what motivates you??

ronnie085

just woke up this morning with hangover from hell, skip my plannmed run him in mind, then looked at my training plan on wall with ticks beside last 5 weeks, cant ruin that, what keeps everybody else going?

digme

it's just a habit at this stage.

BeepBeep67

Firstly what I enjoy about running is you typically get of it what you put in, so your are in control of your destiny to a certain degree. With that in mind a missed training session is a missed training session, you can't get it back (obviously you need rest, look after injuries, etc).
Secondly, to answer your question, what motivates me is, one knowing each session has a purpose to maintain or improve my performance and two knowing how I feel when I miss session.

christeb

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

two knowing how I feel when I miss session.

Surely it should be the opposite - knowing how you feel after you complete a good session?

My motivational was health-based at the start, and still is to a large degree. However I love the buzz of cruising comfortably in a race, the atmosphere and social aspect to things.
I'm possibly not as competitive as I should be, but I think this will come in time. For the moment, I'm just trying to enjoy every run.

RubyK

For me it's a number of things.

Firstly, after being a slave to the gym for years, I love the freedom of running outside in the fresh air. I could never imaging subjecting myself to the sweatbox again.

Secondly, health wise, my diabetes is under fantastic control, plus I'm down at least a stone

Thirdly, no matter how much I may not feel like going out for a run some evenings, I know that I'll feel so much better for doing it. Plus, the guilts of missing a planned session (down to lazyness) is really not worth it

RealistSpy

The goal of getting 10.* sec in 100m.

If I miss a training session I will feel like a loser, someone that is weak and I hate that feeling.

mitresize5

I come from a long line of fattys and have watched a lot of them suffer ill health as a result .... I know if I don't keep on top of it I can put on weight very easily ...... half health concious, half vanity

ecoli

Given the fact that 3 of my friends are on the plane to Barcelona and another two are on scholarship in the US and 3 of these five used to be training partners motivates me to keep bettering my times.

Always say to myself "you are better than your times suggest". In order to realise the new times wanted i know i have to keep improving the training and cant afford to miss days if possible. I know the mates wont so i shouldnt either.

When it comes to PB's as soon as one is broken its forgotten its immediately on to thinking "well if i can run this then i should be close to running X"

shels4ever

Knowing that I can do better and that i've wasted any talent I actually ever had .... That keeps me going. But to be honest I dont need that much motivation to go out and run its something I wake up in the morning and want to do at , motivation comes into it come races, how much do I really want to hurt these days....

token56

After battling with many injuries since I've been running, my motivation at the moment is just to get back to the level I was at when I was going well a few years ago. If I reach this my motivation will be to see how good I can actually be, i.e. what is my limit and to reach it. A few years ago I was running quite well without actually doing any structured training or being that dedicated about it but I just really want to know what my limits are. My whole extended family would be quite sporty, and a lot of them decent runners. Seeing alot of the younger ones now come through and getting stronger is also motivation to try and catch up with them. We tend to get fairly competitive between each other and I want to be able to come back and give the younger ones a run for their money.

The Hammer

i got this from the web. when i was thinking about what Motivates you.
I came across a website talking about addiction to running.....


who is guilty here??????????????????



Let’s consider running as the “substance”.


a person must exhibit three of the following five criteria in order to be dependent on a substance: tolerance, withdrawal, unsuccessful efforts to cut down intake of the substance, interference with social, occupational, or recreation activities, and continuation of the substance despite recognition that doing so has caused physical or psychological problems.




A distance runner will meet all five criteria:


1) Tolerance – over time a runner must run more (or faster) to produce the same physical effects


2) Withdrawal – a runner becomes VERY grumpy when he has to take some time off


3) Unsuccessful efforts to cut down intake of the substance – a runner who has been advised to cut down his mileage will rarely do so. He must run. He hates the taper.


4) Interferes with social, occupational, or recreational activities – the run becomes one of the number one priorities of the day. And because of the lifestyle choices that accompany running certain recreational activities, such as getting loaded the night before a big run, are not possible.


5) Continuation of the substance despite recognition that doing so has caused physical or psychological problems – a broken bone is the only injury that will stop a runner from running.






Moreover, running satisfies common features of addiction


1)Positive reinforcement – a runner is happy after a run


2)Negative reinforcement – running is a release from ALL PROBLEMS


3)Craving – if a runner is watching other people run, he will want to run



And unlike most sports, running truly is about competition with the self with success being measured by to what degree the distance runner enjoys what he is doing and to what degree he is striving to do his best.

elvis jones

The mirror..............................all 16.5 stone looking back at me:o

cloda

then the answer is more mirrors i must try that might just motivate me

kennyb3

I ve always been quite self motivated, i just want to be good at what i do in all parts of life. im quite competitive too, but i do stuff because i want to. being good at something makes me feel proud.

sickpuppy32

I was born with a severe congenital condition called tallipes foot, my parents where told i'd never walk. Thanks to an amazing doctor and physio, i started walking when i was 6. My dad used to run marathons to raise funds for the hospital where they fixed me up. i want to follow in his footsteps

Slogger Jogger

sickpuppy32 wrote: »

I was born with a severe congenital condition called tallipes foot, my parents where told i'd never walk. Thanks to an amazing doctor and physio, i started walking when i was 6. My dad used to run marathons to raise funds for the hospital where they fixed me up. i want to follow in his footsteps

Fair play to you. I too had a foot problem when I was born so just being able to run is pretty damn good to me. Running in itself motivates me. It gives my life balance although my OH might disagree some times :rolleyes:. Running in crisp clean Wicklow hills air especially. Life throws a lot of s*** at you so its important to have a 'balancer' in your life.

