Tuesday, January 22, 2008

How do you find motivation?

When I began running last year, I really needed to motivate myself to get out there. I was really out of shape, obese to be frank, and running hurt. My ankles, knees, and hips squealed on a regular basis. I really needed to mentally push myself to get out there. It wasn't easy. These days, I don't have to look for motivation on getting out there but rather on the finer points.



Back in November, I felt like I was stagnating a bit. I think I had crossed a threshold in my running and I needed to do more but I hadn't realized it. The injuries didn't really help much. When I pushed my base run from 3 to 4 miles I noticed big changes in my abilities. So how do I get motivated these days now that I have increased my work load?





Well it seems that I have been employing a tried and tested motivational method used for centuries. This technique originates in Ireland. Ireland you say, exactly I say. You see what I do is tie an angry Leprechaun on my shoulder before I set out on my run. The Leprechaun, or Mr. O'Toole, will berate me with profanities while hitting me with a stick (or shillelagh) when I don't run fast enough. This is quite similar to Luke Skywalker lugging around Yoda in the Empire Strikes Back (well without the sentence confusion). -- Run you will-- This seems to do the trick without much in the way of added weight.

No really that is how I do it, well not really these are my tried and trued motivational tricks.
  1. Right now Dean Karnazes is in the middle of a 50 mile run, I can do 4 right?
  2. the Mantra - small hill, small hill or I don't know how to quit, I don't know how to quit -- Well you get the idea.
  3. I always feel better after a run than before no matter how bad I am feeling.
  4. Set small and consistent goals: At the start of the week I try to set some goals for the week. This is beyond just 4 miles on Monday and 9 on Saturday. Rather, I like to set some time goals for certain runs. I don't always get there but pushing myself to get better keeps me at it.
  5. Set big goals: for me this year the big one is the Philadelphia Marathon, 26.2. It is a big goal and I know I have to be very consistent to get there. This makes skipping on runs and giving in to fatigue during a run less likely. Rob if you are going to run 26 you need to be able to do 10 with no trouble, for example
  6. Gifting: I am a big kid in many ways. I like a new toy and I usually make this result related. If can do x then I will get a new running top, pair of shoes, etc. This along with the angry leprechaun are usually enough motivation to meet my goals.
  7. Responsibility - I will tell you folks the brutal truth of what I am doing. If I slack then I have to admit that. This keeps me going. Oh my what would ... Jason, Nancy, Dave and others think if I gave in now. I don't have much quit in me, but this keeps me more honest.
  8. My Scale - I remind myself of my weight when I get out the door. Then I remind myself of how far I am away from my goal weight. Where am I am now -- where is my goal - one angry leprechaun saying things I can't repeat and this gets me running surer than anything.

So if you can't find an angry leprechaun or a sasquatch to help motivate you then these 8 things might help, or not. Maybe you have your own list.

7 comments:

David H. said...

I find that having signed up for a big race months down the road is motivation enough. Plus keeping a blog now is motivating -- like you said, if I slacked off or stopped writing, I worry about what other people will think!

*lisa* said...

haha - I like this post from you! Sometimes I think we all post a lot of stats and facts and not enough "us"

My motivations are a lot like yours - keep up the good work.

p.s. I can't wait until I can make my base run even 3 miles ... you're a great inspiration, Rob. (and thanks for the support) ... now that my P.S. is longer than my comment, I'll get back to work. See you in blogspace.

Nancy said...

Great job, Rob. You have been so successful, it is great to see what continues to motivate you and what you do to make sure it continues. You have really made great progress (read that, left me in the dust) !!

Robert Barker said...

David: Nice to know others use the same tools

Lisa: I am glad you are back. Thanks for the kind words.

Nancy: I think I have been aided by the weather in Philadelphia in terms of my running. I think if I lived in the snowdrifts and cold of the midwest it would be much more difficult.

Unknown said...

this has been something i have struggled with for soooooo long. i guess what motivates me is knowing that i have nothing better to do so i might as well do it. i also work towards a goal, but i've found short term goals are more motivating (such as an upcoming 5K or wanting to reach a mileage goal). i also think that good weather is a fabulous motivator, which is why winter sucks. keep up the good work!!!

Amy@RunnersLounge said...

Great post Rob! Love the list...especially the gifting one.

Midwest said...

I buy myself presents, too. But I can tell you that thanks to this post, I'm going to be imagining Yoda on my back during my very next run.