ultrarunningmom

Motivating other is difficult if not impossible really. If they don’t find the reason to do something within themselves no amount of motivation an outside source provides them will last. There are a thousand reasons why people run, and each runner has their individual reason.

But the bottom line is, you have to find your own reason.

It doesn’t matter what your reason is, so long as it keeps you putting one foot in front of the other. As we reach goals, motivation can change too. Changing motivation shows you that you are making progress.

If you can’t find something, ask other runners why they run.

We all have times when our motivation is low or nonexistent. Some of us push through those times knowing it will come back. Others give up and don’t run for a long time losing all the fitness they worked so hard to obtain.

Motivation can drop for just as many reasons as it can exist such as stress, over training, injury, lack of progress, and lack of a goal, just to name a few.

All of these issues can be fixed. If you’re stressed and have a lot on your plate, cut back your running but don’t stop. Running helps reduce stress and clears your head. You can have some of your most creative ideas while running, which could potentially resolve some of the things causing you to be stressed in the first place.

Over training can lead to loss of motivation because you’re just tired. Learn to listen to your body, take a few days or a week off and get then back out there. Make sure you’re following a good training program that gives you rest days and a rest week. If you need more than two rest days, than take one. Most training programs are pretty adjustable.

Injury is probably the most difficult. You have to wait for it to heal, which can take time. Find alternatives such as running in the pool, cycling, swimming, elliptical, yoga, or paddle boarding. Just stay active so when you do come back (and you will) it won’t be such a jolt to your system.

Lack of progress requires re-evaluating your goals or at least the way you measure progress. If you always do the same runs and the same miles every week, you’re going to level off in the progress department. You have to change it up make it more challenging. You can also measure progress in a lot of ways: do you feel better during the day, do you sleep better, are you losing weight or gaining muscle mass, are you breathing better when running or walking, are you able to go farther, are you even slightly faster?

Some people don’t need a goal. They feel good when they run, so they run. Others need that carrot out there dangling in front of them swinging in the breeze as we bounce along the road. I find that having one big goal and lots of little steps or mini goals is the best way to keep carrot people motivated. If their goal is a marathon, having some 5ks, 10ks, and a half marathon not only boosts their confidence it also keeps them training.

So how do you get your motivation back? You go for a run. And then another. And then another