I don't have time to run and I feel burnt out. How do I motivate myself to run and work out while fighting burnout?
RUNNING IS SIMPLE RIGHT? YOU JUST GET UP AND GO! RIGHT?
KIND OF.
Yes, running is relatively simple and YES, we were born to run. But running regularly or training for races like half marathons or marathons can complicate things! From all the tech and gear, training plans, and training philosophies, improving your mental game, to all the cross-training and strength work necessary to stay healthy and injury-free, RUNNING CAN BE REALLY CONFUSING!
We asked the Badass Lady Gang to submit their running and training-related questions so that we can help you understand how to have more fun on the run!
TODAY’S TOPIC…BURNOUT!
“I FEEL OVERWHELMED WITH RUNNING EVERY DAY. I FEEL LIKE I’LL GET BURNT OUT AND HONESTLY, I JUST DON’T HAVE THE TIME TO. ESPECIALLY WITH NOT FEELING SAFE RUNNING WHEN IT’S DARK OUT. HOW CAN I OFFSET BIKING (I HAVE AN INDOOR BIKE) OR OTHER ACTIVITIES TO KEEP IT TO 3-4 RUNS A WEEK?” -SARAH B.
This is a great question and first, I want to ask you why you feel like you need to run everyday? Take a day off. Or two! REST DAY is a word I want you to embrace because those rest days are just as important as a run. Some people love run streaks. (A streak is when you run at least a mile every day and see how long you can continue your streak.) My view on streaking is that they aren’t for everyone. Take a day off. Give your mind and body a chance to recover. But let’s talk about motivation and burnout-
BURNOUT: “BURNOUT IS A STATE OF EMOTIONAL, PHYSICAL, AND MENTAL EXHAUSTION CAUSED BY EXCESSIVE AND PROLONGED STRESS. IT OCCURS WHEN YOU FEEL OVERWHELMED, EMOTIONALLY DRAINED, AND UNABLE TO MEET CONSTANT DEMANDS.”
While I agree that burnout applies to most runners year-round, 2020, THIS YEAR, in particular, has been especially trying.
FIRST, LET’S TOUCH ON MOTIVATION AND WHY EXACTLY YOU RUN IN THE FIRST PLACE.
WHY DO YOU RUN?
Do you run because it helps you blow off steam?
To escape your children?
To have alone time?
Because running connects you with your community or gives you a chance to see friends?
Do you run because you like how it helps you step outside of your comfort zone?
Or because running is “who you are”? (This one pops up a lot in my athletes. Running is something you may love to do but you are more than running.)
WHY do you run? There may be dozens of answers but I want you to explore them.
NEXT, what are you working towards? Because we need goals! Goals that rooted in process, not in the outcome.
Outcome goals live in quantitative land. “I want to break 2 hours in a half marathon.” and “I want to run a marathon.” are both examples of outcome goals. You have a clear finish line or time that can be checked off when the goal is accomplished.
Process goals are less black and white and live in qualitative land. They’re all about the experiences we encounter throughout our journey towards our long term/outcome goals.
Running is hard. Chasing a goal or just running regularly can be frustrating, intimidating, and painful.
When I first started working with Dr. Bob on my running and goals, we immediately started working on the fact that I was suffering.
And the truth is, I don’t think I was anticipating just how hard it was going to be. I knew how hard training for a marathon was. I was training for my sixth marathon when he stepped in. But it was the first time I was chasing a specific outcome goal that I not only defined I couldn’t make possible but one that I expected myself to give up on when the going got tough.
I needed to run my first marathon because it was the only thing pulling me out of my rabbit hole of grief and hopelessness. I didn’t care that I was suffering because the pain I felt when I ran seemed to mean that I was getting stronger, and that was my light at the end of the tunnel. It made me feel hopeful when I was able to tell people that I was running a marathon.
Which brings me to intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
Intrinsic motivation is the motivation that comes from within. A desire to see what you’re capable of.
You love it.
A desire to get and feel stronger.
Extrinsic motivation comes from external forces. A desire to please someone.
A desire to show someone you are worthy.
A need to win or earn a trophy, medal, or prize.
