We've all been there: You're halfway through that 5K, 10K, or triathlon when the wall comes up out of nowhere. Your feet hurt, you're mentally burnt out, you can't imagine running, biking—or moving—for another [insert seemingly overwhelming distance here]. 

And it's not just us average athletes it smacks in the face—I was surprised (and, selfishly, comforted!) to hear that pro athletes experience these mid-workout and mid-race hurdles, too. You see, I recently participated in the 2014 LUNA Chix Summit in Berkley, California. LUNA Chix is a program that consists of the LUNA Pro Team (professional mountain bikers, cylcocross athletes, and XTERRA athletes), LUNA sponsored athletes, and LUNA Chix local teams (women of all ages and fitness levels who meet weekly to run, bike, swim, or do a combo). (You can find and join one in your neighborhood here.) And yup, it's the same company that makes the bars. Each year, all of those women convene to work out, attend seminars on everything from nutrition to foam rolling, bond, and even party (think: an 80s workout-themed dance party at the Cliff Bar HQ!). 

While chatting with the other athletes, what struck me was that many things us average athletes struggle with—such as that dreaded mid-race wall—also impact the experts. What sets the experts apart, though, is that they have strategies for managing those challenges. And the best news is, you don't have to be a professional athlete or have access to a sports psychologist or team of trainers to apply the experts' tactics. Whether you're battling mid-marathon brain or feel like your legs are made of lead halfway through cycling class, use these to come out stronger on the other side:

Take It One Step at a Time
It's easy to let your attention drift too far ahead—to the end result of the workout or race and what you're working towards. But, just as living in the moment in day-to-day life helps you be more present and experience life more richly, the same is true when it comes to fitness. "Simply focusing on one or two simple things (like your breath, pace, or the back of the athlete in front of you) at a time can help you stay present and work wonders for getting through tough training or racing," says Danelle Kabush, a LUNA Chix pro team member and XTERRA triathlete. Mindfulness is a tactic applied by many pros, and is a key facet in Chi Running—a Tai Chi-based running technique.  

You can also focus on the immediate task at hand. So rather than brewing over the fact that you have 20 more miles to ride, think about making it to the top of that small hill. Or if you're halfway through a 10K, think about getting to that next mile marker. "Breaking it into baby chunks of effort helps shift your focus from what you can't control, to something you can," says Terra Castro, a LUNA Chix sponsored professional triathlete. 

MORE: The Easy Way to Boost Your Workout Motivation

Find Your 'Why?'
What motivated you to get out there in the first place? A desire to be healthy and fit? To challenge yourself? Something drove you to that start line (even if it's the starting line of a workout)—and it's a good enough reason to keep you out there until you cross the finish line. Kabush says to herself mid-race: "What if someone told you you couldn't race today or the race was cancelled? How would you feel? Hopefully the answer, is 'No, I want to get out there and see what I can do!' It is an opportunity to maximally challenge yourself!" That's usually enough to push her over the mid-race hurdles. 

Shift Gears
Literally. When it comes to biking, you can get speed and momentum from upping the gear and pedaling at a slightly slower speed, or from peddling quickly at a low gear. Teal Stetson-Lee, a LUNA Chix pro team cyclist, says she switches things up when she feels mid-race fatigue. "[If I'm in a higher gear] I shift into an easier gear and focus on speeding up my cadence for efficiency," she says. Think of it like flipping a mental switch. You can do the same thing on a run by quickening your cadence (shortening your stride and taking more, shorter, steps). 

MORE: The Best Running Motivation Ever

Reward Yourself
Shonny Vanlandingham, a LUNA Chix pro team XTERRA triathlete, sets mini challenges for herself within her race or workout—and then allows herself a reward or break once she accomplishes them. "For example, I might tell myself, 'Just go hard to the top of this climb and then you can back off a bit,'" she says. Take a note from her playbook: If you know there's a big hill climb after mile 4 in your race, plan to fuel up with your favorite GU/gel/block flavor immediately afterwards, or allow yourself to coast down at a comfortable speed before picking up the pace again at the bottom. 

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