Switching from your normal running shoe to your racing shoe is a defining pre race ritual for many runners. It symbolizes that it’s about to go down, that you’re about to give it your very best in competition and that a tough but joyful ride lies ahead. Pre race rituals can have a positive motivational effect. They can give you confidence, inner strength, security and a sense of control. What are your pre race rituals? Do you have a special routine or ritual that helps you to perform ? If so, let us know in the comments!
As promised with a little delay, we are proud to bring you our first Milers Motivation story.
Every runner has a story to tell and we all go through times in our sport. Running is a damn hard sport after all and to stay motivated for a long period of time can be challenging.
To help you remember how to get through tough times and to enjoy the grind, this story about our Miler Marius Ulrich (28) will hopefully do the trick.
Check out our Instagram story to read about his running journey including failed high jump attempts, international endeavors, gruesome injuries and comeback qualities!
It’s Monday, which means it’s time to talk about motivation. Soon, we’ll use this day to share inspiring stories from the Milers. But before we do, let’s ask ourselves if there is a right or wrong way to be motivated.
In sports psychology, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are commonly known concepts.
Extrinsic means, very broadly speaking, that you are motivated by external factors. Those could be monetary benefits, championships, titles, peer pressure, fear of punishment or judgement – just to name a few. Being externally motivated can be very effective and is not necessarily the ‚wrong‘ kind of motivation. In fact, for short term success, extrinsic motivation can be very helpful.
But generally speaking, to achieve consistently high levels of motivation over longer periods of time, intrinsic motivation is likely to be more effective.
Intrinsic motivation makes use of internal factors, such as enjoyment, longing for mastery and an aim to self-improve. If we find joy in the daily grind of running and are driven by our purpose to make the best of our own abilities instead of external rewards, it is likely that we stick to our sport no matter which setback comes our way.
So sayings like ,falling in love with the process‘ or ‚embracing the grind‘ do hold some value after all!
What are some motivators in your life that keep you running like a maniac in the winter months?
Truly challenging your own limits as a runner is a tremendous mental and physical challenge. Staying motivated and committed to the sport can be tough at times, but ultimately extremely rewarding. Every runner who has reached an ambitious goal -whether it is a crazy PB, a first marathon, or an Olympic gold medal – will agree that all the sacrifices are worth it, when we can experience those special moments.
During COVID times however, it is difficult to come across those special moments. When runners can not reward themselves because races are cancelled, it is important to remember why we started our running journey in the first place and what kept us going when we faced challenges before.
To help you remember, we will share some inspiring anecdotes and stories from our Milers from time to time as part of our #MilersMotivation series. Tales about perfect races, impressive comebacks, tough challenges and about how we fell in love with our sport.
Feel free to share your own story with us, so we can stay #ambitioustogether !
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