What are your running goals? 1k around the block, your first park run, a 10k with your run club, your second half marathon, a bucket list style crazy run for 100k across hills and dales. This article from contributor, Nicky Chisholm, takes a look at the best ways to manage your motivation mojo

Don’t look forward in anger

We all have a run in mind both in routes and distance, we all put our trainers on and take our first step out the door, but what motivates us is unique to our situation, resources and what’s going on in our lives.

Motivation to train will naturally ebb and flow and firing up your mojo when you are flagging that takes practice, time and touch of creativity.

In October this year I am running a half marathon in Greenland, dubbed The Coolest Marathon on Earth. My training plan is 16 weeks and includes 75 training sessions, 260+ miles of running and lots of visits to the gym.

It’s a scary looking schduele and very daunting prospect when you look at it as a whole.

I need to have a few plan B’s up my sleeve to help to keep me on track and I only look at it week by week to break it down into doable chunks.

As you read through the blog, think about what motivates you, what is coming up in your life that could do with some laser focussed action and firing up your inner motivation.

What is motivation?

It is the desire or the need to act or to do something. The essence of motivation is intentional behaviour that kickstarts action. When you are motivated, you plan, take action and you become a master of making things happen.

Motivation is wanting to make a change, it is a powerful driver to make you feel proud, it fires up an inner strength and gives you a sense of accomplishment that drives you on even further.

Things to think about:

Do you truly know what motivates you?

Recognition, fame, money, passion, rewards, being the best, proving someone wrong, self-care, wanting to create change and a very common one is the desire to help others.

Beware:

Motivation can open doors

Motivation can spark conversation

Motivation can also be catching, your infectious actions can ignite actions in others!

“Motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tries to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly.” Stephen R. Coveya

Here are some ideas to manage your motivation mojo

Motivation can be short lived: It is important to harness your actions and turn them into long lasting commitments and habits, we all know a routine works.
Take it Step by Step: Don’t look at your huge plan or long training programme (the bigger picture) just look at tomorrow (the smaller picture). Lay out your kit and make it easy to step outside the front door tomorrow.

Be Thankful: Remember today we can do our fitness sessions but tomorrow may be a different story. Know that you have the choice to be fit, others are not so lucky.

The Art of Pretending: Enjoy every minute, even if you don’t then just pretend to enjoy it and that moment will pass!

Consistency is the Key: you are reinforcing your daily actions and that creates the foundation for habit formation. It takes approx 3 months to develop a new habit, so keeping up your routine will help the training feel more automatic over time.

Rewards: celebrate the little wins along the way. When I hit 30 training sessions in week 8, I am after 45 sessions in week 9, I plan to do a fancy dress run with some of my cheerleaders and treating myself to a giant pot of ice cream- if you fancy joining in let me know!
Sign up some Cheerleaders: to cheer you on and check in with you. Find a buddy, mentor or friend that will text you and give you a big or small kick up the BUTT!

Find a training buddy: you then have encouragement on tap, you can tap into their knowledge for new routes and talk through your worries.

Remember why you are doing it: and why you embarked on your journey. Remember your why, this is your most powerful reason to keep on track.

Chill out: If your body is telling you to chill out, listen to it. It is ok to take a break. Its totally normal to have off days, tears and tantrums.
Create a Vision Board: and stick it somewhere you SEE EVERYDAY. Stick-up quotes, photos or image in your kitchen that will trigger a daily reminder of your goal and the daily actions you can take to make it happen. I have a picture on my fridge of the finish line of the Polar Half Marathon and every day I think of what I need to do to get to the start line (training, logistics, fitness) and then what I need to get to the finish line (inner strength, positive self-talk and absolute inner belief)

Create an Evidence Board: pin up all your previous wins big and small, to show how far you have come, imagine seeing that EVERYDAY, it’s like a visual cheer and personal whoop whoop, every time you walk past. It creates a visual cue to kickstart daily confidence and inspires you to take action.

Motivation is important – it’s like anything else in life it takes practice and commitment and everyone will tap into their own motivational whys! Be curious and ask others what fires them up, what makes them run when it miserable and cold!

Motivation gives you a mental boost, it fires up your inner drive into taking action to reach your goal and work towards making your dreams a reality. Take the time to practice it and Be Kind to yourself along the way.

I think Zig Ziglar sums it up nicely:

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily”

Thank you to everyone that sent in their motivation tips.

This article was written by contributor, Nicky Chisholm. To find out more about Nicky you can head to her Facebook by clicking here.

Nicky Chisholm is a mum of two teens and lives in Brighton with her family. Nicky’s first love is her Campervan Daisy they are a match mad in heaven. They are always ready to find adventure anytime and anywhere. Her super powers are her creativity, her catching energy and her capacity to generate ideas ranging from the scary to the ridiculous. You can follow Nicky on social media by scanning the QR code below!