You just do.
Anonymous asked: I don’t know how you stay so motivated all the time. Don’t you ever just want to say to hell with it all?
This was asked a while back and I thought that I would save it for some time when I felt it was appropriate. After the run I had last night…
To answer your question, of course there are days I want to say ‘to hell with it all’. I have many of those days. I work some fairly ridiculous work hours: 12+ hour shifts and I do this about 6 times a week with only two days off every week. It’s not an ideal situation. I get home most days around a 6-7pm and I’m like everyone else in the world. I want to sit on the couch, eat some food, watch some television, & decompress. But, I force myself out there at least 3 times a week.
The days that you feel at your absolute worst, those days where you want to scream and throw your equipment across the room, those are the days that you ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO RUN.
My run was terrible last night. My mind, my heart, my body, just wasn’t in the game. I was about two minutes slower than where I normally pace myself and I found myself shuffling through most of that run with the worst form.
I didn’t feel that much better after my run, probably a little crankier but this morning I woke up happy that I had forced myself out there. There’s just something in you that nags at you and forces you to get out there.
I’ve given the following advice in the past on this blog, but I’ll share it again for new followers.
Ways to stay motivated on days you feel like quitting it all:
- Dress the part. - Put on your running gear, shorts, shirt, shoes. Now stand in the door. If you turn around, you’re kind of a dumbass. I mean, why go through the motions, why spend all this effort dressing up and then not take a step out of the door, you could be on the couch. But seeing as you’re already dressed and ready to go, you might as well get on out there.
- Break it up. - Run to end of your drive way. Now to the end of your street. Now run the next four houses. Now run until you hit that street lamp that is bent weird, etc. Run small bits and pieces. Run for a small and easily achievable distance, run for 10 minutes, now run for 10 more.
- Talk about it. - Tell someone you’re going for a run. It’s one reason why I tweet/blog about my running so much. It makes you accountable. If you say you’re running to stay fit and you’re not. People will know. They’ll see that you’re out of shape or that you’re gaining back some of the weight you lost. That just makes you a lazy lying asshole. No one wants to be that.
Good luck, enjoy the pavement.
