Motivation in the midst of a pandemic

Motivation, challenges and goals

Motivation is a fickle lover

I’m happy to run solo. I don’t find long distance running on my own to be boring, lonely or difficult. Unless I’m battling a ferocious headwind or running away from an angry pack of dogs (it happens!), I find distance running to be highly therapeutic. It allows me to unwind, decompress and appreciate the surroundings. Up to a point.

That’s not to say that I’m happy to do all of my running alone. I miss group training runs. I miss my Saturday morning Parkrun. I miss the social runs in the evenings. I miss meeting up with friends, doing a hill session or distance run in a group and then vowing never to do it again!

I’ve spoken to a few of my fellow runners, and to other friends who do different forms of physical activity. Nearly all of us have struggled at some point with motivation since lockdown. Without any access to gyms, structured training sessions, races or social events, we have been forced to rely on our own motivation. And that comes and goes like the tide.

Many of us have experienced fear and anxiety over current events and the future. We’ve never had to deal with so much uncertainty before. The sudden disruption to our usual routine, and the negative emotions that come with it, can be a terrible motivation sapper.

We know that exercise is great for our physical and mental health. But many people have been unable to get out at all during the day since the COVID outbreak. Our inability to exercise or see our friends as often makes it even harder to motivate ourselves to run, which feeds into even more negative thoughts.

Tomorrow is a new day! (I got up at 4am to take this picture.)

It's not all doom and gloom, however.

The running community has, in some ways, come closer together than ever before. Our local running group has been organising virtual challenges which we can compete in, provided we follow the guidelines. One highlight was the Boys v Girls challenge, which the girls won easily!

Also, at least here in England, restrictions are being eased. Training runs in my area will be resuming soon, with a maximum of six people per session. I expect that we will be allowed to meet up in larger groups, provided Coronavirus doesn’t rear its ugly head again.

This means that we can still make our running as sociable as we want to. Virtual challenges don’t replace meeting our friends face to face, or taking part in real-time races, but they go some way towards giving us motivation and preventing all of our running from being a solitary activity.

Tips for staying motivated

Set yourself goals

Have you been longing to work on your 10k distance but you’ve never quite got round to it? Were you in the middle of training for a marathon, only to find out that the race has been cancelled? Were you getting closer and closer to a one-mile personal best?

It’s difficult to replicate race conditions on your own, but you can set yourself goals. Make them SMART – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely. So, for example, you could set yourself a goal of being able to run for 10 minutes without stopping, by the end of July. Or you could aim to slash 30 seconds off your latest 5k time within the next six weeks.

Take part in a virtual challenge or race

There are loads of virtual races and challenges floating around. You will find more than enough virtual races and challenges with a quick Google search, or by looking at challenges on Strava. If there’s a local running community with a Facebook group, have a look to see what challenges they're doing.

Nothing beats the atmosphere of competing in an organised race. You can’t replicate the adrenaline rush when you stand at the starting line, waiting for the race to begin. I'm sure you miss the fantastic runner’s high when you cross or limp across the finishing line some time later. Nothing tastes as good as the mushy banana and half-melted Mars bar that you get at the end of the race.

But there is a place for virtual challenges. It’s a way of having a bit of healthy competition with fellow runners, and it’s a good chance to keep in touch with your friends.

On a personal note, I managed to get agonisingly close to a 10k PB this month by taking part in a virtual Ekiden relay. A virtual challenge could be a way of achieving a breakthrough if you’ve been stagnating for months.

My face after competing in a virtual Ekiden relay.

Use social media - sparingly

Social media is a double-edged sword. There’s no doubt that lockdown would have been a much lonelier experience in the pre-Internet days. We wouldn’t be able to video chat our family and friends. We wouldn’t be able to keep in touch except through letters, telegrams and messenger pigeon. It would have been almost impossible to co-ordinate virtual challenges or organised events.

