Eileen: So How Do I Stay Motivated and Keep Running?
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By Eileen Esporo
I create challenges for myself. Initially it was all about PR’s, then you know, you stop beating those. So you have to create challenges for yourself. First (and I do this often since I’m a therapist) you figure out why you’re running. Once you find out the why, you create goals to meet said challenges.
So here’s a little back story, I have been running marathons since 2008 & half marathons since 2007. I went through a period of doing really well, then I didn’t do well for years. I had to figure out why I was doing so poorly, why I was getting injured a lot (and I mean a lot). I did worse more than I was doing well, so I had to figure out why.
So I took a break on marathons after Chicago 2017. I revamped my workouts so I actually got stronger & my speed work started to actually work. Then eventually the weight started falling off & running actually felt better. I actually wanted to run more, than dreading the scheduled intervals. If you’re interested in the workouts I’ve been doing, follow me on Instagram @eileenjoy44 or on Twitter @eileenjoy.
What helped with me was my mind frame. I started to do the Guided Runs in the NRC App & It helped me to stay more positive & focus on mindfulness during the run. When you focus on positivity, the negativity just naturally goes away. Which eventually over time makes your running better.
Once I got the whole picture together I was more motivated to run. It wasn’t just about races, it wasn’t about PR’s, I found the love of running again. I learned to celebrate all the wins, it really is about the journey. So all the races I signed up for, started to feel better again & I started to have so much fun.
So why do you run?