Breaking the mental barrier of running

Awesome job. I am a new (struggling) runner also. I will bargain with myself. I won't let myself quit at the end of one. But tell myself that I can quit running and switch to walking at the end of the two mile mark. I am pretty slow, so that is close to 30 minutes. But I have noticed that if I can get to that two mile mark while running, I can keep going to finish the run. Of course there are still the days were my legs won't cooperate and that bargaining chip just doesn't work.

Keep up the excellent work.

Can relate big time.
When my brain starts telling me that "I can't do it" I HAVE to make myself take a self-evaluation. I think about my legs and whether they're hurting or not, think about my sides and whether I have a stitch or not, think about my hands and if they're loose, think about my shoulders and whether they're straight or not....I found that if I do this and run through the checklist, I convince my brain that I AM fine and that I can keep going.
I hit the 3 mile mark 2 times last week. This morning (W7D3) I decided to stay with the program and work on speed. It was actually harder than going a longer distance for a longer time....but the checklist helped, and I finished with my best time to date.

It's so mental! That's what's struck me the most out of this experience.

Awesome job! That is usually all it takes, telling your self you CAN do it. You CAN over come and you HAVE before. That little voice that tells you, you can't ROAR at it and tell it you CAN!

That mental barrier is huge, but once it is down, your body will do all sorts of amazing things! If you struggle with a familiar route, maybe try a new one! I always like 5ks for that reason - I usually have no idea how the heck far I've gone - I just keep running until it is over. I trained for a 1/2 this summer after never running more than 3. It was amazing to see/feel the barrier crumble. Things that helped? Running uncharted territory with a GPS. Running with a teammate (or 2 or 3) and thinking POSITIVE thoughts the entire time. This is hard to do, but if I thought of something negative, I would actually start to feel more fatigued.

Just keep running... just keep running... Great job!

Isn't it funny how powerful that mental block is?

A few years ago I was running strong... Not to the point where I was going for distance, but I could run for 45 minutes at a pretty good pace.

THEN I injured my ankle/foot really bad. (Ironically, I was not running when it happened.) Doc's orders were to not run for 6 months. At first I thought he was crazy. I was certain I would be running within a few months' time. But it turns out it took longer (1+ year) before I was even comfortable enough to run for a few minutes.

NOW it has been a few years... And I still can't get back to that 45 minutes. I top about 20-30 and I start to worry that I am going to injure myself again.

It is not even that I hurt. But something in my head stops me, tells me that I can't do it, and I give up. Booo.

This is all so true, its nice to hear other peoples struggles. I have been running since May. I am up to running a mile with ease then I run a half mile at a higher rate to build endurance. I have run 2 miles before but it was like my brain didnt want to do it, I had to force myself. I am in my first 5K this November so I hope I can finish running the whole time.

Well, I am going to say it.. Maybe you just aren't ready to RUN more than 3.2 miles and that is ok!!

BUT you probably ARE ready to go a longer distance... so, you might consider increasing your mileage by 1 mile each week, 1 time a week. (from my own experience, increasing any faster will result in injury.).

For me, I set a mileage goal and tell myself whether I walk, run, skip or cartwheel the whole thing, I am going to cover the miles.. Speed and endurance simply comes with time. You MUST Build up to it..

Do you have a set schedule? If not, consider setting one.. Lots of folks (especially training for races) set weekly mileage goals. For example, you might run 3 miles on Tues and Thurs.. and then sometime between Friday, Saturday and Sunday, get in a LONGER run, say 4 miles... (finishing it any way you can - run, walk, skip, cartwheel)

The next week, you might run 3 miles on Tues and Thurs.. and then sometime between Friday, Saturday and Sunday, get in a LONGER run/walk/skip 5 miles... just cover the distance...

The next week, you might run 3 miles on Tues and Thurs.. and then sometime between Friday, Saturday and Sunday, get in a LONGER run/walk/skip 6 miles... just cover the distance...

From there, you might want to hold steady and just work on speed and endurance.. you know, race yourself!

The benefit... if you do your shorter runs, your long runs will be so much nicer.... it helps your body to prepare.. and you will get faster, stronger and get thru the barrier.. I know, it worked for me...

One last note, if you can REGISTER and PAY for a longer, local race, that will give you something to shoot for..

For example, you might register for a Christmas 10k. So, when you train, you will start with your long run at 4 miles, add one mile each week on the long run and before you know it, you will be ready for 6.2 miles. Once you get to 6 miles, just hold your long run at 6 miles.. and you can spend the remaining weeks working on increasing your speed and endurance.. It make take 2 hours to get your 6 miles completed when you first start, but by race time, you will have yourself a decent pace..

Hope this helps and that it makes sense...
Feel free to send me a friend request. I've been doing this running thing for quite a while...

Good luck!

I ran 3.2 miles again. Sunday I was a bit down since I didn't make it that far. I had previously hit the 3.2 mark last Thursday. So I have learned two things for myself in the past week. 1) My body might not like a two day rest between Thursday and Sunday, my two best runs have been after a one day rest, and 2) I have got to overcome the mental breakdown that hits me halfway through the run. I was ready to quit at the start of mile number 2 today. It could be because I keep running the same route and I know in my head where the hills are and where the 3.2 marker is at. No matter what it is, I have got to quit thinking too much. Today I continually told myself, "Keep digging," "you've went further than this before," "Keep pumping," "you're awesome," "This is only a mountain, tell it to move and it will MOVE!"

Thanks for all of the encouragement from you folks out there in MFP land!

As you get stronger your body adjusts. When I started running (a long long time ago) I couldn't stand running without my music at first. It was all I could do to get to 3 miles and my face was beet red. This was back in the day when they first came out with Sony Walkman's (a cassette tape player and batteries!). It was clunky and expensive at the time but was worth it. If the batteries were dead so was my run, LOL. I loved the upbeat music to keep me going. But once my body adjusted I didn't need it anymore and learned to simply enjoy being outdoors and smelling the fresh air and exercising and it finally became fun. Just keep at it and it will get better.

It is so totally my brain that holds me back from running!
I've NEVER been a runner, but there have been times that I have thought it must be nice to get some stress/energy/pain out by just letting go and running! I started walking with a group of women last march and could barely keep up with their walk. When the walk go easier, I've found myself craving it!

Last week, the other women blew off the walk to go shopping so I went alone... I got up the first hill and while walking down thought about some jogging. But then all the mental insecurities came into play. People would see me! My endurance is so low, I wouldn't be able to go for very long and people would laugh at me for stopping to soon. Yeah, those kinds of thoughts.

So, I walked down the hill, then turned the corner and made a loop and went back up the other side and jogged down! I actually jogged! I think that was the first time I've run since i had to do it to pass high school PE class! I finally told myself to stop making excuses and just do it. Why do I care what anyone else thinks? And honestly, I doubt if anyone even noticed me anyway as they went about their own business lol. And if they are going to judge me without knowing me... well you get the point.

So tonight is the first walk scheduled since my jog last week. I'm actually finding myself hoping that the other women will blow it off again so I can prove to myself that it wasn't a fluke and I can get past my own mental barriers! Yay!