… actually giving a damn about training.
There. I said it. I didn’t train well (or at all) for MCM because my heart just wasn’t in it. This will be my 6th marathon and my 3rd MCM. I know how to train for a marathon. I even know how to train for a marathon through the Virginia summer. In fact, not only do I know HOW to do it, I’ve actually done it. Twice.
So, let’s talk about the most challenging thing about running for me right now. That’s the topic of today’s Tuesdays on the Run. Not that you’d know that because I totally didn’t put the month of September on the linkup page. Sorry. Apparently I’m all around unmotivated right now.
And there it is folks – my challenge with running, with life, with my weight is my lack of motivation. I know what I need to do (duh, get out there and run for longer than 5 miles) and yet I can’t seem to make myself do it. I also know what I need to do to dump the extra pounds I’m carrying right now (a good start would be to put down the damn cookies.)
What I don’t know is how to find the motivation I used to have. Obviously signing up for a race didn’t work because, umm, no long runs… And unlike Marcia, who’s waffling about a half or a full, MCM does not have a half. So it’s all or nothing.
You’d think this would motivate me…
… but so far, no.
What’s challenging you about running these days? And what do you do when you can’t find your motivation.
Also, here’s the list of topics for the rest of 2016. Apparently I was motivated to work on that.
10/4/2016 Bucket list race – where would you love to run?
10/11/2016 taper quirks/cravings/rituals
10/18/2016 Remaining Goals for 2016
10/25/2016 If you could go back and run/train for a race differently, or revisit an epic one just for fun, what would you redo?
11/1/2016 Favorite winter crosstraining
11/8/2016 How are you different from when you started blogging?
11/15/2016 Gift list
11/22/2016 Discount codes/deals/Black Friday
11/29/2016 Free topic
12/6/2016 Something new you learned about running in 2016
12/13/2016 Favorite running book you read in 2016 (could be a cookbook)
12/20/2016 Your year in bling or pictures
12/27/2016 Wrap up your year
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I know what you mean – this half marathon plan is the first time I’ve actually managed to follow a training plan all the way through to the end. My motivation usually leaves me at about the point it starts to feel hard!
GIRL YOU ARE MCM MAMA RUNS. That has to be a bit of pressure. And understandably, a lot to live up to. I don’t know if guilt tripping is going to work for you (if it would, well, think about all the things our armed forces have to do that they don’t want to do). And I don’t necessarily think that carrot/stick will work either (in that case, meeeennnn and a shiny medal).
I think you have to just take yourself back to that original feeling. Relive running the course and the incredible experience that was.
And if you don’t give a damn about doing GREAT, so what? Run it because you f ing love to run, you love that race, and you KNOW it will be incredible if you just gave it a chance.
Sorry your motivation has been missing… my heart was into the marathon training but not the speed work this summer, so I gave myself permission to just relax and enjoy the miles. Hope you find your mojo again soon!
It gets better. Lots of my runner friends have described this type of feeling. The trend I’ve noticed is that they come back eventually. In the meantime, they take time off, cross train or set completely different goals (speed vs. distance, for example).
When I don’t feel motivated to run, I try to think about how I’ll feel if I do run vs. how I’ll feel if I don’t run. I always feel so much better after a run so that feeling motivates me to get out the door. And if that doesn’t work, then I let myself take a day off. Sometimes I feel guilty about it afterwards and get the miles in the following day! But if not, then I chalk it up to my body needing rest.
I felt like that all summer practically. I barely trained in July and August- just didn’t have motivation. There’s no telling when it will come back but the good thing is that it will eventually! I hope you find your motivation soon!!
Sometimes you just need a break. I can’t comment on marathons since I haven’t done one, but I know about burnout. I took a good amount of time off after Tink because I just needed a break from the schedule, from the stress, from the healthy eating, everything.
You’ve posted that photo of the Marines many times but today was the first time I noticed that there is a dog in the picture. And I usually notice the dogs first. #quads
Sorry to hear that you are lacking motivation. Sometimes If I am feeling like that I set a goal for myself to reach. Like if I get this 5 miles done I’ll get my nails done.
While we all know that sometimes just signing up for a race is all the motivation we need to get out there…I believe that there are also times when we need a break from all of the structure, stress and pressure of those training plans. Life happens. We just need to take a break, re-group and get back out there! Good luck!!
Ah yes, motivation. The evil beast. Sometimes it shows up, sometimes it doesn’t. If we could only make it obey to our will.
I have been in a real funk lately… I have no motivation what so ever to sign up for a race. I am training for NYC marathon, after I did Paris earlier this year. 2 marathons in 6 months ? Yeah, I am looking forward to some down time. The training plan does keep me motivated to run but I need a break.
Motivation has been a big struggle with me lately, in terms of food choices. That’s meant a lot more weight to haul around and I am feeling it. Ugh. You’d think just the fact that I’m hauling around 30 lbs for miles and miles would be motivation enough, but it isn’t. Maybe I should print a pic of those guys for inspiration.
Good luck finding your mojo again!
I’m feeling unmotivated myself lately, but something keeps making me going. Maybe because I know MCM is coming up and after that I can rest all I want? I dunno. I hope to meet you in person MCM weekend at least! Hang in there, you’ll find your mojo again soon.
Your cat is my spirit animal. My motivation definitely has ebbs and flows but it always seems to come back. And then the rest of the time I just run anyway;).
Is… is that what I’m gonna see at MCM? THANK YOU for reminding me why I’m doing all this!
But seriously – I had the same struggle, and I don’t have the background of knowing how to train for a marathon or the experience of actually doing it. I was scared and unmotivated for a long time, and got started much later than I had originally planned. But that’s the way life goes sometimes! Occasionally the motivation isn’t there, and that’s actually *okay* because it’ll come back eventually!
Good luck, keep your head up, take a deep breath, and look for the small things to get started again!