Motivation. It's a big scary word that I've discovered while working to become more fit and active. It is SO easy to just sit on your butt and not feel an ounce guilty that you aren't super physically active. But then when you get into a workout routine, it becomes a little easier to convince yourself that it's worth it. However, even just a couple days off from that routine may make it harder to bounce right back in because it's never easy that first day back.
For me, I find it fairly easy to motivate myself to do something at least six days out of the week (Monday is usually my "skip" day). And it's especially easy if it's something that Will and I have planned to do together, like our scheduled morning gym trips or a Saturday bike ride. However, it's a little harder sometimes to keep myself motivated when I'm out running by myself. Even if I feel great physically, with no pain or sense of restraint in my legs, usually my mind does not want to complete the task. Granted, the kick of endorphins after I finish always reminds me that sticking with it is worth it; it's just a matter of getting to that finishing point.What do you all do to stay motivated, particularly when running? I find that now, especially with training for this half, I know what amount of time I'm scheduled to run and until I reach the halfway point, I struggle with wanting to keep going. I have a lot of self-doubt and constantly am telling myself I'm never going to achieve my goal: how do you avoid that or counteract it while you run? I don't listen to music while I run for safety reasons, but I have to wonder if popping at least one earbud in would help.
I also find that now that I'm regularly running at least 30 minutes/about 3 miles as my "shorter" distances, I find my mind trying to convince me to stop after a mile, because really, "that's enough and is more than most people do." I mean seriously-why would my brain say that? Physically I enjoy the benefits of running and am finding that I can accomplish the time/distance just fine, but the lack of motivation and support from my brain is surprising. Any tips on how to overcome this struggle would be appreciated!
Maybe give spoken-word radio shows or books on tape a try instead of music. They're a lot less likely to block out your awareness of your environment than a wall-of-sound pop song. If you don't want to go the listening route, you may find it helpful to run "out and back" rather than in a repeated loop. That way, if you decide to bail in the middle of a workout, you have no choice but to at least double what you've already done. If you had planned three miles, and your brain says quit after one... well, you're still going to go two that day.
ReplyDeleteIf you're not reading runners world, start to :)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.runnersworld.com/race-training/magic-mantras
I found this article helpful. I definitely have certain things, mantras,etc that I say to myself during every work out at start/middle/end that keeps me fired up. They kind of become prompts for me.
Personally, music makes me more aware of how long I've been running. I try and focus on my breath while I'm running and each step to get in tune with my body. Also...Jeff's comment about an out & back is the best. Particularly on your long runs. If you're doing an 8 mile training, run 4 miles away from your apartment. The only way back is the 4 miles back!