Mental Training

I am a strong believer, as are most people, that running is a mental sport.  Just as it is important to physically prepare your body, it is important to prepare mentally.  I submit a few ideas to prepare mentally.  The bottom line is, get out of your comfort zone, disturb your mind.

1. Run by yourself.  If you usually have a running partner, try running alone every once in awhile.  Your partner provides someone to talk to, pace with, and feed off of.  In many races you won't have that person there.  When I did my first marathon four weeks ago I spent much of the race in solitude.  I was ready for it, because much of my training was done alone.
2. Ditch the music.  I don't run with music, I hate running with it.  Many people "need" it because it gives them that extra push.  What better way to train mentally than by giving up that extra push.
3. Go minimalist.  Not just with shoes, but leave all the extras at home.  Too often we are too focused on pace, route, time, distance, etc.  Leave the GPS, cell phone, iPod, etc. all at home.  let your run be free.  
4. Go the extra mile, literally.  Feeling exhausted and tired and in pain?  Try going an extra mile or two.  Push through the exhaustion.  You will hate it, but it will be rewarding afterwards and is great for strengthening the mind.
5. Long straightaways.  The worst routes have zero variety, and zero scenery.  Every once awhile throw one of these in.  It's great for mental toughness.  A 3-4 mile straight road is brutal, but man nothing says "brainpower" like working through that.
6. Run at your lowest point.  Usually this is right when you get home from work.  All you want to do is relax, eat, and watch TV, instead go for a run.  
7. Train in crappy weather.  Obviously you cannot control this, but don't make weather an excuse not to run.  I love Bill Bowerman's quote "there's no such thing as bad weather, just soft people."  Run in the snow, rain, wind, heat, whatever makes you uncomfortable.  Make sure you dress appropriately, as you want to be safe, but make sure you don't cut yourself short just because there's a little rain outside.
8. Run far away from your starting point.  This is my favorite method.  Create a loop on mapmyrun.com that takes you far from your starting location.  Once you get out 5-6 miles you have no choice but continue because whether you finish the loop or simply head back you still have a long ways to go.  
9. Hills.  Hills are great for physical training but, I argue, even better for mental training.  When you come to a hill charge it.  Try incorporating more hills in your workouts and push your body through them.
10. Motivate yourself.  This ones a little different because the first 9 all basically tell you to punish yourself.  This one develops from finding a purpose to run, finding a way to make it through those tough days because you have motivation.  Here is a great article from Runner's World.  Find books, movies, stories, etc.  Keep searching for motivation.  I love reading those stories of people who beat the odds.  The stories that continually remind me, "Hey this isn't so bad."