Running Motivation: Find It Within

Recent conversations with running friends seem to have a common theme: motivation.  A good friend mentions she’s losing some drive & motivation.  Another commented on one of my Chicago Marathon posts saying she’s still looking for her motivation.  Another blogger says he needs to watch more films of Pre to get him motivated.

We often confuse motivation with how much we want something.  And we often look for motivation externally.  What consistently predictably works for me is shifting my focus from wanting to achieve running success to believing in my running success. 

Wanting running success isn’t enough.  Is it more important to want to achieve a goal or to believe in achieving a goal?  Would you rather have someone want something for you or have them believe in you?  The answer is obvious.

Ask a typical runner how badly they want to succeed, you’ll get a definitive “100%!”  Ask the same runner how deeply they believe they’ll succeed, you’ll get a fraction of that. 

My motivation to run is within me and not about waiting for an external force to kick in.  To the extent I believe in the immense impact running has on my life helps me make time to run, train smarter, rest better, eat healthier, and support other runners.  So for me, it’s about tapping into my beliefs that:

• Running brings out the best in me
• Today’s run (or recovery) can benefit me in multiple ways
• Running achievement comes in small, incremental progress
• Running is integral to my success in other life experiences
• I have already and can continue to achieve running success

Believing in my running breeds the motivation I seek, and everything else—the discipline, excitement, enjoyment, and achievement—follows! 

So kudos to those deep believer runners like Rae aiming to achieve fitness goals, or the countless others aiming to manage their weight, enter a local 5k, or finish a charity-based race. 

Deep rooted belief in our running is more powerful than watching all the Pre films put together.

Heart x-ray on Flickr by kingleyzissou

Comments

[Laurie]

I love this post. You are completely right.

I have finally found consistent motivation to run because I want it. I see how it improves my life and makes me a happier and better person.

I will come back to this post when I need some motivation in the future to remember that it comes from within.

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