Post Marathon Blues - What motivates you? (Read 811 times)

Anyone else ever have a bad marathon and just sort of start to lose interest in running? I am sort of in that stage right now. I am trying to get out of it but I am still so disappointed in my last marathon. I've decided that I am going to do the flying pig marathon in May but keep wondering why in the world do we torture ourselves like this? What is wrong with us? I understand one marathon but why do we do it again? You work so hard for at least 5 months to get ready and if it is not your day or the weather is bad you don't get the results on race day. I am sure a lot of Chicago Marathon runnners must have this feeling right Anyway, what motivates you guys to run?

Especially with beginning marathoners, I see people with that kind of viewpoint after a race; but as soon as they forget exactly how much it hurt, they start getting excited about the next race. I get around the problem by never having one goal race or one running goal to accomplish. There's always something new around the corner to keep things fresh and to work towards. (you might want to read Focus, Goals, and lack thereof) As for what specifically motivates me, I'm competitive. The thought of losing is almost painful to me. Unfortunately, I lose a lot. That just makes me work harder.

Anyway, what motivates you guys to run?

On some level, you have to love running for running's sake. There has to be some pleasure or satisfaction derived from each daily run, totally separate from the external goal. If it's torture, don't do it. I had a bitter disappointment at the 2004 Boston Marathon when temps were in the mid-80's and I melted down and wound up in the med tent. I was crushed. I had been in by far the best shape of my life and put so much into that one day you can't imagine. I had some good races in the weeks after that and kept running most of the summer, but when I started to gear up for a fall marathon--it was supposed to be Cape Cod--I just said , "screw it." I didn't have the motivation for it. I basically stopped running for almost 2 years after that. Eventually, about a year and a half ago now, I missed it enough to start running again. At first with no racing goals--only the goal of becoming a runner again. I've recently run my first "post-comeback" marathon and I did train hard for it but I never let it become my be-all and end-all. I love to race but I make sure to enjoy the training almost as much and let the races be a special treat--the cherry on top if you will. I don't worry too much about the external goal times because I know they will come if I put in the work. There are good races and bad races but I don't worry about it. I try to be realistic about what I can expect from the training I'm willing to put in and I try, always, to appreciate how far I've come since that day on Memorial Day weekend in 2006 when the bell went off in my my head and I knew that I needed to start running again. I was a runner, and runners run. Not to sound like a cheezy Nike commercial or something, but you need to find the love. If you don't have it, maybe May is too soon for your next marathon. Maybe just run when you feel like it for a while and wait until you're champing at the bit to run your next marathon.

Have you run the Mid-Winter Classic before?

I have not, but I really didn't think I could make it from the Turkey Trot this weekend all the way to May without running a race. I love running in the cold so it seemed like the best option. I have pretty much been taking the 2nd half of October, 1st half of November off. I'm going to run the Turkey Trot with a friend of mine (1st time racer) just for fun. I'm hoping to ramp training back up after Thanksgiving.

My only marathon, while not necessarily "bad," was far more painful than any of my long training runs leading up to the event. I wanted to run again once I had recovered; however, my problem has always been that I am a fair weather runner. Staying motivated during the wet, dark days of winter is tough for me. Last winter I signed up for a half marathon early in the season, hoping that would get me out there, and for the most part it did, but it was still too easy to take training days off for this, that or the other. This fall when the weather started to change, in part because I wanted to make a difference and selfishly in part because I wanted to be motivated to run throughout the year, I put together a fund raiser that required me to run consistently year round to reach the goal. So far so good. I have already run deeper into the dark months than ever before. I somehow justify my selfish motives with the idea that I am indeed raising money for a great cause.