Most runners don't hit the mental wall until mile 18 or so of the actual race, but I had a little foretaste of bricks 'n' mortar during Sunday's long run.
I surprised myself by stopping, dead, with three miles left to go. Why? No big reason, more like a collection of little, petty ones: it was raining, I had a head cold, there was blood spotting through the toebox of my shoe. I was still feeling physically strong but suddenly running the same old circles in the same old park had lost all its appeal.
I’m not alone – even elite runners admit to sometimes losing their motivation. The trick, apparently, is to break the rest of the run down into manageable chunks. You might not think you can run another 5 miles, but you can definitely make it to the next big landmark. And then the next one, and the next…
It also helps to revisit an old running route: I spent part of today’s 40-minute jaunt running up and down the same incline I used to do hill reps way back in week 2. I doubled the number of reps easily, and ran them all with a consistency that really showed me how far I’ve come.
Another handy trick: visualise something positive at the end of it all. Now when the going starts to feel a little tough, my imagination gets going. I picture celebrating these months of hard work by treating the friends who came to cheer me on to a massive meal – and, of course, massive glasses of wine all round!
