Finding Your Inspiration

We all have off-days. Not days where you have a day off from running, but days when your train of thought runs a little like this: why am I running this hurts this is crazy I don't feel like running anymore I wanna go home and sit on the couch with a blanket and the TV and eat junk food all day why would I choose to go running I suck at running I could be painting/singing/driving sports cars right now... You get the point. Sometimes there are just days, or even weeks and months where you just don't know what your motivation to run if anymore.

I don't know about you, but I REALLY HATE those times. They make you feel like you will never be good enough or strong enough or fast enough. The worst thing is that it's all in your head. When you lose sight of your inspiration or motivation, you can't ice or do core work or use a roller to make things better. You have to train your mind to find your motivation again.

For some people, it's helpful to remember why they are running. It could be for a person who was important in your life and has passed away, for a goal like being faster or being able to run further, or to feel stronger. If none of these are the reasons you run, just remember to run simply for yourself.

Something that's always useful for me is looking up running quotes and just having them in your mind. You don't have to sit down and write an essay on what each one means to you, but it's a good idea to at least consider the ones that really mean something to you, if only for a moment. Sooo here are some of my favorites.

For days when you're feeling lazy and tired and too sick to run...

No matter how slow you run, you're still lapping everyone on the couch.

When you're fighting for a position in a qualifying race and you feel like you can't run any harder.

The body achieves what the mind believes.

And my absolute favorite, all time quotes, best for those d

ays when you completely psych yourself out before a race and are overwhelmingly scared to fail...

What would you do if you knew you could not fail? 

Now go do it.