Motivation is a tricky thing.
There are days when I can’t wait to get out of bed and (literally) hit the ground running. I put on my running gear and as soon as I get out the door I start running.
There are other days that motivation is a hard thing to come by (these types of days are much more common). I need to convince myself that I want to run. I drag my ass out of bed, putz around looking for weather-appropriate gear, check Facebook, go to the bathroom, send a Tweet about my lack of motivation, kiss my wife while she’s still sleeping, tie my shoes, check Facebook again, look to see if anyone responded to my Tweet; then and only then do I walk out the door.
I then walk two blocks before I start thinking about running. My excuse is that I’m waiting for the Garmin to sync. In truth, this is just another stalling technique (I bought the Garmin footpod so I wouldn’t have to wait for the sync – finding satellites in NYC isn’t always so quick and in the dead of winter you don’t want to be standing around waiting).
These are the days that I need to really dig deep. I don’t have a scientific explanation for where my motivation comes from, it’s different for everyone. But what we do have in common is that, as runners, we’re able to find it.
For me, it’s always there. Some days it’s just less obvious, but if I look long and hard enough, it’s there somewhere.
My motivation is different on any given day. Here are just a few of the things that go through my head on good and bad days:
That third or fourth mile, the one where the endorphins start kicking in? That mile where I feel like I may be the fastest person in Central Park (which in reality I am the furthest thing from)? I want to bottle and sell that drug.
The feeling of accomplishment I’ll have when the run is over. When I can look down at my Garmin and tick off another XX (or just X) miles in my grand total.
The next race I’m signed up for. Be it a marathon, a 13.1, a 10K. How am I going to feel if I haven’t run consistently before that race? Will I beat my friend’s time? Will I beat my goal time?
In the back of my mind, I think about the advice I heard when I first started running. I don’t remember who said it, but I was told never to take more than one day off or you start to lose fitness. On the second day, do anything you can to get out the door, even if it’s just a 5K. And let’s face it, it’s not worth getting out the door for a 5K so why not make it a five miler or even a 10K?
It comes down to the person I want to be:
This video and as vain as it may be, is what I watch every once in a while when I need a little extra push
