6 tips to keep you happy, healthy, and motivated all dang year!
Pretty much anywhere you go its obvious that tons of people run because they love it. In a world where we do a lot of things because we think we should, or because we think it’s what’s expected, this fact is actually quite remarkable.
At the beginning, running can be exceptionally rewarding, because at the beginning progress can be measured in leaps and bounds. But those leaps and bounds get smaller and (quite frankly) harder earned, gains become marginal… but in the end, gains are still gains. It’s when we miss our paces, or miss whole workouts and beat ourselves up about it, that running can start to feel like another stresser.
I’m not just talking about your average Jill runner. Hop on the IG accounts of rockstar ultra runners like Ida Nilson, Jason Schlarb, Sephanie Howe, or Chris Mocko (the list could go on and on) to see this struggle with motivation, the balance between joy and stress and injury and motivation: it’s a reality for EVERYONE.
Why am I talking about this? Because its ubiquitous. In reality, the physiology of training and getting better at what we do is pretty darn simple: you put in as much time and as many miles as you can without getting injured. Most of those miles should be at an easy pace, a small percentage should be hard, and an even smaller percentage REALLY hard; choose applicable terrain based on race goals, eat well, recover well, sleep well, rest well, and TA DA! You’ll be winning UTMB next year. There’s only one problem: we’re not machines!
We all have different needs, different schedules, different stress levels. We have families, we work weird shifts, we experience deep losses in our personal lives etc. Running is a choice. We choose to run because it enriches us, it brings us joy, laughter, relief from stress, it helps us focus, sleep, be happy and be kind. Many, many things in our lives are beyond our control. But choosing to run is not. So we need to make that choice again each day.
Keeping it fun
Here are some strategies I find useful for turning down the stress and turning up the stoke:
Zoom out: don’t dwell on missed splits or even a missed workout. While there’s no doubt of their importance, they are two drops of water in the ocean of your training life, which hopefully lasts for a really long time. It’s not the end of the world. Consistency over time is what counts.
Take rest days: depending on your age and fitness level, take at least one complete rest day per week. This is LITERALLY when the body gets stronger!
Be flexible: if you’re schedule demands that you move workouts around from one day to another, don’t stress it. If you’re working with a coach, prescribed workouts are usually best done in the order given, but its almost always better to do them than it is to miss them all together.
*That said, use common sense: don’t cram a bunch of workouts into 1 day!!
Take an off-season: I can’t stress this enough! While cyclists, for instance, can healthily and sustainably train for their sport all year round, it’s really important for runners to take a hiatus each year. Whether that’s 3 weeks or 3 months will depend on you, your goals, and your schedule. Of course, “off season” doesn’t mean sitting on your couch all day every day. On the contrary, you may be running 4 times a week, or you may be skiing or biking or hiking or swimming every day. Stay active, find joy, love the process while ditching the structure, and I promise you’ll feel rejuvenated when you get back at it.
Be compassionate: yeah, I’m talking to you! Love yourself, accept yourself. You aren’t your splits, your paces, your podiums, your injuries, or your DNFs. You are AWESOME the way you are and the way you run (fast or slow). You’re also awesome when you don’t run!
Have fun!!! Of course not EVERY early morning interval session will be fun, but in the end, we do this because we love it - remember that! Have fun, explore, meet people, go places, and smell the flowers (or cow dung!) along the way.