Mental Tricks For Managing Fatigue/Discomfort

Fatigue and discomfort limit performance. This is a physical reality. Anxiety and fear MAGNIFY fatigue. If you let fatigue take charge, it’s can be a LONG way to the finish line! The key is to ACCEPT discomfort and fatigue as part of the deal and focus on running well ‘despite’ it. There’s really no way to run for an extended period of time and NOT experience some level of discomfort/fatigue.

If you’ve logged a few Saturday runs with us, managing fatigue ‘should’ be a bit easier for you than it was a few weeks ago. But, let’s assume fatigue manifests during your run (or race). One of the best things you can do is ‘heighten your awareness’ in the area where you’re feeling discomfort or fatigue.

So, if your right quad is feeling a bit fatigued/tight, consciously focus on this area, tighten your quad momentarily, and RELAX. This reduces anxiety, helping fight off fatigue with relaxation. I raced a 5K a couple years ago and ran headlong into some marked fatigue and discomfort. I had to get creative.

Racing a distance this short produces a level of discomfort/fatigue that you just don’t experience when you’re doing an EASY run. About halfway through my 5K from hell, my lungs were really hurting. It was an uncomfortable sensation, but I reminded myself that I had been there before and I just needed to stay focused and RELAXED!

While the discomfort didn’t disappear, the latter part of the race was manageable and I even managed a little surge right at the end DESPITE my body’s complaints. Telling myself to relax was a big part of this. My silent mantra became ‘Focus and Relax’ as I fought my way to the finish line.

So, not surprisingly, I’d recommend coming up with some kind of ‘mantra’ that keeps you focused and relaxed. ‘Calm, calm, calm’ or ‘Breathe, breathe, breathe.’ ‘Chill, chill, chill.’ Or, you can use mine! Whatever works for you.

Another tactic I recommend is focusing on you posture, biomechanics, and form. REALLY tune into where your feet are landing, how your arms are moving, what your breathing feels like, etc. In the latter stages of a tough run or race, form sometimes falls apart. By consciously FOCUSING on how your body is moving, you can stave this off to a certain extent. If you’re running on fumes, the WORST thing you can do is start running inefficiently and WASTE what little gas you have left in the tank!

Lean into positive self-talk! Remind yourself of EVERYTHING you’ve been through since you started training. The miles logged. The aches, the pains, the hot days, the windy days, etc. If I’m in a race and I’m REALLY HURTING, I will start thinking about things I’ve endured (while running or in life) that have hurt worse. Almost invariably, I can find a run/race or life experience that puts things in perspective. This pretty much always helps me get through the discomfort/fatigue.

I’ve also found tapping into the ‘dark side’ can help sometimes. What happens when we get a bit agitated/angry? Almost inevitably, we get a little (or big) surge of adrenaline. A rush of adrenaline provides a psychological boost and may help break the hold of fatigue. When I first started running cross country in high school, I developed this odd habit of letting out a ‘war cry’ in the latter stages of a race when I was really hurting and digging deep to find one last surge.

During the state meet my sophomore year, I came charging up the final hill and saw LEGIONS of runners in front of me with about 400 meters to go. Something in me just snapped and I let out my ‘war cry’ and somehow found an extra gear outkicking about 20-30 people in that home stretch. I don’t know exactly where this came from, but it was effective. So, I used it again 😉

Becoming a better runner requires logging the miles. But, it also requires developing methods/techniques to better ‘manage’ fatigue. Manage your fatigue better and you’ll inevitably have better runs and/or races!