1+2=3 Running Motivation

Motivation is such an issue for runners that nearly every running book and magazine deals with the topic, every coach coaches it, and there are whole websites full of motivational quotes for runners. But .... different things work for different people, and what works one time might not work the next, and so most runners need to develop their own repertoire of motivational strategies to keep them running.

There are three new things motivating me and my running at the moment:

(1) I'm the most pain free I have been for 2+ years, and if there is one thing that dampens motivation it is pain, and if there is one thing that increases motivation it's coming out of a long pain tunnel. At the moment I'd rate my running pain as 3/10 whereas for most of the last two years it has been around 8/10.

(2) My second motivator is related to reason why my pain levels have declined so much and that is the success of my now very well established running/cross training routine. While I have spent a lot of time tinkering with the cross training component and the scheduling of run days and gym days, I've had an effective formula in place for 12+ months now and there is nothing more satisfying than hitting a training strategy that actually works for you - short, medium and long term.

(3) Finally, (1) + (2) = (3) and(3) for me is the discovery that with less pain and using the running/cross training formula I have going at the moment I can run half decent distances at a half decent pace. My 25km run @ 5min/km pace at the Goldcoast 25 recently is a case in point.

So, that's what motivating me at the moment.

And while motivational running quotes actually don't motivate me there are many that I like. One that I read recently really struck a chord. It essentially said "if you don't feel like training then get changed into your running gear and then decide". How clever is that?! Seriously, how many times have you ever got changed into your running gear and then not headed out the door? Never! I'm going to hold this one in reserve just in case I need it one day :)