is motivation important for hitting running goals?
My answer to this question…
Yes and no.
I believe that you need to be motivated to START - you need a why behind the goal. WHY do you want to be consistent? WHY do you want to run X race or X time? WHY is it important to you? If you don't have a why, it will be hard to be consistent, no matter what. [the goal "being consistent" isn't enough - WHY does that matter to you? What benefit does being consistent with your runs or strength training (or whatever it is) give you?]
But outside of that, no, you should NOT rely on motivation if you want to be successful in reaching your goals, running or otherwise. Getting out the door, EVEN WHEN you're not motivated, is what will get you that consistency you're after, which will lead you to make long term progress toward your goals.
There are at least 2 days/week [sometimes more] that I am not motivated to run or get in my planned workout for the day. The winter is especially tough for me living in Chicago - even though I don't mind the cold weather once I'm out there, getting off my couch or out of bed and putting on the layers is a huge mental battle on many days. I would much rather stay in my warm apartment. But the majority of the time, I get my butt out there. Not because I'm motivated, but because it's a habit, it's a commitment I've made to myself, and I have long term goals I want to reach.
So the first thing you need to do if you want to be consistent with running or strength training [or whatever other goal you want to be consistent with] is STOP relying on motivation to always be there. It will not. Accept that. Expect there to be days when you're not motivated and have strategies to help you push through it.
Here are some strategies to try to help you be more consistent with running, strength training, or other workouts, even when you're not motivated:
Find some accountability. Join a running group that your friends [or future friends] attend regularly or just have a few friends that you meet up with on the same day each week; invest in a coach; post on social media that you're doing XYZ run; find some sort of external accountability that will get you going.
Treat yourself. I did this a lot during the pandemic when I only ran solo and I still do it now. End at your favorite coffee shop. Or order delivery while you're in the last couple of miles of your long run so it's delivered to you when you're about to arrive home. Or have your favorite post-run food/beverage waiting for you when you get home.
Lose the perfection mindset. Something is better than nothing. Doing something more often is what builds the habit. So even if it's only for 10-20 minutes - because you overslept or had a crazy day at work or that's simply all you have time for on a particular day, that is BETTER THAN NOTHING. And those minutes add up to hours over the course of the month or months. You don't need to be perfect. That simply is not possible and this mindset will hold you back.
Think of how you will feel if you don't honor the commitment to yourself. This helps me, especially when I'm deciding if I'm too tired or just making excuses. If I truly need a rest day, I'll take it. If I know that I'll be mad at myself for not getting out the door, I'll get my butt out there. And tell myself it's okay to cut it short if I need to.
A few other thoughts:
Define what "consistent" means to you. How many days/week is consistent for YOU? And over the course of how many months?
Go for more walks. Walking is underrated and does wonders for your overall fitness. It doesn't always need to be a a hard workout [and in fact, if you do too many hard workouts, you'll probably get injured or burnt out at some point]
Avoid the extreme challenges. If it's not sustainable, you'll likely fall right back into your old patterns come next month or whenever the challenge ends. I think challenges are good if they are helping you build a sustainable habit. For the record, I'm not a fan of run streaks because they usually lead to injuries, burnt out, or both. Try setting a goal number of times you will run [or strength train] each week - defining what consistent means - and track that instead. And maybe get some friends involved too!
Don't expect immediate results. Keep going. If you want to be consistent in order to hit a big goal, know that it will take time. Every time you show up for yourself, you add a brick to what you're building...even if it's a small one.
Final note - the more consistent you are, the more progress you'll start to see, and the more motivation you will have to keep showing up for yourself.
So stop waiting for motivation. Make a plan, put it in your calendar, and commit to imperfectly showing up for yourself 👊🏻 And if you need help? Invest in that help to get to where you want to go faster.