My Running Motivation series continues with Marcus, better known as Marathon Marcus. Marcus is a family guy who keeps us up to date on his marathon journey from 4:55 to 3 hours. He is currently trying, and very close to sub 3.
1) What has been your highlight of 2019?
Finishing the year with a marathon PB at TCS NYC marathon running 3:00:19.
2) What are you most looking forward to in 2020?
London and Valencia marathons are my A races.
I’m looking forward to building from my racing and training from 2019 and taking it into this year.
London is my home city, it’s my fourth time running it. I’m looking forward to racing this and getting energy from the amazing support from the crowd.
3) What are your top 3 tips to stay motivated to run
I see motivation as the spark, but the real focus should be developing habit, which through repetition becomes part of your subconscious actions.
Winter training is tough, if it’s new for you don’t jump straight into gruelling workouts, as you’ll burnout.
Instead chose your goal, then make the commitment to carry out one easy habit and build from there. This starts with priming your environment for the desired action.
This one habit could be:
1: Preparing your running kit the day before;
2: Leaving your running shoes by the front door, so you see it. If it’s in the cupboard you’ll forget it.
3: Know what your why is, before you leave.
Once your out of the door, just tell yourself I’ll run a minimum of for 5 minutes. Even if you run for 5 minutes over a several days, your developing the importance of showing up. Once the habit to show up is established you can build on this and improve.
Humans like rewards, so have something measurable to refer to. Like a diary of the work you’ve done (miles/steps etc) On the days when you don’t want to train, go through the diary and remind yourself of the great work you’ve done previously.
pickupthepacepaul 