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Running is not only tough physically, it’s tough mentally. This is why Hannah Pangilinan trains her mind whenever she prepares for a big race.
Hannah Pangilinan admits that the first time she ran a full marathon, she struggled to finish. She hit a wall about 26 kilometers in, and the remaining 16 kilometers was a mental battle, more than anything. This challenging experience was like being thrown in the “deep end,” she expressed; though in hindsight, it ended up serving her well.
“It was the deep end, which was good, because then my next marathon was much easier,” she told The GAME. “It was easier, and I trained really hard. The first was so much harder, so I was like, ‘Okay, I’m gonna prepare this time.’
“And the second time around, I really focused on mental toughness.”
Now a three-time marathon finisher, Hannah Pangilinan notes that although finishing a 42.2-kilometer race is no small feat physically, it also incredibly taxing on the mind. “It’s not just a physical challenge — it’s a mental, spiritual battle also,” she asserted.
This is why as an important part of Hannah’s running regimen goes beyond the kilometers. She also reads a lot of books, watches documentaries and videos, and listens to interviews of well-known runners or athletes. She explained that through this, she is trying to enter “the runner’s mindset.”
In her conversation with The GAME, she mentioned two books in particular that helped to shape her mindset towards running, and inspired her to embrace all the challenges that come with it.
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is one of Hannah’s book recommendations, especially if you’re a runner. Written by world-renowned novelist Haruki Murakami, this is a memoir that tackles the author’s experiences in long-distance running. Here, he logs his travels, training routines, and races — and most importantly, the lessons he’s learned from immersing in the sport.
Hannah passionately shared why this book means a lot to her.
“So the book contains all of the facts as to why humans are wired to run genetically,” she explained. “So it means that, if that’s the case, then when we’re running we are actually fulfilling a higher purpose. That’s crazy — like, in terms of our physical makeup…There’s a certain bone that only mammals that are meant to run have, and we have it.”
She added, “It’s so interesting, all of the evidence that points to us being naturally created by God to run…There must be something in the experience of running that taps into your divine purpose.”
In fact, one of Hannah’s favorite sayings comes from this book.
“[Murakami] says, ‘I run therefore I am.’ Because running is a reminder of him as a being, like that we’re alive, that we can breathe, that we can move.”
Born to Run
Another influential book on Hannah’s shelf is Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen, a book written by American author Christopher McDougall.
In this book, McDougall dives deep into the world of ultramarathon running, sharing stories specifically from the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico, a tribe that is known for their ability to run long distances barefoot with hardly any injuries.
This book, in particular, helped to shape Hannah Pangilinan’s relationship with the challenges of running. She shared, “[McDougall] says that everybody in a marathon kind of has to meet the beast inside of you. But you have to make friends with the beast.
“It’s not something you should be afraid of encountering, because you’re gonna encounter it. So, in training sessions, it’s really that moment, when you reach the end of yourself, where you’re really able to do the hard work.
“I feel like a lot of marathon runners, they have such a different outlook on the parts of themselves — because they’ve met so many versions of themselves. The you in the first kilometer is so different from the you in the 10th kilometer, versus the you in the 18th. Oh my God, the you in the 38th.”
This is something Hannah has taken a lot of inspiration from. Running a marathon, or any long distance for that matter, will undoubtedly demand a lot from an individual. But this book, and this message in particular, has helped her realize that stretching oneself in this way allows progress to happen.
Banner image taken by Grant Babia, and taken from Amazon and Penguin Random House Australia.