The words you speak effect your performance as a runner. The definition of insanity has often been described as doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Well the same thing can be said about continually speaking negativity into your life and expecting a positive outcome!

Many times we speak out of habit. We don’t really think that our words have any lasting consequences. We say things like “Well that wasn’t my best race” or “I’m not very good at the…marathon, the 5K, the 2 mile, the…you name the distance.” We might say,”It’s really windy today. I don’t run very well in the wind.” We tend to view these statements as facts and just part of a conversation we are having either with ourself or others. 

How many time have you caught yourself saying out loud, “Well dummy, of course such and such is not right” or “That was stupid of me, I know better that to drive down this street during rush hour.” Do you really think your stupid? No! We say these things out of habit. You may even believe that you say them without “thinking.”

But here’s the deal, in order to speak them you have to have thought about them first. Even if it’s just a habit to say these things, it’s ultimately the first thought that pops into your head. If it wasn’t you would have said something else instead!

What you think about you bring about. You may believe the statements above are meaningless or harmless. The truth is, each time your speak negative words out loud you are reinforcing those thoughts in your subconscious. You may have trained really hard for that 5K or that marathon hoping for a better outcome this time. But what’s interesting is, wanting it and doing all the right training and taking all the right steps to prepare for the race, will never be enough if you keep telling yourself and the people around you that you are just not very good at that race distance. 

Want a better result? Choose your words wisely. Before you tell all your friend that was a bad race, look for one or two things good about it. When asked how I did in my last race, instead of saying I didn’t get a race award, I said that got placed 4th in my age group. Instead of telling people how slow it was, I told them that accomplished my goals of not going out too fast and of running consistent splits. Ask me about my last marathon and I’m tempted to tell you all about my post race ordeal in a med tent where English was not the primary language. However, I feel better about my experience when I share that I ran an almost 20 minute PR and the thrill of running from the town of Marathon to the city of Athens, Greece! 

Just like you train your body to run, train your brain to mentally prepare yourself to do your best. It’s one thing to want to run well and to hope have a good race, but if you truly want that for yourself, you have to take the extra steps to quit speaking negativity into your life. Choose positive words when speaking about yourself and your abilities.

Do you train your brain for better results or do you speak negatively about yourself? Let’s talk about it in the comments below. If this topic intrigues you, one of my favorite resources for learning more is Joyce Myer’s book Change Your Words Change Your Life.