ved in 2013. Those three words have stuck with me ever since -- you never know where youre going to get inspiration. Then, in November, I met American running icon Deena Kastor a

I believe anyone could run a marathon if they really want to. Thats largely because the second half of the race is all mental. Theres no way to sugar coat it: 26.2 miles is a long haul, and while your body needs to be physically strong, your mental game needs to be stronger. As one of my favorite runners Roger Bannister said, The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win.Once you reach the dreaded wall around mile 20, thats when your mental training really kicks in. So I have a few strategies for improving your mental game.I like positively visualizing my upcoming race. Because Ive run the New York City marathon before, this tactic is easier for me during this training cycle. But if you havent seen a race course before, you can still positively visualize your result. At least twice a week, in my mind, I like to go through exactly how race day will pan out. I start from (mentally) laying out my clothes the night before, to eating breakfast the day of the race, to warming up and toeing my foot on the line. Then I visualize how I will feel about every four miles on the course, all the way to the final push in Central Park and crossing the finish line.You can take your positive visualization to the next level if your race provides a video of your course (like this one) or by studying the course map. Im a visual learner, so I like to do both. By having a physical copy of the map, I can write down how I want to feel at different points in the race and where I plan to take water, Gatorade and food. I can also set pace goals for different mile markers.Another big part of my mental training is finding a few mantras that I can tell myself during the race. These are short reminders of all of the hard work and hours I have poured into training. These days, I rotate three sayings: stop at never, define yourself, and trust your training.Stop at never was written on the inside label of the New York City marathon jacket I received in 2013. Those three words have stuck with me ever since -- you never know where youre going to get inspiration. Then, in November, I met American running icon Deena Kastor at my local Fleet Feet store. I asked her what her go-to mantra is, and she said, Define yourself.This one, even more so than stop at never, has helped me this year. Ive interpreted the mantra to mean something along these lines: running is mostly an individual sport (save for running partners and teams), so if you arent doing it for yourself, whats the point? Your running partner cant log the training miles for you, so go out there and prove to yourself that youre stronger than you think.I mostly use trust your training when Im on a difficult stretch of the course -- a hill or a desolate stretch -- or when I need a pick-me-up because my legs are starting to feel the pounding. All three serve different purposes during the race, but all are equally as important.Aside from repeating these mantras in my head (and sometimes out loud) I like to write two of them on my arms. Two arms, two mantras. This way, when I look down at my watch or take water during the course, I can constantly remind myself of my strength. If youre stuck on finding a mantra that works, here is a great post to help you generate your own.A lot of factors can affect a race, but if you train your mental game as hard as you train your physical body, thats one less factor youll need to worry about on race day.Megan Flood is a seven-time marathoner and half marathoner. She is on a quest to qualify for the Boston Marathon and hopes New York 2016 is her ticket to Boston. You can follow her progress every other week here on espnW.com and on Twitter @meganflood11. Nike Dunk Cheap Wholesale . Bradwell was scheduled to become a free agent Tuesday. Born and raised in Toronto, Bradwell is entering his sixth CFL season, with all six played for his hometown Argonauts. Nike Dunks For Sale Online . -- Nathan Pancel scored twice as the Sudbury Wolves defeated the North Bay Battalion 4-2 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. http://www.nikedunkcheap.com/ . Rob Manfred, baseballs chief operating officer, testified last week during the grievance filed by the players union to overturn Rodriguezs 211-game suspension. 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TOLEDO, Ohio -- Logan Woodside threw touchdowns to four different receivers and Toledo rolled to a 45-3 win over Maine on Saturday night.Woodside finished 13 of 25 for 329 yards and one interception as the Rockets (2-0) rolled up 516 yards of total offense.Maine opened the scoring before Woodside went to work. He found Corey Jones for an 85-yard score in the first quarter and Corey Thompson for a 64-yarder in the second to make it 17-3 at the half. Jones finished with three catches for 100 yards.ddddddddddddn the third quarter it was Michael Roberts for 21 yards and an 89-yarder to JonVea Johnson, sandwiched around Ronnie Jones racing 27 yards after scooping up a punt blocked by Cody Thompson.The Black Bears had 235 yards of offense, 170 on the ground as quarterback Dan Collins completed 9 of 25 passes for 65 yards. 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