I’ve written about running the first mile, how hard it is for most of us to transition our bodies to running mode, warming up the muscles and getting the heart and lungs up to speed. Unless running is much easier for you than me, I have suggested that the first mile be run at an easy pace, until your body is ramped up to your training or race pace.
But what about mile 2, or 5 or 10? What keeps you going when your body is saying “enough”? Or when you feel like you are running in overshoes? Many times during a run I have asked myself the question, “Is it worth it?”
Since I have been answering that question for almost forty years, I must be convinced that running is indeed worth it. But often I still need to motivate myself. Once in a while, it takes a trick. After all, at this point it is a mental game, so why not use any mental trick that, well, does the trick. Here are some of mine:
I look forward to a nice cool down walk for one. Or I just dwell on a reward at the end of my run. Sometimes I think about how I will feel after a long shower and a nice relaxed dinner with my family. Should I be gloating about dessert tonight? I am out here earning it, for goodness sake!

Harvey Mackay, who wrote “Swimming with Sharks” motivates himself by asking the question, “Would I do this for 10 thousand dollars?” It clarifies the value of the effort. That number works for me too. Nobody is offering us (or Mackay) that much to run, but if they were, wouldn’t it be easier?

But here’s one I can share with those who are old enough to remember classic movies. In John Ford’s 1939 film “Drums Along The Mohawk” starring Claudette Colbert and Henry Fonda, someone has to get out of the besieged fort, through the French and Indian lines to reach the British army for help.
After the first attempt fails, Henry Fonda volunteers to give it a try. There follows a classic cross country run in which he is chased by three warriors who want to end his mission and take his scalp. In the hot sun, one by one his pursuers drop off exhausted and Henry gets through! He saves the fort!

When I start losing interest in my run, or when my body is telling me to slow down, I think about my pursuers. What will happen if they catch me? What will happen to my wife and friends at the fort? What will happen to my scalp? Then I can get just a little more from my legs and lungs. But that’s just me. Maybe mind games work better on me!
You’re welcome to give it a try when your run starts to drag. Go on! Try harder! Save the Fort!