What is a Good Mantra for Running? + 30 Mantra Examples

Scientific research shows that mantras, short sayings, can help increase focus and lower stress: a 2015 Brain and Behavior Journal study found that “subjects who repeated a mantra displayed decreased brain activity, allowing for increased focus and relaxation.” So I just had to round up the best running mantras.

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This week I had a 40-minute tempo run. To be completely transparent, I almost always have a tough time with tempo runs. I knew I needed a secret weapon to succeed. I needed a good mantra for running to stop the negative self-talk and get into a positive mindset.

So, I picked one. A new mantra. A simple word. I thought about my intention for the workout and how I wanted to stay in control and smooth. This intention was born out of the mistakes I typically make with tempos—I start out too fast and ride the struggle bus to the end.

My running mantra was a single word: Smooth.

I changed my watch screen to only show my heart rate and I had only one word to guide my effort. Smooth. When the negative thoughts started to crop up that I wasn’t going fast enough or that there was so much more time left, I shut them down with the best running mantra I could think of for this run.

Smooth. Stay smooth, Whitney, I told myself.

Guess what? It worked. I stayed in control for the whole workout, kicking it at the end, averaging 30 seconds faster per mile than I did a month prior.

In this article, I want to help you find the power of mantras so you can achieve your best race times and workouts.

30 Best Mantras for Runners

For runners, a mantra is a single word or short phrase that has the power to stop the cascade of negative thoughts provoked by the pain of running tough workouts or long runs, or racing. A mantra can redirect your thinking to what your intention is for that race or workout. Or it can simply stop your thoughts altogether.

The below mantra examples come from me, fellow runners, and elite runners. Choose the best mantra for you or use them to brainstorm your own. 

1. Pain only hurts—Scott Jurek.
2. Fighter—Kara Goucher.
3. Run without any regrets—Shalane Flanagan.
4. Belong—Des Linden.
5. Calm, calm, calm. Relax, relax, relax.
6. Send it.
7. Let yourself run.
8. You worked hard for this. 
9. Get into it—Bob Kersee, Allyson Felix’s coach.
10. Run with it.
11. Don’t be a whimp. – Matt Fitzgerald.
12. Good is good enough. – Keira D’Amato.
13. Embrace the suck. – D’Amato
14. I’m deserving of my goals. – D’Amato.
15. Hard doesn’t mean impossible.
16. No one else will do it for you.
17. Fit is not a feeling.
18. Run the mile you’re in.
19. Keep it strong, stupid.
20. I can do hard things.
21. Summer miles bring fall smiles (for training in the heat.)
22. Stay smooth.
23. Stay in control.
24. Run.
25. I got this.
26. I’m fast.
27. I’m strong.
28. I’m a grinder.
29. Stay strong.
30. Bring it on.

How mantras can improve your running performance

Scientific research shows that mantras do work. In fact, research shows that mantras can set you up for faster running. Specifically, a 2015 Brain and Behavior journal study used MRIs to study brain activity when mantras were used. It found that “subjects who repeated a mantra displayed decreased brain activity, allowing for increased focus and relaxation.”

That means, when your lungs are screaming, your legs feel like lead when you’re hitting the wall in the marathon, and your brain is telling you to stop, a single word can quiet those negative thoughts and shift your focus to tackling the task at hand.

How to pick the right running mantra

The mantra you choose for running can be something that invokes a positive quality in yourself such as your toughness or persistence. It can also be your intention for the day—to try your hardest, get what you worked so hard for, or to be proud of yourself. Your mantra should resonate with you. It should feel familiar, comfortable, like it fits YOU—not something you are striving to be. And, your mantra may change depending on the day. You may have certain mantras for certain workouts or races.

Powerful mantras start with the word “I.” I am strong… fierce…deserve this…worked hard for this…can do this.”

Third-person mantras are also powerful as they sound like someone cheering for you and encouraging you when you’re riding the struggle bus.

I suggest creating a list of favorite mantras to call upon when you need your inner strength to complete the workout or get to the finish line proud of yourself. Roll creating a list of mantras into your race day preparation.

Elevate Your Mantra with these Performance Tips from Sports Psychologists:

Expect discomfort.

Studies show that bracing for pain can help your performance.

Before going into your race or workout, acknowledge that it is going to hurt. Expect discomfort. Some elite and pro distance runners like Deena Kastor invite it. They see it as a challenge. (You might have the mantra then of ‘Bring it on.”) Remind yourself that you have been here before.

Detach.

Studies show that people who can regulate their emotions (and have a higher emotional intelligence) perform better in endurance events. Remember that you have a degree of control over your emotions. Acknowledge that your thoughts and emotions are not reality.

A mantra can help you do this. When your brain is sending you negative thoughts, remember that your thoughts are just thoughts (a process called metacognition), and then shut them down with your word or phrase.

Choose your emotion.

Remember when I said you have the power to choose your emotion. Then, you can try to pick the emotion you want to race or run with. Some people choose to run with joy, seeing the race as a celebration of their hard work and the beauty in the community and sport of running.

Others like to race angry—thinking about something that riles them up or picking competitors they want to pick off. When I was in high school, my coach thought I raced better angry, so she told me she heard my competitors saying I didn’t look very fast. I ran a personal best in the 800 meters that day.

Break it up.

Studies show that elite runners who break up their races, also known as “chunking”, perform better. This is when you break up the distance into smaller segments, like to the next mile mark or next tree. After you complete that segment, you choose another one. This makes the task less daunting.

Deal with discomfort.

The other day, Kara Goucher shared on Instagram that she would often run with a rock in her shoe to bolster her mental toughness. Many elites will willingly serve up discomfort in their lives in the form of things like cold showers to help them perform better on race day.

You can do this too. Choose to run without music one day or by carrying water bottles when you typically stash them or forgo a pitstop a few extra miles. This will prepare you for whatever comes up on race day.

Think through worst-case scenarios.

What will also help you better prepare on race day is to think through worst-case scenarios. Expect the unexpected. Then visualize how you will respond. Is it a downpour? Visualize you going with it and still racing hard. Tummy troubles? Think about your plan to use the port-a-john, then get back to racing.

Ok, now I want to hear what your favorite mantras are!