Mental Strategies to Break Down Long Distances

If standing on the start line of a race and thinking about all the grueling miles ahead fills you with the kind of dread that turns your legs into concrete, that can only mean one thing: you’re human.

There are some things, like running an ultramarathon or bathing in lactic acid for hours, that the brain simply can’t fathom. They’re too big, overwhelming, and inevitably painful for your mind to process in one piece.

“There’s a reason telephone numbers are only 10 digits long and broken down into three chunks,” says Dr. Justin Ross, a Denver-based clinical psychologist and mental performance specialist for endurance athletes. “The human mind can only comfortably hold seven to 10 bits of information. We’ve come to learn that one of the greatest flow or performance robbers we have is cognitive load, or mental fatigue, that comes from trying to absorb too much information.”

To avoid the pitfalls of cognitive overload, think smaller. Segmenting, the act of breaking long distances and hard efforts into manageable chunks, works by prioritizing immediacy over eventuality. It keeps your brain from jumping too far ahead and becoming overwhelmed by the monumental task ahead.

According to Ross, “One of the easiest ways to address the concern of mental fatigue is by breaking down our training, races, and events into chunks.” This involves convincing yourself that you’re doing less than you actually are. For instance, your brain might be unable to digest the idea of running 100 miles all at once. But running one mile, 100 times? That’s much more palatable.

Dr. Michelle Cleere, clinical psychologist and global performance coach for elite athletes, says, “Segmenting also allows someone to choose what positive things they want to focus on versus being focused on splits or doubts and fears: things that get in the way of someone performing their best.”

The next time your legs begin to quake with fear before the gun goes off, thank your brain for a job well done. It’s only trying to protect you from something it perceives to be impossible. In response, narrow your perspective. Treat your mind like a toddler and give it small bites to chew on. Different brains have different tastes, so experiment with several segmenting methods to see which works best for you.

Nutrition Windows

Instead of running from point to point, what about running from gel to gel? This works as a segmenting tactic because it’s helpful to fuel on a strict schedule. If you wait to eat until you’re hungry, you might be too late.

“Relying on hunger cues is a recipe for disaster,” says endurance sports dietitian Alyssa Lieb, “since hormonal changes during exercise suppress hunger. Eating on a regular schedule, such as every 30 minutes, ensures that you’re staying on top of fueling.”

For this reason, she suggests setting an alarm to remind you when to pop out the next gel.

So, assuming you’re following a smart fueling plan, you’ll be hitting those nutrition windows pretty frequently during your long runs and races. Use these pauses as a chance to refuel physically and mentally. Framing it as running from one snack break to the next is a great segmenting method for the food-motivated. Every time your watch beeps to remind you to eat, reset your mental clock simultaneously.

Lieb suggests varying fuel flavors and textures to avoid palate fatigue. Plus, there can be a mental benefit to mixing it up. “If the thought of choking down one more fruity gel makes you want to cry, you’re less likely to keep fueling,” Leib says. You’re also less likely to keep running. Mix up your fueling options so you’re always excited about the next thing you get to eat and motivated to keep running toward it. Chase down those gummy worms!

Aid Stations

Aid stations offer another prompt to reset your mental clock. Professional trail runner Bailey Kowalczyk specializes in sub-ultra distances, which present their own mental challenges as intensity and speed become increasingly uncomfortable to maintain. Kowalczyk finds herself using aid stations as a way to sustain the effort.

“I know where the aid stations are along the way and mentally motivate myself to get to each of those aid stations before reassessing the effort and pushing the throttle a little bit,” she explains. “At Sierre Zinal for example, the stations come up as often as every four to six kilometers. That made the race fly by having so many spots to check in with myself and push that intensity up to keep it at an honest effort.”

By using aid stations as her cue to push just a hair harder, Kowalczyk manages to continuously up the ante throughout her races without carrying the weight of intimidation the entire way. Every aid station serves as permission to let go of the previous section and a cue to think about the following—but not until she’s put the last one behind her.

Sabrina Pace-Humphreys takes the aid station reset a step further. The ultrarunner and co-founder of Black Trail Runners leans on rewards to help her complete distances up to 268 miles. Each section becomes a countdown to the next chance to treat herself.

“I never, ever think about the whole distance,” she emphasizes. “It’s much too overwhelming. I’m all about small wins and gratitude for those instead. I celebrate myself with rewards along the way—my favorite fuel, seeing my favorite person, maybe a nap—when I reach each checkpoint.”

Research points to the fact that fatigue impairs emotional regulation. With that in mind, every mid-run temper tantrum you’ve witnessed (or had yourself) makes more sense. If there’s one thing we can learn from toddlers here, it’s that nothing stops a temper tantrum quite as well as a present. Treat yourself to little gifts along the way that light you up inside. A fresh pair of neon socks at mile 60 just might give you the boost you need to keep going.

Focal Points

If your brain needs more mental stimulation than the promise of a treat waiting for you, give it something specific to chew on between checkpoints. Picking a different focal point for each section of the run helps fight the mental fatigue of running long distances. There are only so many times you can ride the same train of thought in circles before you start to hate the sound of your own internal monologue. Since that’s the one thing you’re stuck with from start to finish, put some structure behind your thoughts so they don’t get old.

Professional ultrarunner Devon Yanko, who particularly enjoys loop courses like Arizona’s Javelina Jundred and the Coldwater Rumble, gives every loop its own unique theme. “For instance,” she says, “I might start out my first third of a race without music, then listen to music for the next third for a boost, and generally on the last third I focus on the company of a pacer. When having a pacer isn’t an option, I imagine different people running with me.”

Whether you’re running loops like Yanko or from point to point, assigning distinct distractions or focuses to different sections of the run makes each one feel fresh. Besides music and company, focal points like listening for wildlife, counting how many different colors you notice in nature, or reliving a recent life experience from someone else’s perspective can occupy the mind and spark a newfound appreciation for subtleties that might otherwise escape your attention.

Don’t trust your tired mind to decide on those focuses in the moment, though. Choose them ahead of time and work them into your race prep procedure the same way you would with your fuel or gear. Then, whenever you switch out supplies, swap out one train of thought for the next on your list simultaneously. You’ll gradually train your brain to prioritize mental preparation on the same level as all physical things.