How to push yourself to your absolute limit.

I don't think I good run well if my goal was to run to my absolute limit. There is much negative energy in framing your races that way.

Do you wear a watch and check your splits as you race?

Blood dipping and stimulants

Quick question wrote:

Do you wear a watch and check your splits as you race?

No. I usually hear splits at the 1 and 2mi though.

Whatever you do, race barefoot.

Not sure if this is the answer you are looking for, but here's something I have noticed:

When I am in very good shape (and only then) I noticed something when doing 1000m intervals one day, many years ago. Getting fitter, for me, seemed to be describable as being able to reach a level of pain and hold it for longer and longer each time. In other words, I noticed the level of pain kind of plateaus and doesn't get any worse (even though it's quite terrible to begin with). As I get fitter, fitness itself could be simply described as being able to cope with that plateau of pain for longer and longer.

So upon learning that about myself, I began to trust that that feeling of "starting to lose it" that most of us mortals feel at the end of a 5k could actually be reached earlier, because I knew I could reliably hold it for longer and longer. Instead of waiting until 200 - 300m to go before allowing myself to get there, I could do it at 500m to go, and then close to an entire km, without panicking and thinking the bear was going to jump on my back. So I was able to become faster and faster simply by coping with a plateaued pain level that some people never get past associating only with the last 30 seconds of a 5k.

I've often thought that elites have the ability to calmly deal with this for even longer, and this is one of the many reasons they can run so fast (other than the myriad of other things, such as genetics, superior training, etc.). It's a matter of knowing that if you are very fit, it really doesn't get appreciably worse once you reach a certain level of discomfort, as extreme as it may feel, and being very fit (at least, for me) is simply the ability to practice holding onto this feeling and dealing with it for longer and longer periods.

It took me almost until the end of my college running career to figure this out, but:

Focus on running a smart race, and the time will come. Don't go out with the intent of hitting a certain time. Focus on beating people, don't worry about splits, and the rest will take care of itself.

Sounds like you're running the right times per that workout. Lots of excuses in your races, cut that out and just race maybe..

The implication in your question is that you did not run to your limit in previous races. That is basically implying character weakness which is the very last thing you want to tell yourself.

Emphasize more effective training, drop the this time I won't give up so easily thinking.

I usually listen to music while running, it helps me divert my attention from body pain to the music. Also with constant practice, the body adopts to it. So be persistent.

Just before the race starts, near the finishing line hide these items under your warmup clothes: credit card, cash, car keys and usb stick (containing all kinds of embarassing content).

You're too much in your own head my man. I am sure you're a great runner, just putting too much stress into something that should be appreciated. I wish ya all the best, you'll find your groove!

Dude I was you for a long time. Took me till college to change. Let go of the fear of failure and the need to run fast and focus on place or giving it your all. It's hard but you'll get there. I believe in you

Right answer.

A runner's best/fastest races are very rarely the ones that hurt the worst. A pr race is more typically one where you feel an effortless power in your stride, you hit some fast splits feeling great that fuels your confidence mid-race, you decide to throw caution to the wind and let it fly. The pain is still there, no worse than normal, but the risk/reward area of your brain has compartmentalized it. It's only a peripheral acknowledgment because all your attention is focused on the race and the reward of the great result you're about to have. If you're ever focusing on the pain you've already lost. So instead of focusing on the negative pre race, "how do i hurt worse", you should visualize the positive. I'll do it on a solo easy run, visualizing myself at different parts of the race running fast and feeling how i want to feel at that point. It doesn't always go as planned, because you can only do what you're training allows, but it helps get me to the starting line in the right frame of mind.

you probably run your easy runs too fast ...

Your workouts are a lot better than your races.

Make sure you taper properly. If your race is next week, there is nothing you can do to improve your fitness. Cut your mileage by 50% this week but keep the intensity high. This week, you should end your workouts feeling you could have easily run a few more reps. The two days before the race run a few easy miles and do a few strides or even take one or both days off if you still feel a bit fatigued. Resist the temptation to "ace" a workout this week: you are tapering for a race, not for a 4x800 PR.

As other said, focus on racing and passing people, focus on trying not to get passed by anybody in the second half of the race; the time will take care of itself.

Ok, a few things that might help:

You seem to be in a negative place (pushing to the absolute limit, "Epic Failure" as a name, excuses about prior races). You need to get in a positive state of mind or at least learn how to use that negativity to your advantage. Maybe something like "This season has sucked, but it doesn't mean I suck. What it does mean is that I don't have anything to lose in this race, and there's no pressure on me. I'm free to run recklessly and aggressively. If I go out too fast and die, so be it. Let the chips fall where they may." For this to work, you have to be 100% committed to the possibility that it could end badly. You also have to have a certainty in your own mind that it won't end badly and that you'll be successful.

One quick anecdote: In my junior year of college, I had run one decent race and a whole lot of clunkers. I was in the varsity race at our conference meet, and I needed to finish top 5 to make the squad for Regionals. I figured I was on the outside looking in, and I had nothing to lose. I went out hard the first mile and was right with the guy who won Nationals a few weeks later. I ended up falling back, but I was still All-Conference and finished as the second runner on my team. Two weeks later, I was running a PR at the Regional meet. None of that would have happened if I had not given myself the freedom to fail.

Good luck the rest of the season. Oh, and one final thing! When it starts to hurt, listen to your breathing. The top runners will be breathing hard and fast by the end of the race. If you aren't panting like a dog, you aren't running hard enough!

Run slower in your workouts... it will help you