Staying Motivated in Rough Weather
How important are your goals? A strong why will keep you going when the times get tough or the weather gets rough. Maybe it’s setting goals, or having a buddy to train with. It could also be preparing your workout clothes the night before so you’re ready to go the next day, or keeping a running log or a calendar where you’ve planned out your training. Whatever it is that keeps you motivated stick with it!
Everyone has different motivational styles and figuring out yours could be the key to sticking with your training plan. Motivation comes in two forms: intrinsic and extrinsic. Extrinsic motivation is when an external force drives your motivation to accomplish something. For example, maybe you want to run a marathon because someone told you you would never be able to and you want to prove them wrong (they are wrong, you can do it!), or maybe you want to lose weight, or you want to make someone in your family proud. Intrinsic motivation is when you are driven by an internal force to accomplish something. For example, really enjoying, loving and having a passion for running is what drives you to run a marathon.
While both of these styles of motivation drive us to accomplish many goals, having a passion to do something (being intrinsically motivated) has been shown to have greater successful outcomes in terms of the goals we set. Figuring out what your why is and finding your passion, whether it’s training for a marathon or smashing other goals, will only help in the long run!
Winter is a common time for motivation to start diminishing. Find the inner fire that drove you to sign up for a marathon and run with it! (Pun intended!)
We encourage you to set short and long term goals while training for this race (or any other goals you have), to help continue training through the cold and dark winter months. Setting and writing down goals has been shown to increase the likelihood of accomplishing those goals. The best way to go about setting a goal is to write it down in the form of a SMART goal. A SMART goal is something that is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time bound. Check out these SMART goals for examples!
If you aren’t sure how to get started or want help setting short and long term SMART goals for marathon training contact us and our personal trainer can help you get started!
~Sierra, The Tunnel Marathons Trainer
trainer@tunnelmarathon.com