Find Your Motivation

Let me start by saying this.  ANYONE can run.  (I'll say it again.)  Anyone can run.  The beauty of running is that you don't have to be some super athlete to do it.  Chances are, you aren't going to win whichever race you sign up for, so pressure's off.

Signing up for a race can be motivating by itself.  But what will get you out the door each day for training?  Now there's the key to your running success.  What pushes you to put in the miles?  What pushes you to want to do better, be better?  And, on race day, what pushes you to cross that finish line, no matter what obstacles you encounter along the way?

I can't give you the answer to this, because it's really up to you.  I don't think the desire to finish is really enough, personally.  Or at least for me, it isn't.  There are loads of reasons that I run....

• I like it.
• It gets me out of the house with time to think.
• It's an hour or more a day when absolutely no one needs me immediately (for the rest of you moms, you can relate).
• I always feel like I'm working towards something.
• I hope it inspires my daughter to want to be better.

I do a lot of thinking while running.  I tell myself, when the miles get really hard, that I could have stayed in bed, but I didn't.  And that says something about me.  Whatever that something is motivates me to keep going.  I like to run early in the morning, so I think about what all the people who aren't out doing what I'm doing, and that motivates me to keep going.  I also think about people who can't do what I'm doing, but want to.  

Living in Boston afforded me the opportunity to witness one of the most inspirational duos of all time.  Marathon Monday is a big deal in Boston.  It's a bizarre New England holiday (Patriot's Day), so a lot of people are off work, the city pretty much closes down for the marathon.  My first apartment was directly on the marathon course, at mile 22.  My second place was just a few blocks over at about mile 23.  If you haven't heard of Team Hoyt, take a few minutes and watch this:

There are plenty of other videos about Team Hoyt out there, more on their story, etc.

The question is what will you do with your able body?  How far will you push yourself?  A father did this out of love for his child, out of want for his son to never miss an opportunity.  If they can achieve this, then you really have no excuse.  Look deep.  Seek outside motivation, like Team Hoyt, if that helps you.  Whatever it is, don't just assume you can't.  

As Rick Hoyt would say, "CAN."