People running >45 mpw all on your own, how to you motivate yourself?

I think the hardest part on days I don't want to run is just getting out the door. Once I get going I find myself loving the run, I am currently struggling with this though. I come home from work some days and just want to sit on the couch and have a beer. My training the past month has been all over the place one week Ill run 50 then the next I will run 30. I got 40 miles in this week and only ran 4 days. I find it tough not having anyone to run with. When I lived in my home town I always had people to run with at my pace. Its tough finding people with the same ability to train with. I also find it harder to run in the morning but the days I do run in the morning I feel awesome when I get home knowing I have already run. Its all mental figure out what it takes to get out the door. I am getting better and hopefully I will get some consistent training going soon. Good Luck the struggle is real.

trog wrote:

The most important thing to do is to get your running clothes on before you take a breath. If you put running clothes on, you'll feel like a jackass taking them off again if you don't go running.

Framing this, putting it on pinterest, adding as description to instagram picture of me running into the sunset. But seriously, really good point and can't emphasize enough how important it is to convince yourself into making those runs happen.

Definitely recommend running at work (after your day) if not before. I've had many days like you - get home, decide to "rest" for a bit before running, get hungry, eat, "rest" some more, then realize it's 10 pm and you still haven't gone running. Then even if you do run you get to bed late and end up tired the next day. Don't waste time.

I have found that I would rather run after work. Running before work makes me tired at work for my 12 hour shifts. It's very hard to motivate myself on work days so I usually just run a standard 6-7 miles to maintain and then hit it hard on days I'm not working.

When you get home from work and you don't fee like running, convince yourself to run just 1 mile. If after running 1 mile you still don't feel like running, then you're tired and skip the run. Most of the time, you will feel like running more after 1 mile.

I actually agree with most of this, but I have no delusions of ever becoming a "pro". When I get to 2:2X for the marathon, I'll be happy (I think… although I once thought the same thing about 2:5X, 2:4X, and 2:3X and none of those have satisfied me). As for -2C, c'mon man! No on actually thinks that is cold. I still wear shorts all the way down to 0C. -10F is when it starts to be a little uncomfortable, but proper gear easily offsets even those type of temps.

Piano_Man87 wrote:

I just can't seem to take the plunge. I've averaged 45 mpw for 3 weeks in a row before, but that's it. I'd like to get up to 50 mpw and beyond, but some days I come home from work and just don't have the fire. I take a day off, and never seem to rise past about 45 mpw.

+1 for setting goals. If you know why you are doing it, there should be no questioning: you have a plan, you just execute it. Skipping a run, unless exhausted or on the brink of injury, is not an option.

Then, to help, if your running environment allows:

* run different routes;

* run different runs: all slow, progression, intervals (without doing anything too counterproductive);

* listen to radio programmes and music, vary what you listen to.

Also bear in mind that some evenings you can feel a little flat when you start, only to see things improve much after ten minutes of running.

If with all that you still cannot do it, then maybe you should simply adjust your goals and stop feeling guilty. Reaching fully one's running potential is absolutely not mandatory. There are other things to life.

Bobby1 wrote:

Most of the time, you will feel like running more after 1 mile.

You beat me to it.

Just keep in mind that you're doing everything you can to reach your max potential. That alone should give you the motivation to get out and go. Also, on my longer runs when I'm alone, music is nice. If you wanna drop to hobby jogger status (depending on how desperate you are), play some intense Eminem to get fired up for your 6 miles easy lol.

Piano_Man87 wrote:

How do you encourage yourself?

Self depreciation and a crippling fear of my own mediocrity.

oh you are just so amazing wrote:

Kioro wrote:

Personally motivation has never been a problem. I do what I love and I do it because I love it, without forcing myself etc. The feeling of crossing the line first is worth all the pain.

Never won a race in my life and I am still self-motivated.

I guess I am tougher than you.

Maybe if you were tough enough to run more you might win something as well.

want to try it wrote:

Intriguing. Do you have showers at work? Is there a safe route to work?

what do you do if your commute is double that?

I'll be the first to admit, it is not the perfect commute, but it is not bad. It consists of relatively hilly residential neighborhoods for the most part, crossing just a few major streets (depending on the time of day, I have to stop at traffic lights maybe 2-6 times).

There is no shower at work, which makes it a little bit of a pain, but less so in the cold months (when it is harder to get out the door for a run, so that works out all right).

Not sure if I would try it with much longer of a commute than this - maybe run one way and try to catch public transit home? However, there have been some pretty decent mileage days when I run a third run that is not a part of my commute!

What kind of job do you have where it is ok to not shower before work, particularly after a run?

Simple. I hate getting beat. Every person who beats me in a race makes me a little more pissed off.

It helps if you run new places, go explore. I don't even have any routes, just places I like to run to or around. Planning a route gets a bit ridiculous when you have to use 6 different trails and some roads to get a 15 mile loop.

Why does everyone on this website exaggerate so much, lol!

I run 60 mpw. Run after work, though before work is appealing, just can not get up that early!

I think listening to podcasts and music helps a lot.

Serial has been awesome to run to and love this American life as well.

elmore345 wrote:

Why does everyone on this website exaggerate so much, lol!

You must be new here.

All mileage and times stated by individuals on any thread are thoroughly investigated by the forum mods. Its why registered usernames are required and you cant just post anonymously.

mellow seeds wrote:

What kind of job do you have where it is ok to not shower before work, particularly after a run?

I work at a grocery store.

I usually shower before leaving for work - an easy 5.5 miles in cold weather does not leave me drenched in sweat. Combining that with a clean change of clothes at work, it isn't so bad. As I may have mentioned, I only started doing this regularly fairly recently, after the cold weather had pretty much become a guarantee. Not sure if I will really try to keep it up in the summer months.

I'm self-employed now so schedule is flexible, but back when I ran 10K-marathon while working construction, I would focus on the 50+ hours from Friday afternoon to Sunday night: typically 7 Fri/15 Sat (two runs)/15 Sun (one run), or some such iteration, depending on weather, etc.. Only needed a couple of runs during the week to get 50 pretty readily, and allowed me to not be wiped out all week at work.

Once a month or so I would gun for 50 miles over the weekend. This type of training gave me a nice hard/easy effect which was optimal for harder training.