Motivation

As part of my tri club membership, I was offered the opportunity to receive 4 weeks of online, group 'Mental Skills Training' from a life coach for free. The idea is that there are specific mental skills that contribute to success in both sports and life in general.   While 'life coaching' isn't something I would normally seek out on my own, I figured it would be interesting to give it a shot since it was free.

The way it works is that I receive two weekly emails from my coach. The first email consists of 3 parts: Motivation, Brainy Stuff (the science behind the topic in the motivation section), and Cross-Training (how the topic applies in other areas of your life).  The second email contains a series of challenges designed to implement and practice the skills discussed in the first email.

This week's topic was 'Motivation' and we were challenged to think about what motivates us in various areas of our lives.  The things that motivate you in your home life are different from the things that motivate you in athletic endeavors, at work, or in your social life.  One of the 'challenges' was to think about what refuels your motivation tank.  It could be music, nature, training, friends, movies...just about anything.  My main motivating force at home is the happiness and well-being of Mr. R&R, Walter and Spot - and in return, spending time with them refuels me in so many ways.  My motivation on the athletic front has been at an all time low (see myriad complaints about crap weather and a rough couple of weeks at work).  Usually I derive my athletic motivation from successfully completing workouts - outside and in nice weather!

Another challenge was to make a list of favorite motivating movies, video clips, music, and quotes - so I thought I'd share a few of my 'athletic motivation' items with you.

Movies:

Hands down winner. I won't tell you how many times I've watched this movie, but the number is pretty high. It always provides a good kick in the pants when I need one.

A movie about one of America's most legendary runners? Sounds like motivation to me!

Books:

This work of fiction, originally published in 1978, quickly became a cult classic in the distance running community.  I finally read it a few years ago and it was easy to see why.

When the 3x Ironman World Champion writes a book...you read it.  Chrissie is both incredibly humble and incredibly motivating at the same time.

Music:
I know I've talked about my preference for running with music before, but sometimes I need an extra boost - those few songs that never fail to make me try a little harder, go a little longer - in short: power songs.

Video Clips:




This is one of my favorite YouTube videos. It reminds me that people are willing to go to the point of complete and utter collapse in pursuit of their goals.



The New York City Marathon is on my Bucket List of races...so this just adds fuel to the fire!

 Quotes:

 

What motivates you?