Where are you, motivation?

By Asher Johnson

Oftentimes it can be hard to find motivation to run. Having a refreshing jog in the rain or an exhilarating run in the cold doesn’t happen too often. Its easy to wait for better weather or better moods, but sometimes it's important to push through that rainy-day-stay-in-bed attitude. While we want to run when we feel like it, or when its fun, and that is good for us, it can, in fact, be super important to force ourselves to run when we don’t feel like it. The benefits of exercising or running when we don’t feel like it can be enormously valuable for our mental and physical well-being. 

Typically, we all have some sort or goal when exercising. Whether it is walking daily to stay active or running some added sprints to become faster, every activity entails a goal, and every goal entails an activity. An important aspect of accomplishing your goals is that of perseverance. Goals are not always easy to accomplish, and generally, the hardest part of your activity is sticking with it and making yourself work towards that goal. This is why it is great to have a running group or workout partner to motivate you to keep going. But the path to self motivation is not easy, and as Nike’s slogan says, sometimes you need to, “just do it.” In fact, one self-motivated effort makes the next effort easier. 

When you don’t feel like running, but you make yourself go anyways, you are participating in an important mental training that is much more potent than any physical strength or cardio building activity. Mental strength and self-motivation are abilities that need training and strengthening too, just like any 5k or half-marathon needs training. Pushing ourselves to go running or go workout is an extremely important aspect of mental training. And, while we might not feel motivated beforehand, after working out we’ll feel satisfied and boosted by released endorphins. 

By no means should you workout when injured, recovering, or resting, however, if it's just a lazy day remember that overcoming and pushing yourself to workout anyways will have very important benefits for your future drive and self-motivation. There are two types of training needed to reach your goals, and the first type is mental training.