Hi there! Can you believe it’s February already? We have several of our HM group racing this month.
How’s your week been?
MOTIVATION was another popular topic in our recent poll, in fact it was thetopic I asked for 😎. I’ll discuss it briefly here, but hope you will also share some of your own motivational tips in the comments 😊
★ MOTIVATION TO STICK TO YOUR TRAINING PLAN
Running
If you’re ever feeling in need of some motivation to stick with your training plan, take a moment to remember why you wanted to do the half marathon: it can be one of the greatest motivators.
Sometimes the plan begins to feel relentless, we may want to do parkrun but it doesn’t fit the plan, or the weather may get in the way, or life in general. It may take some juggling, but you need to take your runs whenever you can 😊
Mix it up, try new routes, vary urban routes with more natural runs if you can, flat with undulating or just go somewhere completely new and explore. Try joining a club and see if running with others helps.
If your half marathon is going to be at an event, why not throw in the occasional race or parkrun to remind yourself of that great race buzz.
Finally, if your motivation is still flagging, post to the forum, make a commitment to us – let us be your motivators!
Strength/cross training
OK, to be honest I’m probably not the best person to give you ideas on this!
I do remind myself (all the time) just how awful it felt to be on the IC; regular cross training is mine and your best defence against the IC!
My biggest success has come from finding two things I really enjoy – cycling and yoga. Unless it’s something you actually want to do, it’ will be hard to motivate yourself to cross train regularly.
★ MOTIVATION TO FINISH A RUN
Those last few kilometres of any run can be hard work! In fact, they should be hard work, especially if your pacing strategy relies on you expending all your energy!
You'll need some good self talk strategies 🤩
Pigheadedness
Make yourself keep going when you want to stop, even if you are beetroot and puffing like a train, flailing like a rag doll (or ‘running like a dinner lady’ as one HUer used to say).
Positive mindset
Remind yourself that you have done this before and therefore you can - and will - do it again. Find yourself a mantra: ‘I can, I will, I am strong’ is one I often repeat to myself (let us know anything that has worked for you). Visualise that finish line feeling, the cheers that await you, the smile for the camera, the sight of the bling, the amazing high and sense of achievement (and relief 😂).
Inspiration
Remember why you wanted to do the half marathon. Think about others who might have inspired you; those who fought on to the end. Do it for those who can’t!
Distraction
Anything to take your mind off your legs, feet and metres/minutes left! Count yellow cars, try to think of something you’ve seen on this run for every letter of the alphabet, count backwards from 1000 in threes … (again, I really look forward to reading your suggestions)! Bribe yourself! Promise yourself a treat if you make it to the end, or sprint the last 250m, or … and think hard about what that treat should be!
★ LONG TRAINING RUN - A CASE IN POINT 😄
So yesterday I had a long easy 20k on my plan. I had no problem motivating myself to do it. Route was planned, clothes were ready, food/drink planned and all chores sorted so I could start my run at 11am (the time of my HM event). All under control, right? Err, not quite. I hadn’t allowed for the deterioration of the towpath since my last attempt, I’d had an ill-advised curry the night before and was probably dehydrated from the previous day’s travel. Off I went anyway. Great. Except my pace was almost 30 secs per km slower than my target and that was demotivating. My feet hurt and that was demotivating. I kept slipping and that was demotivating. I wanted to give up. But I’m a stubborn old fool and stuck at it. I kept thinking of those HUers who can’t run and told myself to stop being so ungrateful! I kept reminding myself how much I had wanted this when I was on the IC myself. I told myself I’d done it before and I could do it again. Less than 0.5k from the end I urgently needed the loo! Quick dive into a well placed pub to use the facilities, then back out again. Right. I AM finishing that 20k - in fact, as I just had a sit down I can do the full 21.1k 🤷♀️. And I did!!!
That’s real pig headedness and I know it is my biggest asset when it comes to motivation; this run has become a new instance of ‘you’ve done it before, you can do it again’ that I can use when I’m fading in future.
I hope some of that is helpful and I very much look forward to reading your tips and mantras, and adding to my motivation arsenal!
I have just finished RED January, and I'll be honest, I don't think I'll be doing it again. When it comes to motivation, something like RED January has knocked it out of me, feeling that pressure to get out and run just because I had to, and not because I wanted to.
Desperately trying to get back on track with my training plan now, but with so much going on this month, I'm really finding it hard to get back into the swing of things.
Maybe this motivation post is perfect timing for me, and just the kick up the backside I need to actually get back on the road, either tonight or early tomorrow.
I'm not sure I could run every day, so kudos to you! Sometimes a (short) break is necessary, and can be a big boost to motivation, and is possibly just what you need right now. But don't ignore the'short' bit!
