General Discussion Introduce Yourself!!! » Motivation Loss Rss Feed  
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2005-06-12 1:52 PM

New user
17

Cherry Hill
Subject: Motivation Loss
Hey all,

Wanted to bounce a concern off y'all. I ran a race last weekend where I was expecting to post a personal record. The distance was relatively short (8K) and I had been putting in alot of mileage with some great time results. I ended up finishing in a very disappointing time for myself and have since lost all interest in training and in running. In fact, I've skipped four workouts in 10 days which is completely unlike me.
Is this normal? Are my expectations set too high? Has anyone else experienced this during their training? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.


2005-06-12 10:06 PM
in reply to: #173295

New user
37
25
Mobile Al. / Fredericksburg Va
Subject: RE: Motivation Loss
Hey
Don't let a bump in the road throw you off. Try to figure out what happened. Did you train for the 8K or were you training longer/shorter distances? Was the temp. different, hotter/colder? Food intake? Maybe your expectations were too high, or the course was not measured correctly. Lots of factors go into this, so, just put your running shoes back on and go out for a fun run. Not for PR, run because you enjoy it. Run for yourself! I hope this helps. I too suffer from motivation loss, but then I have to put this back into perspective. At least I am able to run. Others are not as fortunate.
Good luck
kathy
2005-06-13 7:07 PM
in reply to: #173553

New user
17

Cherry Hill
Subject: RE: Motivation Loss
Kathy,

Just wanted to say Thank You for the quick note about your infrequent motivation loss. You hit the nail right on the head when you referred to the ability to even run. My cousin is overseas serving in the military and when I had the chance to talk to him, he offered this simple quote about my temporary motivation loss:
'I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself. A bird will fall frozen dead from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself.' Now when I asked him where he got this inspirational poem (expecting it to be from some great literary poet), he laughed and cited the movie G.I. Jane as the source.
But the meaning behind the poem and my own self-pity was undeniable. And with your reference towards the simple blessing of even running, I know I'll be able to pick myself up off the floor, dust off my expectations and get back in the saddle again. I got up this morning, thought of my run as a gift and hit the pavment running. To prevent myself from setting my goals too high, I took a nice leisurely stroll and simply enjoyed the scenery.
Thanks again Kathy for reminding me that some of the best things in life are the simplest.
2005-06-13 10:07 PM
in reply to: #173295

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Elite
3020
20001000
Bay Area, CA
Subject: RE: Motivation Loss

Yes. 

For me, what's been happening is I feel disappointed in something not going like I "think" it should and then end up taking a couple of months off.  This last time it was 9 months.  Then, when I get motivated again, I'm mad at myself for doing this.  I end up having to start all over.  Now, I have a much better base fitness and it comes back fast, but how much better off would I be if I didn't sabotage myself like this?  Over what really amounts to nothing in the big scheme of things.

Don't let one bad result ruin your training.  I've thought a lot about it, and I think (for me) it's really important to get out there and just have some workouts where you are just doing it cause you love it, not worrying about time/HR/distance etc.  Maybe back off and remember why you started this crazy sport in the first place.  I'm sure it wasn't to run a fast 8K.

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