How do you find your motivation?

Summer evening running – East Yorkshire

I actually feel like my running is going ok at the moment, I’ve upped my miles a little bit, I’m doing some longer runs, my comfortable pace is getting quicker and as a consequence I’m feeling pretty motivated. To the point that on yesterday’s rest day I really had itchy feet and wanted to be out running!

My question is has my motivation come from doing more or has doing more come from better motivation?

Million dollar question? I suppose if we knew the answer we’d be able to deal with the times when our motivation isn’t good much easier. I’ve been thinking about the last few months to see if there is anything else that may have helped or hindered and there are a few things.

Having a goal. I’ve got quite a few races coming up. Including two 15k trail races in the Lake District that I know are going to be pretty tough. I know I will enjoy all or these races much more if I am a bit fitter and in a good place with my running.

Alcohol. Those that know me know that I like a drink, particularly white wine although I’ve also found a taste for gin too. However you can have too much of a good thing! Over the years we would occasionally have a reset, to try and ensure bad habits don’t get too set – for us this would generally mean no alcohol during the week at all, but fine with a few glasses of wine on the weekend. We had got to the point that I thought a reset was a good idea, a glass or two most nights was the habit we’d fallen into. So a few weeks ago I didn’t buy any wine, asked my husband to not offer me any and I’ve stuck to it. I’ve also not had much on a weekend, just one glass. Do I feel better? Yes I think I do. I think some of the persistent slight groggy feeling has lifted. I’m not going to completely ban alcohol, but I think limiting it is a good idea.

Weight. This probably follows on from the last point. I’ve lost few pounds and it does seem to have made a difference, so I can only imagine how much better I’ll feel if I manage to lose a few more !

I’m very busy and a bit stressed at work at the moment and as I always have, I find running really helps with the stress. When I’m fed up, mind won’t stop whirring, then a run is the best thing for me – a run on my own with either music or an audio book playing. Long may the motivation continue to help me run off the stress.

I’ll finish this post with a picture of me that I love, taken at Sewerby parkrun a few weeks ago. Tim had kindly kept me company and we’d had a lovely run and he pushed me to a speedy finish which a friend of a friend (or are we all just friends at parkrun) captured.

Sewerby parkrun finish

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