What motivates us to get up when it is still dark? when most other people are sensibly asleep in their beds, what makes us sacrifice after work drinks or put in that hard effort or extra couple of kilometres during training?
I have asked myself these and other questions many times before. Sometimes my answer is to go for a run, other times I turn off my alarm or stay at home. Sometimes opting out of a run is the smart decision. Often I get home from a run and remark to my very supportive wife that I am glad that I went for a run and feel much better than I did before heading out the door.
Having a goal such as a race to train for helps with motivation. I am very goal orientated and use an upcoming race or event to get myself pumped up and enthusiastic. I am always visualising and playing out little scenes in my head, thinking about the race, wondering what will happen and how I will perform etc. I visualise myself on the course, running with other competitors and I even visualise the thoughts and feelings I might have on race day. Some people may say that it is nothing but day-dreaming but while I'm out running these thoughts spur me on and help me to look forward and gives me great enjoyment while running by myself.
Although I tend to do a lot of running by myself, running with others or as part of a group can be very motivating. Whether it is the commitment itself, to be at a certain location at a certain time, or simply the presence of likeminded persons to help you push yourself when you would otherwise call it a day, running with others is a very important part of my training. When I started running I had various training partners and friends who had similar goals to mine. I also joined and have been part of various running clubs and with large and diverse memberships.
My first running club was the Wellington Marathon Clinic whom I ran with on Sunday mornings. I ran with them for my long runs as part of my triathlon training. From there I went to the Wellington Scottish Harriers who have been instrumental in my running career. With so many outstanding people from elite national representatives to the social weekend runner, I have always found myself surrounded by inspiring people. Moving to Rockhampton, Central Queensland in 2009, one of the first things I did was to look for a local running club. I found one. I found a great running club called the Rockhampton Road Runners. Although the club is not as big as Scottish, there are some amazing people and I have developed a lot of respect and admiration as well as making many friendships.
From all the club and interclub races at Scottish through to the local events put on by the Rocky Road Runners and HRE (Human Race Events - a new local company set up by local runners Sean and Jason) there is always an event to look forward to.
I love racing, competing and pushing myself which is why it is important to me to look for the next race, the next adventure or challenge and go for it. I have learned from my recent failure at The North Face 100 that it is better to try and fail than to never have the guts to give it a go in the first place. I don't want to live a sedentary life, I don't want to live vicariously through the achievements of others, I want to get out there, I want to give it a go, I want my own achievements, I want to do something my kids can be proud of, I want to do something I can be proud of.
I am also motivated and inspired by watching races on TV, DVD or the internet (hey, I'm up with the times). I have regularly recorded the Tour De France, Hawaii Ironman and other key sporting fixtures to arouse my spirit and focus my energy. The weekend just past I spent many hours glued to the internet for the Western States 100, and for the recent The North Face 100 I watched the previous year’s footage to develop an appreciation for the course and learn how other people prepared for the race. I am not limited only to live sporting events to feed my appetite for inspiration and regularly look to other forms of media such as running magazines, sports (auto)biographies and movies etc. An example of a motivating movie for me is Rudy. It is based on the true story of a young man who wanted to play American Football for Notre Dame and was always told that he couldn't because he was too small, too poor, not smart enough etc. I rate this movie as a 10 out of 10 and always have tears in my eyes at the end. I strongly recommend the movie, you will not be disappointed.
This leads me to my final point. I am intensely motivated and inspired by the personal achievements of others. From those I compete against at the same level through to those who perform at the elite level well above me and onto others who push themselves to achieve their goals and dreams whatever they are. The human spirit is an amazing thing, all we need to do is fire it up, motivate ourselves, inspire greatness so that we can realise our dreams and make them our reality. Find someone or something that motivates you and use it as your own personal fuel. Fuel to feed the fire inside you. Get out there and go for it.
Keep running.
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