Cabaal

My motiviation?
errr I guess it just makes me feel like I've done some excercise,
I used to walk alot but that took too much time, running is faster so I can fit in more miles in a shorter time and I feel like I've had a workout.

Oh and I want to run a marathon next year so I know I need to put in the work to get a sub4

dermo909

For me its boredom! I only work evenings so its easy for me to go running in the mornings. I keep a calender on my fridge also where I write in my times and distance so its nice seeing it filled in regularly

Krusty_Clown

I'm not sure what motivates me any more. When I first started, it was to give up the fags. Then it was to keep my head together, when the 'bad sh1t happened'. Then, for a while, I enjoyed being the fastest of my friends. Then for a while, it was the sub-3, and I was pretty sure that when I cracked that one, I would probably hang up my boots and find another hobby. But that hasn't happened yet.

Some day, when I grow up, I'd like to be what I consider to be a real runner. Obviously not a professional, or even a leading club-runner, but the type of runner that I currently look up to. The type of runner that you envy from afar at the start of a race, because even when they're not running they just ooze speed. They look fast, while standing around chatting.

I'd imagine, eventually, it'll be all of that in reverse.
Some day I'll wish I was still able to run sub 3.
Some day, I'll wish I was still faster than my friends.
some day I'll wish I could keep my head together.
some day I'll wish I could run.

I need some coffee.

HardyEustace

Remembering that you get good running days by going out on the bad running days.

Making deals like "ok, even though you're tired/bored/sore/stiff/have suddenly developed a mystery crippling pain in your sixth toe" just go and run two miles, if you're still utterly miserable then skip the next seven and come home.

I've only turned back one or twice from literally hundreds of those internal deals...

Knowing I'll be happier after the run

Knowing that running makes me a happier, more content and nicer person (no really)

olaola

Food. I love food, and I quite like running. But if I didn't eat as much - I probably wouldn't have started. Well that and the dog, she likes to come out with me too. The vet said she's very fit! That's at least one of us then…

Bambaata

I've been asked this a few times and when i think about it i am not fully sure! I feel good after a good day's training and similarly i feel bad if i miss a session. I enjoy the fact that I'm not too shabby at triathlon either as when a teenager i only played team events and didn't really achieve much (apart from under-age league/championships wins etc) so to be decentish at triathlon has got me thinking how "decentish" can i get. I also like the social thing and the chance to see different parts of the country. I would not have seen as much iof the country as i have if not for triathlon. In the last year I've been to Kerry, Clare, Galway, Sligo, Westmeath and Budapest to name a few which i would definitely not have seen if i wasn't racing there.

RoyMcC

A lot of the above plus

• the fear that if I stop at my age I might never start again
• when not in training for any particular race the 1,000 Mile Thread is a great motivator, not wanting to lose ground on eliwallach, Plodder etc and looking over my shoulder at those gaining ground :eek: I don't know what I'll do after I get to 1,000.

madon

olaola wrote: »

Food. I love food, and I quite like running. But if I didn't eat as much - I probably wouldn't have started. Well that and the dog, she likes to come out with me too. The vet said she's very fit! That's at least one of us then…

I run with my dog too- I went out today without him for the first time ever- felt strange not having to stop to pick up poo half way through my run!

opus

Left the multinational world around a year & a half ago & wanted to get someway fit again. After 6 months going to the gym an ex-runner friend of mine said I should really try a marathon. So I ended up running the Cork marathon in June, really got a kick out of that day (despite the lashing rain) and feel I'd like to repeat that & maybe improve a bit along the way. The other thing I've noticed is that since I've been doing regular runs I seem to be far more cheerful myself so a nice side effect (those endorphins eh )

fungirl1

lots of what above...but as an acive HM thread reader...all the people on there motivate me ..dont want to post and say I didnt go out this evening. Also no matter how little I feel like running I have NEVER come home and said I felt worse than I did when I went out..there is always a sense of achievement...

plodder

RoyMcC wrote: »

A lot of the above plus

• the fear that if I stop at my age I might never start again

That's me too. Also, since running is very much a competition against yourself, you can start at any age, and spend years setting new PBs.

opus

Forgot to say that I find a lot of the stuff I read in this forum very motivating (only came across it back in June) and the fact that I know I'll never even be in the same ball park as most of the people who post doesn't seem to matter.

RoyMcC

opus wrote: »

Forgot to say that I find a lot of the stuff I read in this forum very motivating (only came across it back in June) and the fact that I know I'll never even be in the same ball park as most of the people who post doesn't seem to matter.

I think you're in exactly the same ballpark opus. There are some top runners on here, but also many just starting out with all stations in between.

jason99

Great thread.I started running to get fit for a fitness test and now i'm hooked.I love it.It clears my head,gives me new challenges and i get a great buzz out of it.

ecoli

opus wrote: »

Forgot to say that I find a lot of the stuff I read in this forum very motivating (only came across it back in June) and the fact that I know I'll never even be in the same ball park as most of the people who post doesn't seem to matter.

I think that is the beauty of this sport no matter what your level there are always something to drive you on. 99.99% of the people see people running quicker are in awe and cant comprehend how they hit times yet you train, you improve, you hit that level and suddenly the bar is a notch higher regardless whether you are aiming for sub 3,4,5,6 hours for the marathon or mile or what ever there is a commonality in the striving to improve one s self