Adjusting plans is inevitable, and also OK (especially when your event isn't until May 😀). But take a look at your plan, adjust and commit to the adjusted plan (whatever the weather😂) ; set a few dates in your diary and stick to them and you will soon be back on track I'm sure 👍
Ah, you read my mind! Motivation! Having a bit of a dip, so your thread is timed to perfection. I have a month until my HM and have fallen slightly off the training plan. Supposed to have done a long run on Sunday but I didn't as I was out with my daughter most of the day. Didn't yesterday as I was working and as I've got the Winter Run on Sunday, I won't get a long run in now this week. 😢So, I'm now looking at next week with a lot of catch up to do and then if you do a two week taper before race day, I've got two weeks to get the distance up. Ugh, feeling a bit despondent that I simply won't have the miles in my legs.
You're right, with just under 5 weeks to go you do need to stay on track. But it's not all bad, you're in a good place already.
You've run 16k already. Some HM plans only take you as far as 16k in training, leaving the rest to the excitement and atmosphere of the day.
A two week taper isn't really necessary for a half marathon - yes you want to cut back overall distance in those last two weeks, but if you want to fit another long run in and need to go into the first of those last two weeks, do so and maybe miss a couple of easier runs to keep the distance down. Then the week immediately before the race can have a couple of short runs to keep you ticking over and your legs will still be fresh for the big day!
If you find you can only fit one long run in before the day, step that up to 18k if you can, then you will have all the miles you need in your legs, and time to play with too.
Hopefully that helps and you can stop feeling despondent. Put your positive head back on! You've got this! 😍
Great words, Linda, you make total sense! I have just got back from squeezing in a 6 miler - not as far as it should have been on Sunday (10 or 11) but it's better than nothing (I wasn't planning to go today until you posted earlier and I got to thinking I had to simply find the time!) I picked up the pace a bit to make it more of a work out, hit my 9min/mile on the nose for a 10k. HM pace will be slower and I will now just do something relatively short and steady on Thursday, miss parkrun and hopefully be all set for the Winter Run on Sunday!
Thanks again for your perfectly timed post, it really made the difference to me today. 😘🙏
Hanging in and ticking over is what it's all about! You have motivation aplenty Tbae, you're one of the most self motivated people I have come across 👍🙂
Thank you for this post linda9389 ❤️ I'm hoping to do a HM at the end of March! So far I've done 2 x 5k Races and loved them and I've got a 10k Race coming up on March 14th and would really love to enter the HM on 29th March (Eeeeek)
How do I get entered onto the Spring HM Spread Sheet? I'm thinking, that "If I'm on the list.....then I will do it!" I'm committed! Or I should be! 😱
I am so loving my running! And thank you for your inspiration! xxx
Fabulous - welcome to the group! All you need to do is tell me which HM and I'll make it black, white and public - as committed as can be! Running is wonderful isn't it? Glad these posts are helpful too 🙂
Hi Linda, yes great timing! My actual plan has gone totally awry so I’m doing my usual and DIY-ing! I have about 6 weeks until my half, but I’m banking on my having run the distance before to pull me through. 🤞
It’s not that I’ve been idle running-wise, it’s just that I hate running in the wind ( 🎻 ), I’ve had a mini lurgy ( 🎻 ) and I’ve done more at the gym than I’d planned .... and WHO wants to run more than 5k on a treadmill? 😩😅
But tomorrow is the day I suck it up and do 10k on it. Our boiler is up the swanny again and I need to use the gym for showers, so I’ll be there anyway. Lots of tunes, lots of patience, but now I’ve said I’ll do it to you guys, I will. 😳😱
10 miles next week if all goes well (not at the gym!), then that’ll do. I don’t think I’ll go longer than that this time round. My legs know what to do, they need to be as fresh as possible on the big day! 🏃♀️💪
Plans always go awry in my experience - well mine do anyway! I try to keep adjusting the plan as I go, rather than let it drift. That seems to have worked so far.
The weather is rotten isn't it? I feel a bit hypocritical as I'm supposed to be going for a ride today but the cold and wind is putting me right off (still not over this tummy issue either tbf) - I'm not sure I'm going to find the motivation to get out there today 🤔
That's where the yoga comes in 😍. No, sorry ... I just made assumptions as I started reading that 🤣. I agree about flexibility. That was another thing about my bad run - lots of unexpected but I got through it - next time somehing goes wrong or changes unexpectedly, I have the knowledge that I've coped before, it's not necessarily the end of the world.
I can already visualise the start and finish lines at Bath .... bring it on!
My plan has been completely wrecked by Mrs BC’s unfortunate car mishap! Everyone emerged ok...except for her car; plan is unimportant !! I have just been fitting in what running I can between sorting out insurers etc.
Anyway, I woke up today in “sod it” mode and set out to do a long slow run just to see where I ended up! Answer was 10 miles; the first since the beginning of October. It wasn’t a completely stupid idea, I have done a 14k since Christmas.
