Motivation - Part 1
What Motivated Me to Start Running
What Motivated Me to Start Running
I've been pondering this question for the last couple of days and have decided the answer is 2-fold: What motivated me to start running and What Motivates me to Keep Running.
I joined RWFL, stopped smoking and searched the web for training programs. I started with a 5 minute / 700 metre run on September 7, 2009.
November 2009 - Novice Entries for The Ultimate Human Race opened on Sunday, November 1 and I was one of the first novices to get my entry in. At that stage, the longest run I had done was 4.2km in 30 minutes.
November 2009 - Novice Entries for The Ultimate Human Race opened on Sunday, November 1 and I was one of the first novices to get my entry in. At that stage, the longest run I had done was 4.2km in 30 minutes.
I also signed up for and ran my first race, the RAC Tough One 5km. (Incedentially, I will be doing the Real Tough One, 32km at the end of this month). I finished the 5km race in 36.53 minutes. Not a good time, but I had done it and was very proud of myself! Now, I was motivated to improve my time while increasing distance.
December 2009 - I adopted the Comrades slogan of "The Time is Now" and taking part in The Comrades Marathon was my motivation -
December 2009 - I adopted the Comrades slogan of "The Time is Now" and taking part in The Comrades Marathon was my motivation -
- to run when I didn't feel like,
- to run when it was too hot,
- to run on my own,
- to run went I couldn't see any progress,
- to run when I didn't imagine that I could do it
- to run thru' the pain
All this time I was experiencing a variety of pain, in a variety of places. I was seeing a chiropractor and an applied kinesiologist. I had wedges/orthotics in my shoes that kept changing, brought relief for a while and then transferred the pain to another part of my body. All the time I'm reminding myself "The Time Is Now".
January/February 2010 - I ran more races, improved my times and increased my distances. I ran thru' the pain, ran with the pain and perservered. I ran 2 half-marathons, got my time trial pace to under 6.5 minutes a kilometer and did my longest run of 24kms.
March 2010 - My "qualifying marathon". I needed to run 42.2km in 5 hours. I struggled for the first 10kms and kept reminding myself that "The Time Is Now". By 20kms I knew I wouldn't make my cut-off time and I bailed (climbed into the car, DNF). Not a moment that I was proud of at the time, but with hindsight, the best thing I could've done.
At that point I knew I wouldn't run the 2010 Comrades Marathon and I had no motivation to run with my group 2 days later. It took me a week to get to grips with myself and realise that my motivation had changed and I could now run for other reasons.
What Motivates me to Keep Running (Motivation - Part 2) will follow soon.
January/February 2010 - I ran more races, improved my times and increased my distances. I ran thru' the pain, ran with the pain and perservered. I ran 2 half-marathons, got my time trial pace to under 6.5 minutes a kilometer and did my longest run of 24kms.
March 2010 - My "qualifying marathon". I needed to run 42.2km in 5 hours. I struggled for the first 10kms and kept reminding myself that "The Time Is Now". By 20kms I knew I wouldn't make my cut-off time and I bailed (climbed into the car, DNF). Not a moment that I was proud of at the time, but with hindsight, the best thing I could've done.
At that point I knew I wouldn't run the 2010 Comrades Marathon and I had no motivation to run with my group 2 days later. It took me a week to get to grips with myself and realise that my motivation had changed and I could now run for other reasons.
What Motivates me to Keep Running (Motivation - Part 2) will follow soon.
