Voices in our head

We all have voices in our head...the ones that say you can't, or it's too hard, or why bother, or my favorite, I 'm too tired.  Our job is to tell them to shut up and go away and prove them wrong.  Now I have a new voice in my head that I have to listen too, her name is Stephanie.  Stephanie is my running coach, she teaches the 10K clinic at the Running Room.  She has this habit or waiting by the side of the road and as you run by she shouts things to you about your running.  She keeps saying to me "shorten your stride" and I say, "I thought I was".  Now I have her on a constant loop in my head as I run ‘short, short, short strides’.  Last night as I ran I did not have music, I had Stephanie saying 'short, short short' and the darn thing is, she's right; it was my best run for a while.  I noticed last Saturday that once I shortened my stride the run went easier and I finished my 8K.  Stephanie is our biggest cheerleader, always there to help us and encourage us to be a better runner, which is the kind of voice I want in my head. Today as I venture out for my LSR of 7.5 K I will have my music on and Stephanie in my head cheering me on and I will not be running alone.