Mojo.
That magical spark which drives you to get up for early morning sweat sessions or the self-confidence to bounce back from a rough patch. The thing which helps you get motivated to run, no matter the weather outside.
It seems that lately many of my athletes have been complaining of a mojo drought to rival the Sahara dessert, so today’s topic couldn’t come at a better time.
It’s not so much that they don’t still have goals, but man life is busy, now we need more layers for winter and well the excuses are just easier to come by with dark mornings, cold, snow, holidays! Plus, there might only be a short race in the next few months, not their big A goal.
What happens when you’ve lost your running motivation (aka mojo) and how do you get it back?
If only it were so easy as picking up a new crystal at the local pharmacy {err does the pharmacy really sell that?}, alas it’s going to require a little more. Getting motivated to run will become second nature with these tips!
Ok now we can move on to what you really want to know…what happens when you’re mojo has gone in to hiding?!
First, I’ll just say this, if you’re relying on motivation all the time then you’re going to have a rough road. Consistency in training is the only way to reach your goals and that comes from habits.
Challenge Yourself Differently
It sounds counter intuitive when you don’t feel like working out to actually do something harder, but I’ve seen it work wonders for me and others. If you have a 5 mile easy run planned, but are just pained at the thought of continuing after 1 mile then try switching it up.
Try doing a minute of sprinting, a minute easy, then repeating.
Or completely switch things up by doing a workout way out of your comfort zone. Both of these give you a moment to be proud of yourself for working hard, which can remind you of why working out feels good {the endorphins certainly don’t hurt either!}.
- Pick a new distance to run and enjoy the excitement
- Try racing a shorter distance for less training time
- Attempt something totally new like an Adventure race
- Take time off from running and try one of these great online strength resources
- Read stay motivated once you’ve reached your goal
Embrace That We All Have Down Times
I’ve talked about embracing the suck a few times with my athletes and even why I love a bad run.
But in this case what I’m saying is sometimes it’s just fine to have a lull in your motivation. What’s not fine is to stop eating well and working out for months on end because that just makes getting back on track a million times harder.
Enjoy a week off from training after intense periods and be sure to loosen the reins once in awhile on your food choices, so you don’t feel deprived. Shoot when all else fails make your green smoothie and put it in a pretty glass!
Seriously, make sure you’re enjoying your food and workout. I mean, really you don’t HAVE to do this. You want to feel good and you get to move your body, keep that rolling around in your brain when things are tough.
- Go easier on your runs (seriously burn out is often because you’re always going too hard!)
- Run shorter.
- Take a full week off.
- Whine, complain, then get over it. Set a time limit on your pity party.
- Find a place to get accountable if you remain in off mode too long.
Find the Fun In Your Run
Sometimes the issue with lacking motivation to run is we’ve made running a job or a chore.
It’s another thing we HAVE to do, instead of something that we GET to do.
I admit this is part of why I don’t race a ton. I want to stay in a space where running is something I choose to do because of the joy I find in it and for some that fades when you’re focused on nothing but the finish line time.
It can also mean remembering that “working out” doesn’t have to mean a run or hefting weights. It can be time playing in the park, kayaking, hiking, or dancing the night away with friends!
- Join a running group
- Run with a non-competitive friend
- Run a new path
- Get out in nature
- Do a Color Run or a family 5K
- Get some new gear!! Heck yes I call that fun.
- Get a coach for accountability
Check Your Running Ego
Are you expecting yourself to always run at race pace? Are you expecting more of yourself than reasonable based on where you currently are? What’s going on in the rest of your life? Are you working a ton of hours? Rushing around to meet the demands of everyone else in the family?
The truth is sometimes it’s hard to have full on mojo when you’re exhausted and overextended.
Maybe it’s time to find a little quiet for you or if that’s not possible, just time to adjust your attitude wherever possible. I have shared openly that my natural tendency can be towards negative thinking so I consciously seek out positive quotes to start every single day.
I’ve also learned how to incorporate mindfulness in to the run, for some added mental relief when I’m done!
At the end of the day the best thing you can do is put on your shoes, walk out the door and run. And checkout how to create some affirmations or positive running quotes to get that mind right!!
Maybe you make it 5 minutes before calling it a day that’s ok! It’s not about what you do for one day or even one week, it’s about what you do over the long term.
Sometimes the days we feel the worst result in some of our best runs, so don’t let how you feel in the moment keep you from getting started.
Eventually the day will come again that the run feels good and you’ll keep going after that 5 minute mark, but if you don’t show up you’ll never know.
Have you ever lost your motivation to run?
What helped you get back on track?
None of these working for you? Running in A Skirt has more ideas for getting your running mojo back.
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Emma says
I am in base-building mode right now. I find it hard to get out of bed in the morning when I’m not training for something specific, but one thing that has helped is promising myself that I will get all my workouts/miles in regardless of what time or day they occur. For example, yesterday I slept in when I had 5 miles on the calendar, so today I did 3 miles before work and will squeeze my usual strength training in during my lunch break then add 2 miles to my planned run tomorrow. Not only am I still working out just as much but I’m also surprising my body and mind with workouts of different lengths and at different times of day (not to mention, getting more sleep. haha)!
Matthew says
Great article, I find the importance of setting realistic and achievable goals to help me regain my ‘mojo’. Whether this is training for a 5k PB in six weeks time or even running parkrun every weekend for a month, I find these goals really keep us going!
I also find rewarding ourselves when we really don’t want to run to work wonders too, whether it be a chocolate bar after a particularly hard and cold session or our favourite Netflix show, these really help!