At the finish at the Yankee Homecoming 10-Miler, July 2008
A friend wrote on my Facebook wall today, “I’m totally burnt out on running…can’t get the motivation! HELP!” That got me thinking. I’ve been feeling burned out this winter as I train for Hyannis. How am I staying motivated to keep up my running schedule, despite horrible weather, grim road conditions and plenty of tweaks and injuries? Here’s what I came up with. I’m sure none of them are new, but these are the techniques I actually use, many arrived at through luck, coincidence, and desperation. Hope they help.
1. Register and pay for a race. Preferably one that will be challenging enough so that you have to get in a certain amount of mileage ahead of time just to get through it. You can slack on training for a 5K, say, if you don’t care much about your time. Not so much on a marathon.
2. Take a rest. Make sure you’re not burned out because you’re simply running too much, increasing training intensity too quickly, etc.
3. Change your route. If you’re running the same six mile loop over and over again, you’re going to get desperately bored. I use MapMyRun.com to map new runs. Sometimes I just head out and run in a totally new direction, down streets I’ve never seen before. Just make sure you can find your way back. Or that there’s a cross street back where you hope there is. I once had a planned 10-miler become a 16-miler for lack of a cross street.
4. Change your workout. Run long, slow miles. Run short, fast miles. Run tempo runs. Interval workouts on the track. Fartleks. Don’t do the same thing at the same speed every day. Not only will variation keep you from getting bored; it will make you a faster, stronger runner.
5. If you usually run alone, try some social running. Join the running club in your city and find some runners at your level to work out with. Nothing gets you out of bed for those early morning winter long runs like peer pressure. In fact, peer pressure is the only thing that got me out of bed a few snowy Saturday mornings this winter.
6. Rent an inspirational movie. I like Chariots of Fire and Without Limits (movie about Steve Prefontaine starring Billy Crudup.) Spirit of the Marathon is a good documentary, and Saint Ralph is a terrific, sweet comedy about running and coming of age.
7. Get some new music for your MP3 player. Listen to it only when you run.
8. Get into audio books. I sometimes look forward to a run simply because I know I’m going to get a few more hours of a novel, spiritual, or business book I’m listening to. Many libraries offer MP3 audio book downloads from their Web sites. Ours does in Manchester. Saves a lot of dough. If you need more selection, try Audible.com.
9. Log your runs. You’ll feel worse about skipping a planned day if you have to look at the mileage chart every day.
10. Use social networking and other Web tools for inspiration. Connect with other runners on blogs, twitter, Facebook, and on the forums at places such as RunnersWorld.com and CoolRunning.com. You get advice and inspiration, and if you log your runs publicly (or semi-publicly through a Facebook app such as Voomaxer or MapMyRun.com, then you’ll have extra incentive not to miss a planned run.
All right, that’s my list! If you have other favorites, please add them — I’ll no doubt have need of them soon enough!
Tags: burnout, motivation, Running, winter running
Those are all great motivators…I’ve got one to add: tell yourself if you get out and run you will reward yourself with a special treat, whatever that may be for you. In my case it would be something like say, a few peanut butter cups or something. Chocolate and wine are good for runners (in moderation!) so enjoy!