Motivation

LaHaine

What keeps you going on those days when running is a complete chore, when you feel like you're tired before you even start, when you feel like giving up and dont want to keep going or when you're at that moment in a race where you're exhausted and feel like you cant go on.

During my LSR today, I was having one of these days.

Ive often complained after ive finished fun runs etc that I could have done better if id trained harder. I'm the first to wax lyrical about running advice to people who are new to the sport. Yet my times are embarrassingly low for a healthy 27yr old male.

I suppose today during my run it all really hit home. Im not looking to win races, but Id love to come out of a race leaving everything I have on the finishing line. For the first time in my life, go into a run knowing that Ive done everything i possibly can to do my best on the day. For too long Ive been content to potter around a 5 mile or ten mile course.

So, after all this rambling...my motivation?

To finally be proud of myself and give something 100% for once.

Dundalk

If I feel bad during a race I just keep telling myself that Im going to hate myself in the morning for stopping or for going slower, so i just try and think about something else, get my head down and keep going. The race wont be on again the next day so there is only one shot at it. The feeling to stop or give up soon goes.

If its not during a race then its all about beating my previous time for the same run, if if I only beat it by a second then im happy. I think most of the time the thoughts of getting up and going running is the worst thing, get past that and actually get out there then usually its okay

thirstywork2

I think most runners have been there at some stage wether its starting out in the sport or coming back from injury.
A number of other things that can happen is running can become stale wether its over training or not doing the right type of training ie lack of structure.
Ask yourself do you have short term and long term goals?
It's important with the shorterm goals if you are lacking motivation but the long term is most important if you want to reamin in the sport and achieve your goals.
Regarding racing most races I want to drop out at some stage but never have(once with a bad injury)
Also maybe look at joining a club if you are not in one,that way you can run with someone.
Time flys when you are chatting away with someone!!!
1.get a structured training progaramme to suit,doesnt matter what level you run at you need it.
2.set your goals both short term and long term
3.you will enjoy your training knowing its going to helping you achieve a new pb
4.If all else fails take a 2 week break and try come back refreshed;)

napathy

Had this on my LSR yesterday. felt like giving up after about 5 mins. I agree that without goals it is hard to keep going so always having something to aim for is great. and don't run anywhere near your house/ car until you have your miles done!

Emer911

I don't really feel qualified to comment on this one as I still don't consider myself a 'runner', but I guess I'd have to agree with the other posters that a plan is invaluable. Set some goal races and put a plan in place.

The other idea is to find some different training locations. Running the same routes gets boring, so you got to shake things up every so often and search out new ground.

And finally - running with a friend! I've only recently got organised on this front, and it's Brilliant! When you have someone else running with you, you have to get out there, cause you know they're waiting for you, you have to keep going and you have someone to complain to encourage enthuse about the scenery with . The running club idea works if you can't find a friend to run with.

...and sometimes a week off works wonders too?

ThePiedPiper

Like another poster said, there has to be goals in order to stay motivated, be they time goals in a race, a weekly mileage target or whatever. More than that though, you have to really really care about the goal and want to achieve that goal. If you've set yourself a race time target, then every session in the 2-3 months prior to that race has an importance. Even the long run where you're feeling terrible is actually good practice for if you are having an off day on race day and you just have to get on with it. Try and find something good to take from even your worst session.

When you get to that race, you think of all the hard miles on the road you did to get there, and even moreso all the hard miles that it'll take to get you back to another race where you're in with such a chance of meeting your race target.

In 2008, I ran 3.00.21 in a marathon. A few weeks ago, at 23 miles in a race, at sub-3 pace, I thought how long it had taken me to be back to where I could get under that 3 hours, of the sub 3.10 marathons where I'd fallen apart in the last 5 miles, of the thousands of miles in every imaginable weather conditions I'd ran, of all the winter mornings when I'd prefer to stay at home with wife and child, and also of the small chance that it might be another 3 years until I could give sub-3 another go. All of these things drove me on. And the digital clock with 2.58 on it was exactly what had driven me along in the hundreds of miles training. The target is essential.

tHE vAGGABOND

Like RunForestRun said - its all about goals. I'm still quite new to this running lark, and in work and running Im very focused on goals. Right now I have 3 goal races for the year [2 half marathons, and a full marathon], and they are my targets [at the same time I want to lower 10k and 5k PB's - as part of training for main goals].

Right now Im under 6 weeks to my first goal race, and I know I should be running around x miles a week training for that, and I also know that if Im plodding along doing 12 minute miles I almost may as well stay at home and watch TV all the good its doing.

Thursday morning I was really not feeling the best [lazy, no energy, excuses not to run running around my head], and really had to drag myself around the run. What got me out was thinking that I had to hit my weekly milage goal, and not doing a few today, would mean I would have to kill myself over the weekend to hit it, and maybe risk injury. So I went out, and I still got a few quality miles in there [surrounded by some crappy ones!]. But later in the day I was *really* glad I had gone out and made the effort.

thirstywork2

Another tip I would reccomend is to have a down week every 4-5 weeks,just helps recharge things.
You could also get a couple of running mates to do a time trial if you havn't got any races planned or if certain races don't suit.
Also what a previous poster said,vary where you run.
I switch between Tymon Park,Phoenix Park and every so often hit the roads and pavements.

redz11

I'm very very new to this whole running thing.

What I've found keeps me going when I want to stop is just competing against myself all the time. I'm very well aware I'm never going to win any races, so there's no point in pretending I can ever really compete against other people. But - for now at least, considering I'm starting from being really unfit - there's no good reason I can't beat my time, every time.

I know that, if I keep at this, I'll need different motivation. Because I know as I (hopefully!) get fitter, it'll be harder and harder to beat my times. Plus, from reading lots and lots of logs here, my training runs should really end up being more about distance than speed. But I think, as long as I keep goals in mind, I'll be OK.

Can never go wrong with a Rocky training montage in a thread like this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu00RiPjaa4

nerraw1111

If I'm not in the mood for training, I remind myself that those I'm most likely to compete against later in the year will be out training hard.

Works most times and I wouldn't consider myself that competitive.