Anyway, I felt the need! Slower than PB pace, but under two hours anyway. Good enough.
A confession; the stupid bit was not taking a drink with me (thought it was too cold to matter!!🙄) I was definitely heavy legged towards the end ... so dehydration was clearly an issue (my shirt was ringing wet under my jacket!) so am now zeroing up and munching high protein yoghurt. Next job is working with Mrs BC to persuade 37k of reluctant Old English Sheep Dog to use the ramp I have bought to make it easier for her to get into the back of my car...will involve loads of treats I think!! Must move before I fall asleep!! Happy running 😊
Oh no! I hadn't read about the car mishap! Life certainly does have a way of getting in the way of running! But you're clearly up to the battle. Slow is really good when it comes to a long run, especially when we're gradually increasing distance. Make sure you drink lots for the rest of the day though and good luck with the insurance 🙄
I love winter running but this wind is hard going! I found myself almost standing still the other day despite my legs moving 😂 hilarious it was!
Music is a big motivator for me. I run to epic stuff, big orchestral scores and it’s amazing how the right piece of music at the right time gets me through some hard runs/big hills. Having said that I’ve never taken music to a race because I have to concentrate on my pacing (it’s rubbish) and I like to take in the atmosphere which in itself is pretty motivating.
Mostly I can motivate myself very well but if I need a little push then I use my mantra, “don’t be a wimp. Just do it” 💪🏃♀️🙂
I'm embarrassed to say I wimped out today and didn't go for my ride because of the cold wind 🙄😥. I will definitely go tomorrow to make up for it. I do like your mantra though!
So today I went to spotify and asked for 'rousing classical' 🤪. My pacing was rubbish! I'm blaming the music. Can't be me that doesn't know what I'm doing can it? Or can it? 🤔
Hmmmm that's very strange - here's my running playlist that you can use, it's full of epic film and orchestral tracks and it's 6 hours long! Let me know if that's the sort of thing that you are looking for!
Oh I see, I've just typed in rousing classical into spotify by the way and you are right! That playlist is full of 'proper classical' music It's my favourite type of music (being a classical musician myself) but it's rubbish for running! The playlist that I've sent you is more epic orchestral music used typically for films, games and trailers and stuff like that, so thay should be much more inspiring! Let me know how you get on with it! 😃
Brilliant. I think I picked one that said 'rousing and invigorating classical' - but to be fair it's my fault I don't run at the right pace, but I did enjoy the music. I suspect yours will be even better
Great post Linda - and full of lots of great tips. I have a few mantras - " I am strong", and "one foot in front of the other..!" for example.
Also, for me - music! A great playlist always helps me through a long training run. I will often make up a new one to revive that motivation. I know many events ban earphones now - which is fine, as I don't seem to miss my music too much when there is lots going on around the course.
My own HM is not until May, so I have quite a bit of time to play with. Trying to get into a good pattern of cross training which I hope will help as I build up my distance again. Like you, I am just trying to stay injury free!🙂
Ah yes, 'one foot in front of the other'! That's a good one too. I sometimes listen to music, but on the longer runs I end up craving some peace and quiet 😍. An audio book can be distracting, but only if I'm somewhere quiet enough to hear it properly! Hopefully a good cross training habit will do the job and we can indeed stay injury free - wouldn't that be something!
As a beginner, I find all the posts and comments in this group really helpful.
My mantra is "I have trained-to-do-this". I repeat this during a run, in time with my pace, when I feel like stopping. I believe in the plan. 😂
I also think of the stories I've read on here about other people's determination to keep going; race reports are a good motivator too. (I imagined myself running the race you ran recently).
I'm behind on the plan, but I knew I had a busy January, I've increased my cross training and strength work, so that's ok.
I dont feel very enthusiastic and all the runs seem like hard work. But it will pass. Maybe I'll sign up for a race, it might give me a boost! 🏃♀️🏃♀️
That's a great mantra and a great attitude! It's normal to have to adjust a plan - the key thing is to make the adjustments and carry on. I definitely find races are great to spice things up and to give a sense of purpose to training - it may indeed be just what you need 😍
I have my race number for the Brighton Half, and a very excellent number it is too! NB I always think my race numbers are excellent 😄
I find my PRIDE (or is it ego?) has got me through on more than one occasion. I've been feeling like giving up, but then I think about all the people who know I'm running the race, and I can't cope with the thought of telling them I didn't make it! And there was this one time when I was running for charity...
But my motivation is always that I know I'll feel AWESOME when I've finished 😊😊😊
I've noticed you think everyone's number is excellent (as soon as I opened the envelope I saw my Bath one was excellent too😍). That finish feeling has got me through many a last kilometre and I also give my ego free reign to tell me how awesome I am and how I can most definitely finish 🤣🤣🤣
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