Positive Self Talkin'

For some reason, the first two miles of any run are the hardest for me. My legs feel heavy, my breathing hasn't settled into its rhythm, every tweak and pain says "hello," and thoughts of quitting start to creep in..."No one will know...you can just quit now and turn around...no big deal." I find that I often have to talk myself through those first two miles. I am working on which mantras works best so I can be fierce when I hit the wall during the marathon. So far, I've got:

"You got this...no problem. It's all in you. You got this..."

"Would you quit if this was the last mile? NO! Keep going!"

"Pain is just weakness leaving the body."

"You are so strong!"

Sometimes, I make a "Monster Face," something I learned from the movie "The Shining Season: The John Baker Story." You make a monster face to scare away the pain. When all that fails, I focus on other things...pretty leaves, the color of the sky, flowers, houses...anything to distract myself. Soon enough, with the positive self talk, the monster faces and the distraction, I find my groove and settle in. But, MAN!, those first two miles are brutal...