How to Stay Motivated

So these past couple of weeks have been interesting...I am now done with week 9 and moving into completing week 10 which will be my half way mark!  Normally I would be running a race at the end of week 10 and getting excited to be done with training, so it's a bit of a mental hurdle to overcome realizing that I am only half way done.  The first two months of training, even though I had a few runs where I felt crazy for even attempting to do a marathon, I was pretty pumped and motivated from thoughts of crossing the finish line and accomplishing something so great.  However the last couple of weeks, have been difficult.  People have told me that it's a mental thing, not a physical one, that I have to keep on believing that I CAN run a marathon, despite setbacks in training.  It is really easy to get into a mental rut and start to feel indifferent or negative about runs instead of enjoying them, and if you can't get remotivated then it's going to be a really really long second half of training.

I had to transition my schedule to have my long runs on Sundays instead of Saturdays because of a new commitment on Saturday mornings, and for some reason waking up early on a Sunday is harder for me than waking up early on a Saturday (I know it's mental).  My first run on this new schedule was 9 miles and I got back feeling completely defeated.  I felt wiped out physically and mentally, and for the first time I thought about switching my entry to the half marathon instead of the whole.  I mean, if I am feeling this bad about 9 miles, It seems ridiculous that I would try and do 26.2.  Luckily my pride, which normally gets me into trouble, actually kept me from quitting because the thought of having to admit defeat and tell people I was no longer going to do the marathon, the thought of being a quitter, and the thought of being at the race and not being in the marathon, were thoughts that I could not accept.  I knew that day that I had to figure out how to stay motivated during the second half of my training. Ten weeks is a long time, and I want to enjoy them, not just get through them.  It is time for me to refocus and remember why I am doing this in the first place:

1. To end my 20s with a bang!
2. To prove to myself that I can accomplish anything I set my mind to!
3. To work really hard to accomplish something that only I have complete control over (it's been a rough couple of years with having so much of my life up in the air, and this is something that I can control).
4. For the feeling I'll get crossing the finish line!
5. To be on a consistent work-out routine that will bring me into the summer feeling hot!
6. To get to forever say that I am a marathon runner!

Reminding myself of why I started and reading the things I put on my motivation poster board for when I knew I would need a boost of confidence, have helped me to start to get back to being excited instead of defeated.  The people who have told me its more mental than physical must be right, because after refocusing and bringing myself back to a better mental state, my 10 mile run yesterday felt awesome! I felt really good during the run and after, and now feel mentally recharged and ready to tackle the things to come!  I went back to eating my favorite chocolate chip bagel before my run which helped give me more energy than the bowl of oatmeal I was eating before my other long runs, and my mom rode her bike along with me which always gives me a little bit more motivation to keep going.  Like I talked about having a dog with me on my runs makes me feel like I have a buddy and it helps, same with having my mom on her bike going with me.  It makes the run seem shorter and less intimidating.  So for those of you guys training out there who can't find another person to run with, maybe somebody would consider riding their bike with you instead... 

Another thing that helps keep me motivated is my Pinterest board titled  "I Run For..." (click on the title if you want to open it).  I put everything on there to do with my running; from food tips and recipes, to running attire, to motivational words, it helps to have everything in one place that I can look at and refer back to.  I also like to write down my favorite quotes in my running journal.  Here are a few of my favorites in case you might be looking for a little bit of Monday motivation:

"When your legs get tired, run with your heart."

"The body achieves what the mind believes."

"Pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever."

"There will be days when I don't know if I can do a marathon.  There will be a lifetime of knowing that I have..."

Looking forward to finishing up strong, knowing that I can do all things through Him who gives me strength! (Philippians 4:13)  Happy Running everybody!