Throughout the summer all races got cancelled because of the co-vid 19 pandemic. Lots of my clients and friends really struggled to motivate themselves without an event to train for. To start with this didn’t really affect me because I’m absolutely clear about my motivation and I don’t just train because of an event.
I train because I like it!
I like the feeling of training. It makes me feel better, helps me deal with stress, being outside is good for my brain, it’s a break from working, it helps me to switch my brain off and I enjoy the challenge.
Having some training to do each day also gives some structure and an anchor to my day which have been really important working from home during all the lockdowns. So it helps me to get more done!
I usually have all sorts of other goals that are not race related such as squatting more weight, dealing with an injury, exploring running technique, working on my stroke in swimming and of course power output on the bike.
So I thought I didn’t really need an event to stay motivated to train. But then I managed to enter the Cotswold 113 middle distance which took place in September. And all of a sudden I felt excited again! I started to be more diligent and focussed with my training. By the time I got to the race I was the fittest I’d been for the whole of 2020.
I went to the race with my expectations for a fast time firmly checked in. My objective was to enjoy the race and learn something from it. In the end it was so great just to have the opportunity to race given everything that’s happened in 2020 that I had a super day out. I had a plan, I stuck to it and I managed to learn some things that will help me with my racing in 2021. But more importantly I remembered that I like racing!
So an event really does help!
But it also helps to know what your other intrinsic or internal motivations are for training and racing so that you don’t just stop training as soon as you’re not able to race. Understanding your intrinsic motivation also makes the training more enjoyable especially when it’s cold and dark and you really don’t feel like leaving your sofa.
Let me know what motivates you?