Building confidence in running
Some advice that I found on running when you start to loose to confidence and not meeting goals. Some things to think about while your training for a 5k run:
Focus on achievable goals: Instead of setting a goal to run an in-month best time which may not be realistic right now, focus on a goal that is challenging yet realistic. For instance, to run a best time by the end of the month, you need to work on the back half of your race. So, set a goal of negative splitting your race. It is do-able and will set you up for fast racing later.
Recreate past successes: Go back, in your mind, to the last time when you were running well. Recall how you felt, what you said to yourself and how you focused when standing on the blocks getting ready to race. Try to recreate that now. Set the stage for your success. While a multitude of factors affect performance, your attitude and thoughts certainly have an influence. Strive to recreate the "mental environment" that has proven beneficial.
Carry P's with you: P stands for Positives. When not running well, there is a tendency to be attuned to negatives; to focus on all the negative things that confirm you are not running well. For example, a runner who is struggling will get out of practice and remember the two missed intervals and how heavy his legs felt on the sprint set. You need to force yourself to acknowledge the P's - the positive, good things that occurred such as improvements in technique or feeling better than the day before. These P's should go with you to competitions to give you confidence that things are turning around.