motivation starting to decrease

Being able to do the distance for each part is great but have you done them back to back to back?

Running off the bike is an entirely different animal than just jogging 40 min.

That does make sense. I felt more motivated when I was working out daily, but I am so tired by the end of the day. I really should get up early and do it to get it out of the way, but I have trouble getting up early. I need to choose a time and try to stick to that time daily maybe.

I was trying to follow the Michael Sprint schedule on this website for a person who started from the couch. My thing is the specific amount of work he asks you to do on a given day I can do more than that. So should I do as much as I can every day or just follow the plan. Like if it says 10 miles on the bike today and I feel like I could go 15 should I do that? Sometimes though when I go as hard as I can I don't feel like working out the next day. So I'm not sure if I should do what is suggested or try for more.

I think you are right, sticking to a schedule or plan would make it easier. Thanks!

I find that signing up for additonal races usually does the trick. Go watch ironman documentaries, read a triathlon book, ***VOLUNTEER FOR A RACE!!!!***. Heck, sign up for a super sprint race or something short just to see where you are, so that way on your one in August, you will go all out, balls to the wall like its your A race

Back in my running hayday I used to volunteer for local races before I had a race myself to not only boost my ego becuase I was that much better, but I would look at the top scoring runners as they go through the water stations and get motivation for that.

Now you see what plans are about.  It isn't the idea of every single workout to go until you can't go anymore.  When you do that you compromise your ability to go again the next day.  Sure some workouts will push you but some you should feel like I you can do again the next day.  For me, when I was first starting out I had to stay on a pretty strict schedule of when my workouts were.  And by all means could not go home between work and a workout.  Just too tempting to stay there.  But when it's just part of my day it's a lot easier.  Now I can go home between work and a workout because I look forward to them so much. 

I also agree with the idea of volunteering for a race.  It'll get you jazzed and excited again. 

+1 on volunteering

I suggest learning the sport.  I'm new to triathlons too.  This sport, and endurance racing and competitions generally, is extremely interesting.  Read up on some of the racers, like Macca or Chrissy Wellington, read race reports, read about what the human body can do.  It is fascinating and inspiring and motivating. 

Also, I'm just throwing this out there, cut yourself some slack and have a recovery week every month.  This sport, from what I've read and heard, requires a lot of patience because gains aren't immediate.

First of all, congrats on the progress you have made so far!  Sounds like you have made some really nice changes.  As a relative newbie myself, here are a few thoughts: 

1.  Have you considered doing another race sooner than planned to bring a little urgency back into your workouts?  (MTA: Ha, got distracted by work...see you're already on this one...way to go!)

2.  Jump over to a more challenging plan that will allow you to finish your scheduled race strong rather than just surviving.

3.  Do you have any long term goals?  Will one race be it, or are you in this for the long term?  If you're in it for the long term, you can always look beyond this race to the next one and train accordingly. 

4.  When you compare yourself to the general population, you're doing great.  If you're like me, most of your friends are amazed that you do this at all (or think you're a bit crazy) as they look at you from the couch.  But in the triathlon world, frankly you will likely be back of pack (as am I so far) behind a lot of fitter folks. I don't know about you, but I find that to be strangely motivating and challenging.

5.  If this sprint doesn't scare you a little bit, sign up for a race that will require more training.

6.  Find a friend or group to train with at least occasionally.

Firstly, you've made a ton of progress and come a long, long way. Well done. Be sure to give yourself credit for that- get a massage, a new chair to sit in after you train (serious), a really nice robe. Do something to acknowledge your acsendence to the fraternity of Endurance Athlete.

Motivation? Another poster in this thread mentioned he felt it comes from an internal mechanism and I agree with him. It is often cryptic and hard to identify and our motivation changes.

I recently read Chris McCormack's book I'm Here to Win. It spoke to me. McCormack didn't mince words, he didn't BS. He put his incredible training mileage out there. He talked about the travel, the competition, the mind games, the planning. In talked about being in the game. It gives me goose bumps.

This is a beautiful sport, and being part of it is an enormous privlege. There are a million things I could say to try to pump you up, but maybe none of them would speak to you.

You have to find what speaks to you. When you do, you become unstoppable.

Is it a story, an inspiring character, an adversity you've overcome, a natural gift you have? Is it a love for the history or lore of the sport, the beauty of the environment we race and train in, a love of the ocean and the open road, a desire for the aesthetic of a lean body and the look of a "competitor", a desire for the status of being a participant rather than a spectator?

Try to identify what drives you- and take your motivation from that. Look for different motives. Become a student of the sport.

I hope that helps- you really have come a long way. Well done.

Lots of great advice given here. 

One thing I do that helps motivate me is that I almost always listen to Tri/running/cycling podcasts when I run.  Definitely helps motivate me.  The only time I listen to music is pre-race.

CJ

youtube does it for me every time.  When I don't feel like working out I hit youtube watching ironman/triathlon videos and usually end up crying from emotion.  I can't wait to go work out afterwards.

I'm actually thinking about an "unscheduled" run tonight because a friend sent me this today and it just made me want to go RUN!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=IZ-_3Ug3wqU

It sounds like maybe you underestimated yourself.  You gave yourself a goal back in April to "just finish" this sprint triathlon that you've signed up for and now here you are only 2 months later, still two months before your race, and you feel like you have the endurance to get it done and then some.  You've peaked too soon perhaps in your mind.  A couple of things can happen here now.  You can continue as you've been, but it sounds like maybe you've gotten a little bored with that routine, which then risks you slacking off and undoing some of the gains you've made.  Or you can re-evaluate your goals and maybe make new ones.  Instead of just worrying about completing the distances in the races see if you can start getting faster at those distances and maybe start making some goals toward that end in your training.  Also maybe start mixing up the training a little bit more to make it interesting.

And yeah, like others have said.  Get yourself to a race if there's one nearby, either as a volunteer or an interested spectator.  Just being in the race atmosphere is generally enough to get one all juiced up about working out again.

Good point, I forgot that 10 months ago I just wanted to "finish" an Oly Tri this year.  Then after working out for several months I did my own indoor Oly tri as a workout and went holy cow, I can easily "finish" those distances.  Then I shifted my motivation over to I want to be competitive in my Oly and shoot for the podium.  I likely won't make it, but I'm gonna train my behind off trying to achieve it.

Hah.  I should follow my own advice.  I signed up for an Olympic last year for the end of the season and trained to that end while racing sprints all throughout the summer.  I figured I would need all the time to be up to snuff on the Oly swim.  So my goal was to be competitive overall in the race, say in the upper third in the bike and run, but "just finish" the swim, a bit of a contradiction in an Oly.  Well, I swam 1500M non-stop for the first time some 4 months before my Oly race.  At that point I thought to myself, "Ok, I'm set", and my training routine became to show up once a week hammer out the 1500M, go home.  Maybe mix in a shorter swim somewhere else during the week, then bike and run the rest of the time.  Bad move as though I did indeed finish that swim in the race, I was slooowwwwww.  Try 82nd out of 87 competitors slow.  And the energy it sucked out of me hurt my bike and run.

Which then set up a whole new set of goals for this year.

I use youtube. I have an Ironman Motivation playlist that I watch regularly to get the adrenaline flowing and remind me why I am doing all of this. You can find my list of videos here:

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?p=PL18E819293EC82B8C

Also DEFINITELY go volunteer at a race. Dont just show up, but go hardcore cheer squad with bells, signs, clappers and energy. Cheering on others is very rewarding! I tend to be loudest most obnxious spectator of them all