little way to go. 

Add in regular interval sessions and tempo runs to help your muscles and cardiovascular system acclimatise to this level of running. And before you bet it all on one race day, do some parkruns or similar aiming to cut your time down a little bit at a time.

So, you could parkrun every other week, with the goal of snipping 20 seconds off your time. Suddenly your two-minute goal becomes much more manageable, and achievable.

5. Deep breaths

Short breaths tell your brain to panic. They say, ‘omg something is majorly wrong here – stop running IMMEDIATELY’.

Deep breathing may feel loud and OTT. But, they ensure you get enough oxygen to your hard-working muscles – and they can help you stay upright in a good running posture.

Do this from the start line and you'll find you keep your cool throughout the run.

Book recommendations

Start training your mind with tips from some of the hardest athletes out there:

The Heart Is the Strongest Muscle by Tia Toomey
There is No Wall by Allie Bailey
Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Good for a Girl by Lauren Fleshman

Feeling ready to race?

The most important metric of success for amateur runners is enjoyment. Remember that this is your HOBBY, so it is supposed to be FUN.

Races are opportunities for friends to get together and bring out the best versions of themselves, and each other. So do your best and don't forget to smile!