Knees, Arms, Breathe!

I've read several mantras, things people say as they run to keep them going. But I've been looking for something more rhythmic, something that pounds in my head like a drumbeat to my step. So I've played with several versions of the things my former running coach used to say: Knees up. Pump your arms. Breathe. 

But that's not rhythmic either. And then on a recent run when I wanted so much to quit because of the cold, I got it. Knees. Arms. Breathe! Those are my three problem areas, the areas I most need to concentrate on. 

I practiced the new mantra on yesterday's 10-mile run and it worked. When the wind pushed hard against me during the first three miles and I wanted to quit, "knees, gasp, arms, gasp, breathe" got me thinking about form instead of the hard push.  A fairly slow base drum tempo setting "Knees. . .Arms. . .Breathe!" paced me up the hills. And a much faster drum roll, "knees, arms, breathe; knees, arms, breathe" kept me rolling on the downhills.  

And that drum roll became a crazed drum solo as I raced the last few yards into my apartment parking lot. Hmmm, did I hear a cymbal's crash?