The Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon is only weeks away!
In order to train for a half marathon, it is essential to stay motivated the moment you decide to start training for a race, during the training and during the race itself. A few tips on staying motivated are discussed below.
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In order to register for a race, it is important to know why you are running the race. Make a note of the following in your running journal or a notebook:
- What factors are essential for you to stay loyal to your training schedule?
- What makes you motivated to keep your schedule?
- What factors prevent you from keeping your schedule?
A lot of people get motivated just by signing up for the race. They look upon the race as a goal and just the desire to run the race and cross the finish line serves as a motivation. Signing up for the race in advance definitely serves as one of the factors for motivation. Though this type of motivation is good, it only lasts for a short time and is not sufficient to carry you through the training program.
Staying motivated throughout the training program is a major challenge for many people. In order to stay motivated, find out what it takes to motivate you for the long runs. For some people, it is the extra food or dessert they can have after the long run when you have burned so many calories. For others, it is the weight you will be able to lose and still be able to eat extra portion sizes of food. Just losing a few pounds or a few inches motivates some people. Whatever your major factor for motivation is, identify that in the beginning. Use it at the end of your long runs to make you feel better.
Reading motivational quotes, keeping a running journal, measuring and weighing oneself on a regular basis – a combination of any of these factors is sufficient to keep one motivated.
Knowing what motivates you and using that motivating factor on a daily and weekly basis is the key to stay motivated.
Need more tips to start training for a half marathon? Get all the tips for a beginner half marathon training tips at http://www.half-marathon-running.com/beginner-half-marathon-training.html Vaishali Nikhade lives in Northern California. She is an avid runner and has run several half marathons and a marathon.