Since I am a personal trainer, people think I never struggle with motivation. I am regularly told, “Yea, but it’s easy for you to [run, workout, etc.]” While my motivation may ebb and flow, most of the time I am pretty self-motivated. However, in the past year I have truly struggled with motivating myself due to what I will refer to as a “series of unfortunate events.” Early in the year I had to take some time off of running. Initially, I did really well at substituting other activities, but I went through some rough patches, especially when the weather was nasty. When I was able to return to running, some other unfortunate events came into play further eating away at my motivation. I found myself having days where I felt really depressed, which was something I was not used to. At first I blamed this on the unfortunate events. Then one day it hit me. I was only running once, maybe twice a week and I was struggling to get in my workouts. No wonder I was feeling depressed. It was time for me to stop blaming my situation and get my butt in gear! A good sweat has always been the best cure for me whenever I’ve been down. Why had I forgotten that?
So, while I’m still working on getting back to a truly consistent schedule with my running and workouts, I am currently motivating myself with reminders of how I feel after a good bout of movement – complete with a full-on sweat.
Since a good portion of my job is motivating others, experiencing an utter lack of motivation was a good lesson for me in helping others. Especially since struggling with motivation to this extent was something I hadn’t been through before. It made me wonder about what motivates my fellow Run Oregon bloggers, as most of them seem to be highly motivated to run regularly. So I posed the question to them: What motivates you to get out for a run? If you are struggling with motivation for any reason, perhaps some of their motivation will rub off on you during this cold, wet, winter season.
Marilyn Tycer says that her motivation is “BEEEEEEER. Macaroni and cheese, pizza, and warm cookies. And to be a part of the running community–everyone lifts each other up and supports each other.”
Drew Roberts finds that “there is something magical that happens when my feet hit the trail. I can’t explain it necessarily, but I can feel it. Because of that inexplicable feeling of joy, I run.”
Speedster Brian Bernier is motivated by “those days when everything clicks and 5:30 pace feels smooth for miles on end.”
Rachel Peters looks to her “past experiences with running; how awesome I feel after completing a long run. No matter how unmotivated I am initially, nothing can compare to that feeling afterward. Also, new shoes motivate me because I’m always itching to try ’em out.”
Matt Rassmussen finds that “in the winter, it’s often just the way I know that running makes me feel afterwards. I don’t even enjoy the run as much as I feel happy I’m done. I know I will feel different than when I started – accomplished and happy.”
Joe Dudman is a planner. He states, “These days I like to race because I get to see my friends and I train so my races feel at least a little less hard. I usually do my training runs in the morning and I plan them the night before. That way I’m mentally set to run when I get up, rather than waking up and making the decision to run or not on the spot. I find it’s much easier to get up and run when I’ve already decided I’m going to do it in advance.”
Hyla Ridenour feels that “every day is a new opportunity to make myself better/strong/faster than I was yesterday. I know that if I don’t put in the work today, I won’t see the results that I desire tomorrow. And it always looks worse from the inside, weather-wise. Once I’m out there, it’s not so bad!”
Teresa Wymetalek finds motivation in a variety of areas. “I have to have an event on the schedule to keep me motivated- I’m planning on coasting for December and then will pick it back up in January. I like to stay fit enough to jump into a half. My biggest motivator: Food. I like to eat. Oh- one more- my kids and husband. They push me out the door when I’m cranky, noting ‘I need a run.'”
Geli Heidelberger is motivated by “a looming race! And peer pressure. On Wednesday I really didn’t want to go run, but it was Harmony’s birthday party run, so I went.”
Tung Yin stays current on all the latest television shows because of his running. “I go to the gym to run on the treadmill so I can watch TV. Oh yeah, one more reason: I love what running has done for me health-wise. I just had my physical check up, and despite my less than healthy lunches (Chipotle, Wow! Burger, Five Guys, etc.), my HDL is optimal, my LDL and triglycerides are low, and BP is 115/76.”
Jessica Cross Mumme‘s motivation is simple. “What gets me out the door? Running. The pure, uncomplicated sound of my feet hitting the road or trail, breathing in the crisp air, and knowing that I can eat more … Because I run for food.”
Kelly Barten finds that running “adds a “me time” dimension to my life. If I don’t have running (or walking, or rowing) then I am just work, wife, and mom. I like that I choose to do something healthy for my me time. That also takes the pressure off – if I cut a run short I don’t feel guilty; I also don’t feel guilty if I run longer and Eric has the kids all morning because he thinks it’s important for me to do, too.”
What motivates each one of us can change during the different seasons of our lives. Find your motivation for right now and use that to get yourself out the door (or onto the treadmill.) The important thing is that you move. And, remember, you’ve got an entire running community that would love to help motivate you. We runners practically live to help other people start and/or keep running. Never hesitate to ask another runner for a little help. We’re all here for each other!