You are what you think.

My recommitment to blog was to post once a week. I know I already posted for the week, but this particular subject has been so heavy on my mind that I just have to get it out there. So here you go, a bonus post!

I have a friend that recently completed a half marathon. She trained like crazy, running midweek multi-digit miles and pushing herself even in the pouring rain to get her training in. She set a new PR (because this wasn't even her first half marathon) and finished in under two hours, which is pretty darn amazing in my book. As I was chatting with her afterwards and congratulating her on this awesome achievement, these words came out of her mouth: "but I'm not a real runner."

Wait. What?!? What really makes me sad is, she is not the first person I've heard say those words. Why in the world would someone call themselves "not a runner" when clearly, they ARE a runner?
John Bingham said this:

"If you run, you are a runner. It doesn't matter how fast or how far. It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run."

Isn't that the truth? We are runners, because we run! You wouldn't say to a friend that just ran her first 5k, "oh, but you aren't a real runner. You just started and you ONLY ran 5k." So why in the world would you tell yourself something as discouraging? My rule about self-talk is never say anything to yourself you wouldn't say to a friend. That means no telling yourself you are weak, no telling yourself you can't do it, no telling yourself you aren't good enough, and definitely no telling yourself you are not a runner. 

Instead, tell yourself the same kind of encouraging things you'd say to your best friend. You are strong. You can totally do this. You have been training for this. You. Are. A. Runner.

Have you ever heard the phrase,"garbage in, garbage out?" It's actually true. We are what we think, to a very large degree. Studies have even shown that positive self-talk can lead to actual improvements in performance. (Here's one example.) There really is power in positive thinking. 

One popular way of encouraging oneself is through the use of a mantra. This is a phrase that you continually repeat to yourself, especially when the going gets tough. Mantras can be anything, but they should be positive. They should be fairly easy to remember, too, so when you are exhausted at mile who-knows-what it doesn't take a lot of brain power to call it up. I've used many different ones before, including "you've got this," "just keep moving," "never give up," and "Phil 4:13" (which references the Bible verse "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.") I've actually written about "Mental GU" (I just love that!) a number of times of this blog. One of my favorite entries is here.

So next time you hear someone say, "I'm not a runner," and you know that's not true...or if you hear someone say anything disparaging at all about themself, for that matter...tell them it's time to let go. Especially if the person you hear saying it is YOU. Let go of negativity. Let go of self-degradation. Let go of thoughts that will only serve to drag you down. Make a choice to be positive, think positive, to reinforce your strong. You can totally do this. You are a runner.

How do you talk to yourself? Do you have a powerful positive mantra? Have you ever said you were "not a runner" and if so, what made you feel that way?