The short answer? You don't — not all the time, and you're not supposed to. Motivation comes and goes for everyone, elite runners included. The trick isn't forcing yourself to feel fired up every day. It's having enough different reasons to keep coming back. Here are six that work.
1. Make yourself accountable
When it's cold, wet and horrible outside, a plan is what gets you out. Write down what you're doing before you go — or follow a training programme — so the decision is already made. It's much harder to talk yourself out of a run you've already committed to.
And remember how you feel afterwards. How often do you actually regret a run once it's done? There's a particular satisfaction in coming home soaked or freezing knowing you went anyway. Sometimes remembering that feeling is the only motivation you need.
2. Run with others — and help someone else out the door
Another person is one of the best motivators there is. If you know someone new to running, take them along on one of your easy runs — helping them find their motivation often gives you a reason to get out too.
You can use other runners to make your own sessions better, as well. Head out with someone faster and use part of the run for a tempo effort — you don't have to run the whole thing at the same pace. Running can be a solo sport, but it doesn't have to be done alone. Sometimes knowing someone's waiting for you is all it takes.
3. Remember: even elite runners take breaks
Staying motivated doesn't mean running relentlessly 52 weeks a year. Sometimes a proper break is part of staying motivated. Bernard Lagat famously took around five weeks completely off each year. Mo Farah and Galen Rupp followed their roughly 20-week training blocks with two weeks of no running, two weeks of jogging, then two weeks building back up. Paula Radcliffe would usually take two weeks off after a marathon.
I've just come back from two weeks away myself. I'd planned to run and adapt to the heat, but it was baking, I wanted proper time with my family, and life got in the way — so I took the break I needed. Downtime gives you a physical and mental reset, and it can make you genuinely excited to lace up again.
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4. Mix things up
If you don't want time off but you're bored, change what you're doing. The same route at the same pace every day isn't stimulating — and it isn't the best way to improve, either. Try intervals, hills, tempo or threshold work, a longer easy run, or an easy run with a few faster miles in it. Run somewhere new. Give yourself something different to think about.
5. Give yourself something to aim for
I'm a big fan of time trials. Put one in the diary every four to six weeks — a flat 5K one time, five miles the next. It doesn't have to feel like a race; it's just a way to see where you are and notice progress.
For some runners, booking a race is the best motivation of all. A date in the diary gives training a purpose — whether that's a PB, a medal, the atmosphere, or raising money for a cause that matters to you. Others simply run for the outdoors, the company or the headspace. Any reason that keeps you coming back is a good one.
6. Don't forget your strength and recovery
Motivation isn't only about getting the running done. Strength, recovery, mobility and stretching are part of your training too. If you want to be a more robust runner, you have to look after the body doing the running. Strength work helps you produce and tolerate the forces of running; recovery gives your body the chance to adapt to the work you've already put in.
So schedule strength and recovery like you would a run. Even 15–20 minutes of strength work is worthwhile, and an easy or rest day isn't wasted — you're not taking time away from your running, you're investing in it.
The real secret
So maybe the secret isn't being endlessly motivated. It's this: make yourself accountable when you need a push. Encourage someone else out the door. Give yourself something to aim for when you need focus. Change things up when you're bored. Look after your strength and recovery. And give yourself permission to rest when you genuinely need it.
Motivation will always come and go. The trick is simply finding enough different reasons to keep wanting to come back.
See you out there, April – Enertor Run Coach