The urge to quit midrace can show up even for elite runners. American record holder Conner Mantz has said he considers stopping in every race, while coach Steve Magness and runner Morgan Beadlescomb have described the thought as common among pros. That doesn’t make the impulse pleasant, but it does put it in perspective: a thought about stopping isn’t the same as a decision to stop. When fatigue, discomfort, or regret over an early pace makes the whole race feel impossible, two tactics can help make the next stretch manageable.
Make a deal with yourself
At the 2022 New Bedford Half Marathon, I went out too fast on a warm spring day. The race began at 11 a.m.; after a 5:06 first mile, a series of steep climbs pushed me toward the edge early. By mile three, climbing in the sun, I was thinking that I couldn’t keep going and had already ruined the day. The combination of a fast opening mile and a hard course had turned discomfort into a verdict about the entire race.
I didn’t decide to finish the half marathon. I negotiated a smaller commitment: keep running until mile four, closer to the start, then consider dropping out. At four, I was still moving and felt calmer. I pushed the decision to mile seven, then to mile ten, with permission to slow down if needed. Each extension gave me a chance to check what was actually happening instead of treating my worst thought as a settled conclusion.
At mile ten, I realized I’d already run a personal best for that distance. A slower finish would still be a solid result, so I gave myself the option to ease off instead of quitting. At mile twelve, I promised I could stop after the hill. Once I reached the top, the finish was close enough to summon one final push. I crossed in 1:08:59, 32 seconds faster than my previous best. The bargain wasn’t a guarantee that I’d keep going; it was a way to postpone a decision until I had more information about how I felt.
Turn one race into smaller tasks
That sequence combined bargaining with chunking: breaking the race into short sections rather than carrying the full distance in mind. Instead of confronting 13.1 miles all at once, I focused on reaching the next marker. That shift eased the panic and gave me something concrete to do. A mile marker, a hill, or even a nearer landmark can make the immediate task easier to picture than the finish line.
The physical effort hadn’t changed. My interpretation of it had. The early thought that I couldn’t continue felt like a fact, but it was a reaction to discomfort and a fast start. Shrinking the commitment helped me settle into the race and reassess as I went. That distinction matters: a mental tactic can change how a difficult moment is handled without making the moment itself disappear. The climb still hurt, and the pace still had consequences.
Bargaining and chunking won’t work for every runner, and another approach, such as positive self-talk, may suit you better. The useful point is that the impulse to stop is common, even among experienced runners, and it needn’t be treated as a final decision. This is more significant than it looks: how you frame a hard patch can affect whether you give yourself time to reassess it. A tactic that works for one runner may feel forced to another, so the goal is to find language and checkpoints you can actually use under strain.
What to take into your next race
If that impulse arrives midway through a 5K, try committing only to the next landmark. Then reassess. If you’re working in this space, the practical lesson is that a manageable goal can create room to notice whether your distress is easing, holding steady, or getting worse. You don’t have to promise yourself the finish before you’ve reached the next checkpoint.
Here's the thing: a small target can steady your attention, but it can’t guarantee a better result. The finish may still feel far away. And yet, you’ve bought yourself a moment to make the next choice with more perspective. One hill at a time.
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Alex Predhome is a contributing writer at Runner’s World. He’s a former all-region runner at Dickinson College and a five-time marathoner with a best time of 2:27:11. He also boasts a sub-2:00 4x800-meter relay split and once logged his wedding ceremony on Strava. His other hobbies include telling bad puns and being a diehard fan of the Philadelphia Eagles. (Go Birds!)
