Welcome to Getting Fit at Fifty

My name is Art Davis and I started running in 2007 to lose weight. Check out my before and after photos at the bottom of the page. I ran my first 5K and 10K in 2007 I went on to run my first half Marathon and full Marathon in 2008.























Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Staying Motivated

 

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.”- Aristotle

I have recently stepped up my training. It is going to be hard to stay motivated, the St. Louis Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon is on 10/27/2013. I am going to be training hard for over 4 months in an attempt to run the marathon in 3:30 and qualify for Boston.

I found an article in the Internet written by an Olympic Marathoner.In this article he discussed the strategies that he used to stay motivated during weeks of constant training.

IMG_1457

When running 5 or 6 times a week for months on end, often for hours at a time, running can consume your entire thought process. Elite runners create a system so they don’t even have to think about running.

  1. Identify the specific areas and times that most often lead to you not wanting to run. It is important to be as detailed as possible.
  2. Next think about creative ways you can eliminate the above issues, distractions, or weak moments.
  3. Once you have developed your solution for the issues that challenge your motivation most, keep looking for new and creative ways to take the thinking out of running.

Do not be afraid to have a little fun. Some examples of things I do to accomplish this is to download a new song to run to. Change my training up a little bit such as interval training , hill training, or run at a different time or place. Buy some new running clothes or sign up for a race.

It is important to remember your goals. Remember in goal setting it is often important to set a series of short term goals along the way to accomplish your major long term goal.

focus-on-goals-not-obstacles-L-j2CwXC

 

What strategies do you incorporate to stay motivated during weeks of marathon training?

5 comments:

  1. I do all those things but I am far(far far far) from being an elite runner.

    I'm laughing at myself because currently your goal of finishing that marathon in 3.30-I will be thinking about you! Good luck, you are gonna fly!- is not even on my radar for my upcoming half. I'll be lucky if I finish my half in under 5 hours, ugh! BUT having said that, I take running seriously, even if I'm the slowest runner alive. For me, that's an important part of my strategy. The simple, basic act of loving the action of one foot in front of the other is what my mind tends to settle on and that ensures I keep moving forward.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Trust all is going well for the Rock'n'Roll marathon Art - and that you are indeed staying motivated? I was getting a bit worried, haven't heard from you for a while......Good Luck!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good luck in your race in October, I hope you hit your goal and qualify for Boston!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. The spotify pro membership allows you to download your playlists to your mobile devices. If music motivates you, put together a new playlist during breakfast and enjoy it on your run.

    ReplyDelete