Quit the Quitting

I ran the IOA Corporate 5k tonight along with 13,000 other people committed to health, wellness, and matching company t-shirts. And this addition of chewy granola bars at the finish line is a real morale booster for me, I have to say. 

But now I plead to you, dear readers, for advice. I've written before that running is a mental game. So much so that I have read several books on the matter, faithfully borrow Runner's World each month from the library, and even have a running board on Pinterest. Yet all of these quotes and techniques and statistics didn't help me one bit when my shoes hit the pavement and I wanted to quit. Because I did quit. Apparently, my motto is if you're not walkin', then you're not running. 

I always have one goal in mind when I go out for a run: to run again. This is great for the long view, but not so helpful if you, say, want to win. 

Tonight's goal was simple: finish in under 30. In all fairness, this was a poor goal. I achieved that goal roughly the same time I started measuring & timing myself. So what did I do? You guessed it! Quit! I was able to quit running so many times and still was able to shave about 2 minutes off the goal time. So I finished with these conflicting emotions of feeling like a winner but with the tormented soul that only comes from knowing you didn't give your best. And that, my friends, is why Track Shack gives you free beer at the end of the race. A bubbly balm in Gilead. 

So do you have advice? Tips? How do you trick your mind into pushing yourself when you know you don't have to?