To Boston and Beyond
Finding the Motivation
Posted Thursday, January 31, 2008
It didn't take long to figure out it was going to be a lot harder to motivate myself to run this winter. I'd qualified for Boston and lost my best running buddy by moving to a new city. I was starting to realize how fiercely I'd wanted to run a qualifying time because by all standards this winter isn't nearly as cold as the last-- but last year I was out running a lot more, desperate for that 3 hour and 45 minute race to send me to Beantown.
With my running shoes looking way to clean, I went to find some help. I found it at Washburn University where Dr. Provorse graciously invited me into his marathon class. He's a psych professor and knows that running a marathon is about the mental training as much as the physical.
There seems to be an addiction factor in running because right away I found out there were several returning students. One introduced herself to me. Christina ran the Lincoln marathon last year as did I. Turns out our times were within a minute, but we didn't meet.
I've run 6 marathons. In all but one I ran alone. For most of my running life I've trained alone, raced alone and celebrated alone. When I qualified for Boston, I was alone. This is not a sob story. I love having solitude and sweat on a good run, but when your major motivational factor which for me was a qualifying time, is gone you must adjust.
So a big thanks to everyone-- training with a big group is new to me and I'm truly excited about it and up for the adventure. Then again.. Maybe I need a new goal. Once someone asked if the running had gotten any easier. I replied "it doesn't get easier, just faster or longer."
Maybe I could run Boston in 3 hours and 36 minutes..........
Post a comment
(Requires free registration.)