Most runners already train their body with patience and structure: long runs, workouts, recovery, repeat.

But when a race hurts, or a workout goes sideways, it’s usually not your legs that quit first—it’s your story about what the pain means.

In a Next Level Running Podcast conversation, RunDoyen coach Addi Zerrenner broke mental toughness down in a simple way:

Mental training is training.
The brain is a muscle. You build it with reps.

Here’s how to do that—without pretending you’re never anxious, never negative, or never doubting yourself. Get matched with a coach to apply these mental tools to your training and build a mindset plan around your goals.

What Mental Toughness Actually Is

Addi framed it as “you vs. you.”
Your mind can be either:

• your worst enemy (spiraling, catastrophizing, quitting early), or
• your biggest advocate (calm, focused, resilient under stress).

Mental toughness isn’t “never feeling bad.” It’s being able to stay effective while feeling bad.

The “Grooves” Concept: Why Thoughts Feel Automatic

A core idea from Addi: your brain forms grooves—habitual pathways.

If you’ve repeated a thought for years (“I’m not a kicker,” “I’m slow,” “running is hard”), your brain defaults to it under stress.

The goal of mental training is not to “delete” thoughts. It’s to build new grooves that are more useful—so your default response is better.

Start Here: A 10-Minute Mental Inventory

If you want one place to begin, do this once this week:

Step 1: Write the mean stuff down

List the recurring negative beliefs you have about your running. Examples:

• “I always fall apart late.”
• “I’m bad at speedwork.”
• “I’m not mentally tough.”

Step 2: Say them out loud

It sounds awkward. That’s the point.
Most runners realize: “I would never talk to someone else like this.”

Step 3: Ask the two questions Addi uses

1. Is this true?
2. What’s the worst thing that could happen?

These two questions puncture the drama and return you to reality.

Step 4: Replace with something you can believe

Not the cheesy opposite. The believable upgrade.

Instead of:

• “I’m a bad runner” → “I’m a runner.” / “I’m capable.”
• “I can’t handle discomfort” → “I can stay here for 60 seconds.”

Tool 1: Self-Talk That Actually Works

Positive self-talk isn’t “lie to yourself.”
It’s “tell yourself what’s true and useful.”

The key rule

Your mantra has to be believable.

If you don’t believe “I’m unstoppable,” your brain rejects it mid-race.

Try:

• “Smooth and steady.”
• “One step at a time.”
• “I’ve done hard things before.”
• “Stay tall, stay relaxed.”
• “Run toward the fire.” (Addi’s)

Tool 2: Reframe “I Have To” → “I Get To”

This one is deceptively powerful. This reframe matters even more during setbacks, and injury comeback mindset can help you stay patient while rebuilding.

When motivation is low, swap:

• “I have to run.”
  with
• “I get to run.”

Addi used an injury example: when you can’t run, you’d trade a lot to get that ability back. The reframe restores perspective without forcing fake positivity.

Tool 3: Anxiety vs. Excitement (Same Fuel, Different Label)

A lot of “pre-race nerves” are just a mislabel.

Your body’s sensations can be interpreted as:

• “I’m anxious” → threat response
• “I’m excited” → opportunity response

Before workouts or races, practice a simple script:

• “This is energy.”
• “My body is getting ready.”
• “I’m excited to use what I trained.”

Tool 4: The ABC Loop (How to Stop Spirals Mid-Run)

If you overthink during races, use a quick CBT-style check:

A → B → C

• A (Antecedent): What triggered this? (missed split, hill, someone passed you)
• B (Behavior): What did you do next? (panic, surge, quit, negative self-talk)
• C (Consequence): What happened because of that? (blew up, lost focus, suffered more)

Now rewrite B with a better response:

• breathe, relax shoulders
• re-center on effort
• focus on the next 2 minutes only

Over time, you build a new groove: trigger → calm action → better outcome.

Tool 5: Visualization That Goes Beyond “Perfect Race Day”

Addi uses visualization, but not just memorizing the course. Visualization becomes more useful when it supports your race day strategy—so you know what to do when things don’t go perfectly.

A stronger version is to visualize multiple scenarios:

1. The perfect start
2. The too-fast start (how you settle down)
3. The blocked / too-slow start (how you stay patient)
4. The rough patch late (what you tell yourself)

This trains you to respond, not just hope.

Mental Toughness in Common Scenarios

If you struggle with race/workout anxiety

Use Addi’s two questions:

• Is this true?
• What’s the worst that could happen?

Then choose one grounded mantra:

• “Control the controllables.”
• “Show up and execute.”

If you struggle with motivation

When motivation drops, goal setting for runners helps you reconnect with your “why” and make today’s run feel purposeful.

Ask:

• “If I skip this, what will I do instead?”
• “Will I feel better or worse in 2 hours?”

If skipping truly supports recovery or mental health, skip.
If skipping just leads to guilt and scrolling, go run easy.

If you overthink splits

Remove the trigger:

• run without a watch on easy days
• or use lap alerts instead of constant checking

Then bring focus to the next tiny objective:

• “Relax jaw.”
• “Quick feet.”
• “Two minutes smooth.”

A Simple 7-Day Mental Training Plan

Day 1: Write your negative beliefs + replacements
Day 2: Pick one mantra for workouts
Day 3: Practice “I get to” reframing on an easy run
Day 4: Visualization (perfect + imperfect scenarios)
Day 5: ABC loop reflection after a workout
Day 6: Run with no watch (or minimal data)
Day 7: Review: what thoughts helped? what didn’t?

Repeat weekly. Mental toughness is reps.

Final Takeaways

• No one “has it all figured out.” Mental training is ongoing.
• Your brain builds grooves—your job is to practice better defaults.
• The most useful tools are the simplest: self-talk, reframing, and visualization.
• Mental toughness is less about pain tolerance and more about decision-making under stress.

If you want a coach to help you apply these tools to your training and race strategy, you can get matched with a RunDoyen coach based on your goals and schedule. If you want help applying this in real training, running coaches can guide your mindset work and race execution.