Just a reminder, chasing a win, a specific time goal, or finisher’s medal are not bad reasons to chase a goal. It’s just important to know that not winning or not doing exactly what you set out to do doesn’t mean that you’ve failed. And most importantly, you don’t have to please everyone, but you do have to please yourself.
So I’ll ask you again. Grab your journal or open the notes section of your phone and write on this:
What motivates you to chase your goal? (Try to identify whether it’s intrinsic or extrinsic.)
There’s no way to avoid the fact that learning how to embrace discomfort is a huge piece of the running puzzle. It’s never going to be easy to motivate yourself to go for a run when the weather is shit or when you didn’t sleep well. It’s never going to be easy to wake up early to run in the dark. Or to want to lace up to run after a really, really long day at work.
But this is a gift to remember: You do not have to do anything.
You do not have to run. You choose to. You get to run.
It may not always feel like it, but running is a choice. Stepping outside of your comfort zone and pushing yourself to see what you’re capable of is a choice. Embracing discomfort instead of running from it or fighting it is a choice. Giving yourself your best is a choice. Showing up for yourself is a choice.
Whenever you find yourself saying or thinking, “I have to go for a run,” flip the script. Ask yourself what will happen if you don’t run.
Maybe you won’t hit your goal but is it the end of the world? No. You’ll be disappointed. But you won’t die.
You don’t have to run. It’s a choice.
And the same goes for pushing yourself when everything hurts and that little voice in the back of your head screams, “YOU CAN’T RUN THIS HARD. STOP! DANGER! DANGER, WILL ROBINSON! PULL BACK. WALK. NO MORE!” That voice is trying to protect you. But there’s a difference between pushing through pain that leads to or is from an injury and discomfort from pushing yourself. You’ll know injury pain. It’s impossible to ignore.
But discomfort is doubt and fear in disguise. It takes time and perseverance to trust your ability to push through. That’s why it’s important to consistently give your personal best effort. If you can walk away knowing that you gave yourself your all, then you’re doing everything you can to work to make your goal a reality.
Now, can I make running as a woman safer when it’s dark out? No. Not until we all collectively decide to address the fact that violence is a real thing. So talk about it with everyone you know. Vote for candidates who openly discuss it. Our world won’t change unless the people in power facilitate it and we demand it. While we continue to fight for that, don’t run with music in when it’s dark out (or run with one headphone in). Tell people where you’re running and when you’ll be back. Wear lights or reflective gear to keep you safe from cars. Always assume they don’t see you. Take a self-defense class so you can fight like hell should someone assault you. It makes me mad as hell that I even have to write this but violence against women is a real thing. So here we are.
BURNOUT IS REAL. DON’T BE AFRAID TO TAKE BREAKS OR TIME OFF. I TELL ALL MY ATHLETES TO ASK THEMSELVES TWO THINGS:
“CAN I DO THIS?”
“DO I WANT TO DO THIS?”
If the answer to, “Do I want to do this?”, is “No”, don’t do it. If the answer to “Can I do this?”, is no and you’re predicting the future, that no isn’t a no. It’s “I don’t know”.
And if the answer is “I don’t know”, “I’m not sure”, “Maybe”, or “Yes”, just go and see what happens. Something I do when I’m really feeling unmotivated is tell myself that I’ll run for 10-minutes. After 10-minutes, I can walk home, keep walking, run some more, run and walk, or run home. But 10-minutes is the goal. From there, I can do what I want.
Remember your why and let that help you find the motivation or have a clear sense of what it is you’re moving for. Or help you want to run on the days when you’re struggling to get out the door.
Do that, and you’ll stop thinking about running and training as a means to an end and you'll actually start to have real ownership over how you move because you’re only doing it because you want to. It doesn’t matter if it’s walking, biking, getting on a piece of workout equipment, swimming, dancing, or running, move because you can and because you want to.
Spend some time fleshing out your why and see what you find. But remember, it’s ok to not want to. Take a break if you’re burnt out. Do something else. Life’s too hard to force yourself to do something just because you think you should. Move because you can. Not because you think you should.
INTRINSIC MOTIVATION. UNLOCK THAT AND THE REST WILL FALL INTO PLACE.
KICK ASS AND TAKE NAMES,
