Healing Mantras

This morning it was high time for me to return to the Brisbane Trail Runners group. I had fallen off the wagon with my attendance...first there was vacation, and then "off season", and then I feared I was too unfit to participate appropriately.
But what I failed to remember is how much this group has exploded in numbers since I first started with them! Suddenly, I have a much greater chance of running with fellow runners who are around the same fitness & confidence level as me.
There were 3 groups: the walking group set off first, while the 6k and 10k "run/walkers" banned together for the first 4k, then we'd split into the 6k and 10k groups.

The Brisbane Trail Runners group! I'm in the back on the left, wearing a red cap.

At 2k I was feeling good, feeling strong, and ready to conquer the hill.
At 3k we reached the top of a big hill and I was exhausted. I told my good running pal Barry that I couldn't possibly do 10k - I was going to call it a day at 6k.
At 4k we reached the bottom of a big hill where the 6k runners were splitting off, and I was torn as to what to do. Barry encouraged me, "do the 10k. You'll feel better for it after." Another day, he would have been right.
At 7k I was feeling good - more or less. I was slow and steady. My muscles protested me going any faster than slow, but I still had energy to run up the hills. I was glad it was only 3k to go!
At 9k I stepped funny on my left ankle, and it started twinging. Not horribly - but not great, either. I took slow, short steps and mantra'd to myself, stronger, stronger, stronger. At the same time, I mentally channelled strength and healing energy into my left ankle. It worked! I gingerly finished the last few hundred metres, but with no further mishaps or twinging.
My muscles were as fatigued as if I'd run for two hours rather than 70min, but I still had to bolt to make it to my 2 hour yoga workshop. I had been worried that the 10k would have taken too much out of me right before my workshop - and I would have been wrong if I'd fueled properly post-run.
Alas, the results of poor post-run fueling were not pretty! If I had been thinking more clearly, I would have used my stronger mantra. Instead, my mantra became don't pass out, don't pass out, don't pass out. And hey, I didn't pass out! So maybe I should put more thought into my mantras, as they seem to be working pretty okay.