Back in Dec 2014, I drafted a post “How to overcome the fear of running a distance?” Never released it and it sat in a draft state till recently. I didn’t edit it. Just added these brief intro explaining why I decided to just click the Publish button after all this time. Basically I was asked a similar question and I knew I had thought on a response long ago written, which today I feel still holds true (at least for me). So thanks Jim Smith for the kick in the pants.
@Ru__El My big question: How did you get motivated to run your first ultra? Also any advice on overcoming intimidation of distance?
— Jim Smith (@misterjimsmith) January 20, 2016
How to overcome the fear of running a distance?
Do you like running? Are you new to the sport of distance running? 5k, 10k, 13.1m, 26.2m, 50k, 69k and bazillion milers? Like coffee I enjoy running. So I try to do what I can to make sure I really get to enjoy my cup of mileage and time out on the run. If your like me, speed takes a back seat to distance. It’s easy for me to do since I’m slower than a constipated snail.
How to get over worrying about the distance? In my very half marathon event, I remember the thoughts “This is just training for a marathon”. It helped change my mindset by helping me believe I was meant something greater, alleviate any jitters, and boosted my confidence. I remember when I was going to do my first marathon, I remember telling myself “This is just training for a 50k.” You get the picture. It works…to a point and I’m still learning to figure stuff out. Basically you could also worry about another distance or something else to take your mind off of things. A sort of ability to disassociate from a situation to not along the mental demons from wrecking you. This is what needs to be learned through trial and error, which is experience. I realize in life there are times where we should appreciate the moment and live in the present. However, when the present moment is hard as hell, you’d have a hell of a time cherishing it. So it seems blocking certain aspects of a grueling activity to allow an individual to complete a job is a good strategy used to be successful. 
“Stay focused and disassociate because it’s not going to last. The deal is, no matter whatever it is, the bad or the good will both pass so you just have to stay the course. It’s only momentary.” ~Errol “The Rocket” Jones
Eating The Elephant
For a different spin on mindset and mind tricks, listen to a conversation with ultrarunner Carlos Dones (@CarlosDones) on podcast episode 75 (iTunes link here and show page here) where Tony described essentially breaking down a stage into marathon distance (26.2) increments. Some days were more miles. But the point was, rather then focussing on the daunting total of 170 miles (see Grand To Grand Ultra), he focused on a “smaller” distance and ate the elephant one bite at a time. Thanks for listening!