Head games while running...

Every run is different. Sometimes I can run 9 miles, sometimes I can run 2. Just make the most of each time you get out there.

no matter how many miles you run or how long you run, negativity inside your head will kill any run.

Music helps sometimes.

I guess I don't have any real advice, but I will say that pacing yourself a little slow in the start of a run and finishing the last half of a mile to mile really strong is a great way to work positivity back into runs. I had to do that today myself as last week the heat caused me to wither up in almost every run I did and I even had to stop and walk the last mile of a 4.5er on Wednesday. When you slow the pace a bit early and work back into it you realize how strong you are. Then finishing real strong is just, well, awesome. So there ya go.

For me it all depends on the humidity. If it's a little cooler and the air is more bearable, I'll go non-stop. But lately the humidity is quite high and it's making breathing a little harder so I'm taking extended breaks to catch my breath.

Listen to a thriller / mystery audio book when you aren't in the mood to run or have a long run. You won't want to stop because it is interesting and keeps you thinking about something besides how many minutes you have left. I never used to like long runs OR audio books, but this seriously does the trick for me. Plus, it's like multi-tasking!

every run isn't always about going as far as you can and as fast as you can. do one run a week were you go for distance. try and go 10% further than the last time you ran. one run a week should be a short speed run, 1-2 miles, as fast as you can. one run should be speed and/or drills work, such as 100m sprint repeats, or hill repeats, or these: http://artofmanliness.com/2009/02/10/5-conditioning-drills/ if you want to get in a fourth run, do a mid-range run at a steady pace.

When I have a run like that - I like to listen to music. Tell yourself that you need to listen to x-number of songs before you can even THINK of taking a walking break. (And, then, I would only allow myself to walk half the time I ran - so if I ran for 10 songs straight, I could walk no more than 5) I also like to use landmarks to push towards - just one more light post, or to the corner, etc.

It is more fun, when I can think of something other than running. I get bored easily.

I suppose the game I play with my kids in the car would work too, more so if you run on a busy route. Use the ABC game, where you need to find something with starting with the letters (or the letter itself), in order. If there isn't anything on your route, you could modify it to the Picnic ABC game, where you name what food you will bring to the picnic, starting with A, B, C, and so on.

I also find it is helpful when I know my route before I run, so then I know where the half way point is. That way, in my mind, I'm almost done! (This was extremely helpful when I was training for a half marathon!)

I'll try to be candid but not rude: You're running for half an hour. The fueling needs for a 30 minute run are minimal. Yes, what you eat can certainly impact how you feel when you run, but it's not going to be a major inhibitor in such a short energy expenditure. You're not going to kill yourself running for half an hour if you've subsisted on junk for the majority of your calories. The human body is resilient, for the most part.

The best way to push through is to push through. Your words say you believe you can do this, your actions say otherwise. Can you go out later today and run the other 18 minutes? To prove you can?

It has been my experience the day after a super awesome run, I have a crappy one and like you, after 12 minutes I stop. It is like not feeling like drinking the day after a big drunk. I do not know if I used up all my happy running endorphins the day before or what. All I know is it is okay to stop after 12 minutes when our bodies tell us to.

Running is addictive and we need to remember that it is not necessary to run every day, although we feel like we have cheated something if we do not. As long as this is not your experience every day, you will be fine.

Bump...to come add my two cents later

I have been running for 34 years. I used to be a very competitive runner. You will have good days and bad days. I make it through the bad days trying to achieve the good runs. Stop with the negative thoughts. It's hard. I have defeated myself in races by letting negative thoughts take over. It is the peak performances, those that seem so effortless, that we strive to achieve, but unless I am in the right mental state, I will not achieve that desired place.

I recently completed my Master's Degree. My thesis was about exercise and learning. Among the research I found some interesting things. Paula Radcliffe mentioned that the brain can't distinguish between reality and a well-developed imagined experience. Thinking positive thoughts; seeing success can help one achieve success.

I mentor with a running program. One of the particpants had the hardest time being able to run the entire 5k distance. She could beat out the group doing a walk/run, but she wanted to run the entire 3.1 miles. We ran it slowly and she was able to do the distance. (She's repeating the program starting out as a runner this coming cycle.) She had a mental block and having had a similar one when I was starting to run, I knew I could help.

Another interesting fact that I came across, for every minute spent exercising, you are adding two minutes onto your life. So if you had a bad day, you still got out and exercised and added to your life.