I love Strava. It’s a social media platform designed primarily for runners, walkers and cyclists. You can share your activities, you can see what your friends have been doing and you can comment on their activities and give them virtual ‘kudos’. You can analyse your statistics and use the data to make fancy spreadsheets if you’re a nerd like me. You can make it as competitive or non-competitive as you like.

Facebook, Strava and WhatsApp have helped me stay connected with my close friends and the wider running community. Seeing other peoples’ runs has inspired me to try a new route, or implement a different training method.

But there’s some evidence that extensive use of social media can decrease communication with family and friends, while increasing loneliness, anxiety and depression. At times, I find it difficult to cope with the constant barrage of messages that pop up on my phone. It’s impossible to switch off. Our state of being permanently switched on robs us of our ability to have any ‘down time’ or concentrate on anything.

The bottom line is that social media helps us stay connected and to inspire and encourage each other. It’s also easier to organise challenges and virtual races than ever before. On the other hand, if you need to take a break from social media, then don’t be afraid to do so. Remember that, if you don't put your run on Strava, it still happened (okay, that’s debatable!)

Explore new routes

Since the beginning of lockdown, I’ve discovered at least five new footpaths in my local area that I didn’t even know existed. During my four-week break from running in March-April, I used that time to discover and explore new walking routes. Some of the trails were horribly overgrown, but there were other new routes which have now become part of my regular runs.

If you’re in the UK, you can have a look at Ordnance Survey maps or go here to have a look at footpaths, byways and bridleways in your area.

One of the routes I discovered this year. It's a beaut!

If you are exploring while running, I can guarantee that the experience will be liberating and immensely fun. One word of caution: don’t get lost! If you are running on uncharted territory, it’s worth bringing a mobile phone and some food and water with you. You might have a great sense of direction, but you could be caught unawares.

Anyway, have fun, and have a go at exploring new or unfamiliar routes. It will add a lot of variety to your running.

Mix it up

Let’s face it, running can get boring sometimes. It’s tempting to get into the habit of forcing ourselves out the door and run at exactly the same pace every time. It’s a lot better than not running at all, of course, but running doesn’t have to be boring.

Try mixing it up.

You could follow a specific training plan, which will have you running at wildly different distances and paces. If you don’t want to follow a structured plan – and you don’t have to – you should try varying your distance and pace. If you work on speed, endurance and running at an incline, you will grow stronger as a runner.

There are some days where I have very little motivation to run. What I tend to do is start jogging, with no specific plan in place. If, after a mile or so, I’m feeling good, I’ll increase the pace and see how that feels. A couple of these impromptu sessions have ended up resulting in a successful speed workout. I broke my mile PB yesterday by starting out with a slow jog, doing a few mobility drills and then running an all-out mile.

Incorporate a weekly speed or interval session into your runs. Try finding a scenic route, but run slowly, at easy pace. Run up and down a hill a few times, until you get to the point where you hate life and would rather lie down in a darkened room (for me, this usually happens after the third rep.)  Anything to mix up the pace and distance should keep you motivated.

Treat yourself

We all need a little something to give us an extra boost sometimes. Maybe your trainers are getting a little worn, and it’s time to buy a replacement pair. Are your shorts looking a bit old and tatty? Even a little something like a new t-shirt, a reusable water bottle or a packet of electrolyte tablets might give you something to look forward to. A new gadget will also encourage you to get outside and try it out.

Final thoughts

Motivation comes and goes. The last few months have been especially difficult for us. The main thing for us is to keep in touch with our friends and try to recreate some sense of normality by doing virtual challenges and our usual pre-lockdown runs. Don’t be afraid to use this time to try out new things, whether it’s a different route, a new pair of trainers or a highly-recommended but gruelling training session.

The uncertainty over the COVID-19 pandemic will be with us for some time, so we have to find ways of adapting to the circumstances and finding a new normal.

Have you been struggling for motivation? How have you coped with it, and can you suggest any tips and tricks that have helped you personally?