Motivation (Read 1475 times)

I run in the morning, and if I don't get out, then I feel fat, dumb and lazy all day. I REALLY hate taper weeks!

This started out as a personal goal of a particular 25K race before I turned 30 & I told everyone so that I couldn't back out. I accomplished that & now it has turned to an obsession. Of course, weight & general body toning is a big one, but the personal sense of accomplishment I get by running a certain distance on a day I didn't want to run, or running a personal best time are even more reasons for me. Also, there is the fact that I am as competitive as they come & can't stand to know that someone else is running longer distances or faster. Funny enough, I don't aspire to win any of the races I enter (people come from an ocean away, it just wouldn't be fair of me to beat them ), but to do my personal best.

The thing that motivates me to run is running makes me feel good about myself. I used to have an eating disorder, but running helped me pull out of it and set my mind on something productive. I also love the feeling of absolute peace you get when you go on a long run, is anyone with me on that?

I also love the feeling of absolute peace you get when you go on a long run, is anyone with me on that?

Long, short, medium, trail, you name it!

I missed my run yesterday (See thread about T storms) and didn't feel right all day. My wife could always find me at the computer looking at Weather Bug tracking storms to see if/when I could run.

I echo all of those above who said, in one way or another, that they run simply because they have to. That they just don't feel right if they don't - as someone described it, to avoid feeling "fat, dumb, and lazy" for the rest of the day. That's me in a nutshell. (Help, help, I'm in a nutshelll!) I don't know how it happened. Truth is, I never even liked running. I was into weight lifting and martial arts. Running was a side gig to build endurance and cardio, to sweat a little more. But somewhere along the way, it became an addiction. Actually, I know exactly when it happened: the day after running last year's Huntsville Marathon. I woke up ... and realized that I'd accidentally become a runner. Go figure. First time I ran a marathon, I cursed for a week and didn't run another step for years. After Huntsville, I was back on the road 3 days later - and I had to make myself take those 3 days off. At this point, running is actually starting to cut into other things: I don't lift as much as I used to; I just got back from a 15-miler that made me very, very late for work. But I had to. Didn't even had a choice. I'd just been forced (involuntarily) to take 3 days off, and it was miserable. Miserable. I didn't feel right. Fat, dumb, and lazy indeed. So there's my motivation - I just have to. Forever. And for someone who's had plenty of unhealthy addictions, it's awfully nice to have picked up this one. I'm blessed. Used to be I had to force myself out the door, I had to find that motivation. Today, I had to force myself to turn for home at mile 15 when I REALLY wanted to tack on another 3 miles. I never, ever thought I'd get to that point. I frickin' love it. I guess that's pretty motivating, too. Oh - and chicks dig it.

Most of my running is based on goals that I set for myself. Like everything in life, if you have goals that you are targeting, it makes it much easier to move the legs forward rather than sit on the couch and just watch the TV. In addition, you have to have discipline on those days where you just don't feel like it. Go back, review your goals and ensure that you continue to buy into your original goals. But, running is not for everyone so if you are not motivated and it does not make you happy, look for a sport that does.

I'm never going to be *fast* k

Wanna bet? If you stick with that kind of training, and that kind of attitude, and maybe get in a little speedwork once a week (and I just peeked at your training log and see you're already doing regular fartlek workouts) ... I think you'll be a lot faster than you think. Maybe not Olympic speed, but faster than you can imagine now. A case of beer says that a year from today you're running that same 10.5 miles in under 1:40, easy. (It's a sucker's bet. Because I'll win. But I'd like a case of Corona, please. )