6 days ago

When Your Mind Says Stop — How to Reframe Your Thoughts and Keep Moving Forward

In this episode Rob dives deep into one of the most powerful — and underused — tools in running: reframing.

When fatigue hits, when the mind wants to quit, or when a long run feels impossible, reframing lets you change the meaning of what’s happening — and that changes your experience. It’s not about pretending it’s easy; it’s about choosing a different lens to see it through.

Rob breaks down how reframing works from both a brain and performance perspective, drawing from:

Professor Steven Peters’ Chimp Paradox model — and why managing your “chimp” matters mid-race
The science from Giles et al. (2018) showing how reframing reduced perceived effort during endurance exercise
The link between the prefrontal cortex, oxygenation, and your ability to stay calm, logical, and focused
And how to access the flow state — where running feels effortless and free — by “feeling more, thinking less.”

Then, Rob shares a full toolkit of reframes inspired by NLP, coaching, and mindset research — simple phrases that can change everything when your mind is screaming to stop.

You’ll Learn:

How the brain responds under pressure — and how to stay in the human brain, not the chimp
Why reframing lowers perceived effort and keeps motivation high
10+ practical running reframes you can use instantly
How to practice reframing in training so it’s automatic on race day
A new way to think about pain, fatigue, and limits

Key Quotes:

“Runners who reframed rated the same hard run as easier — nothing changed physically, only mentally.”

“When fatigue says ‘I can’t,’ answer back with ‘I won’t quit.’ That flips control back to you.”

“Reframing is about choice: the run is the same, but how you talk to yourself changes everything.”