All in my Head

It always amazes me how much of running is mental. Yesterday I did a 14.5 miler and I was really struggling the first half. After slogging through my marathon training alone last winter, I was desperate for a training partner this year. I didn’t have many options, so I settled on running with a guy who is super nice, but faster than me. Yesterday I felt like I was totally dragging him down. The first half of the run my legs just felt like lead. I was struggling. It could have been the head wind, or the fact that I really, really had to pee (note to self, don’t drink 2 cups of coffee before a long run), or that he was leading and I didn’t know what to expect. Then, after the turn around point I suddenly felt great. I went from barely being able to hang on to the 10 min/mile pace to doing 8:30s. Granted, I did finally find a bathroom, and the wind was now behind us, but I think it was all in my head. I always spend the first half of a long run dreading how much I have left to do. It’s only when I start to see the end that I allow myself to feel decent and relax into the run. Bad strategy, I know, but what can I do?