The mental battle

[noquitting]

Hi there - I've just finished the first week and got through it ok. I'm feeling positive, however ...

My questions is - does anyone else have to fight the mental battle of not quitting throughout their run? I am constantly thinking about stopping and it is a real mental fight to keep on going. I haven't stopped before the end of each run yet but I've been close. Just wondering if anyone has any strategies in regards to this?

Fleur

[betsey]

Well done on not giving in! I found that a lot for the first few weeks, not every run but most! I used to tell myself that I'd stop at the next corner/Lampost or whatever then when I reached it I'd just keep going, for me it was the psychology of knowing I could stop if I wanted.. It gets easier

[jilliana]

I have a really hard time with this -- either I would get slightly fatigued and tell myself I wanted to stop, or I'd just start to go crazy under the strain of a monotonous run. A few ways I try to avoid it that seem to help:

1-- when I was still running outdoors, sometimes i found it helpful to break it up into small chunks so i could avoid focusing on how much time i still have, so i'd find a point in the near distance to focus on and push myself to go at least until I got there. Once I got to the lampost/tree/street sign I was aiming for, I'd find a new checkpoint, then again, and so on until I could get to the next walk.

2-- although some might call it a crutch, it's twice as hard to keep myself running without my mp3 player as a distraction. I try and switch between music, podcasts, and audiobooks so that it always keeps my brain thinking about something other than how badly I want to stop.

[matt]

Yup, well done on sticking with it! I definitely recognise those symptoms It really does get easier as you go along. Bear in mind that progress in running doesn't really seem to be that linear -- it might just be that in two weeks' time you suddenly break through this plateau of it being a battle and everything suddenly gets easier.

Just keep on going and see what happens. If it's _really_ hard, try slowing down just a bit -- you could also be going just a bit too high a pace. Building up the endurance is more important than building up the speed at this point.

betsey and jilliana's advice on focusing on the short distance in front of you is good -- it's what got me through the end of the half-marathon I did in September! And I'm with jilliana on music; I much prefer running with my favourite music playing, and it can certainly help keep you mind on something other than the running...

Good luck!

Matt

[AmB]

Totally!! I just started the program again!! I got to 8 weeks & then hadn't ran since October! Today was my first run & probably easiest! I'm trying to store this feeling of how great it feels after the run to get me motivated for my next. I ran on the treadmill, which I detest, but I'm just not crazy enough to run outside in the winter.
Great question! I'm still hoping to find my "zone", it's encouraging to hear other people achieve it! Just keep running, I'm sure we'll find it.

[noquitting]

Thanks everyone- it's all really helpful advice. I haven't stopped short on a run yet so am pretty happy - however the mental battle is still there. I will try the check point approach. And yeah i too need music to distract me but i will try mixing it up with podcasts too.

I just completed my first 3 minute run and it was fairly hard but i got through it. Hopefully the next one will be slightly easier.

I feel great at the moment, the program is superb! My brother is now doing it too.

Thanks again guys!

Fleur