I have a half marathon coming up in 2 weeks.  It's an important race for me because I've done it every year since I started running (this will be my 4th time) and my time has improved dramatically each year.  So obviously I want the same for this year.

Here's what happens with pretty much every half marathon I run:  I go out at what feels like a good pace.  At the halfway point, I'm still smiling and feeling like I could do this all day long.  The mile splits are very even until about mile 9.  Then it falls apart.  My pace is >1min slower for miles 9-13 than the previous 9 miles.  Maybe it seems obvious that I've gone out too fast, but I'm not sure that's it.  I think what happens is I start to think, "My feet hurt.  My legs are getting tired.  It's harder to breathe."  etc, etc, and then suddenly I'm taking a ton of walk breaks.  It's as if as soon as it gets hard, I lose sight of the goal and think "Oh, what does it matter anyway?"

For a 5k, at about mile 2 I'm thinking that this is really hard, but I tell myself it's only another mile and I keep pushing.  I need to figure out how to keep pushing for the last 4 miles in a half marathon.  (4 miles just seems way longer than a mile...)  Any suggestions for me?

But if it's mental, it's hard to teach oneself not to quit when it gets tough.  I use all I have, my best music, my inner bad ass, and sometimes (or most of the times) I still fail at it.

If that is what is happening, then you are going out too fast.  What paces are you running these v. your easy and long runs.  Maybe you are not getting enough endurance from your easy/long runs to run that pace.  Are you doing some HMP workouts like 10 miles with 6-8 @ HMP?  That might help too.

 

*obviously starting at 2-3 at HMP and working from there.  If the HM is in two weeks, you might be too late for any improvement.

My easy and long runs over the last few months have been at 11:30-12:30 pace.  My HM PR is 10:54 pace (run 3 months ago).  My HM goal is 10:37; I did just do a HMP tempo run a couple of weeks ago which included 6 miles at that pace.  But that hasn't been a regular thing for me.  I'm also training for the LA Marathon so I'm doing my tempo runs at MP. (maybe focusing on too much at once here - the LA Marathon is obviously an important goal, too)

I agree there's not much you can do in 2 weeks, and that the biggest issue is probably you are going out too fast for your training. (This is without studying your log, or knowing anything about how to put together a training plan, but it sounds like that from the description.) They say train harder to race easier. I don't know if that's true, but training harder certainly makes you run faster, even if still feels just as hard. And/or gives you more endurance, speed & endurance are sort of the same thing. You will feel mentally tougher when your body is tougher; my experience late in races (when things are going well) is my body just knows what to do, & is able tell my brain to f**k off when it's screaming at me to slow down or stop. So far in marathons for me, the brain wins every time. I don't have an answer for the pure mental side of it.

Summary: run slower or get a better training plan.

You need to understand there is no walking.

Your mid-race blow ups are likely one of three things. 1>. You lack endurance [most likely]. 2>. Your early pace is too fast [less likely given your descriptors]. 3>. You're weak mentally. Or...

Your shedule is lacking race pace runs. It's too late to apply for your race but what you're describing can be addressed in training, by running greater volume and by extending your race pace runs. Describe your race pace runs this cycle? How many, how far? Continuous or interval style? If you can gut out the last mile of a 5k then you should be able to fight off the fatigue in the last 5k of a half IF you apply the proper training in your schedule. What you're asking isn't something you can simply will yourself to do. These are adaptations that are earned in the miles you put in training and how those methods translate to the specific disipline you're targeting.

The half marathon requires a high volume of miles AND workouts that progressively extends the time spent at race pace.

I think you still have time to get in one tough workout. For me, at least, they are big confidence boosters. You would recover in time for your HM. Like the others have said, go out slower. Which hm is it?

I think you still have time to get in one tough workout. For me, at least, they are big confidence boosters. You would recover in time for your HM. Like the others have said, go out slower. Which hm is it?

Yes, I had planned on one for tomorrow, but then woke up stuffed up this morning...grr...I hope I feel up to a hard workout tomorrow.

Surf City!  My time has gone from 2:49 to 2:37 to 2:26...hoping for 2:19 this year.  That's really the only reason this race is so important; I want to see that year-to-year improvement.

Miles 10-13 - You only have a 5k left. You've suffered through 5k enough times.  Just pretend it is a 5k race and run all out.

Yes, exactly this.

As for the earlier miles, I also try to get into a pace groove and otherwise not think much at all.  If there are moves to be made, they're probably gonna be in the last 3.1.  Unlike the full, where there is real danger of bonking, of cramping up, of massive failure -- it's just a half.  Get to 10 strongly, then run your 5K.