10 Ways to Stay Motivated to Run Ultramarathons



  1.    Write Out a Schedule–As soon as you decide you’re going to run an ultra write out a plan. Take your time and have fun writing the plan. Be reasonable with your schedule and limitations. Throughout the plan add rewards for completing significant long training runs. Your plan should also include enough leeway for unplanned obstacles and rest days.
  2.     Talk About It, A Bunch–The more people you tell your running an ultra, the more people that will be asking you how your training is going. The more people you tell, the more support you will have. And your possibility of finding training partners increases.
  3.      Challenge a Friend–Having a friend that is training for the same race is a terrific way to keep you motivated. You won’t want to let them down, and your competitive side will prod you to get out on those early morning runs. It’s also nice to have a friend to accompany you on those long training runs.
  4.      Follow Ultra Bloggers–There are a lot of ultrarunning bloggers out there, and if reading about their adventures doesn’t motivate you, not much will. Check out: The Infectious Vibe
  5.      Build Your Own–Start your own blog. Right from day one you can share your ultrarunning experiences. You won’t want to let your followers down and writing about your running will keep you running.
  6.       Listen Up–When I’m out on a long run, nothing gets me pumped more than listening to a fellow ultrarunner talking about their training and racing stories. Here are a few podcasts to get you started:ultrarunnerpodcast, running podcasts.
  7.      Be Well Read–If you haven’t read Born to Run by Chris McDougall, do it. Scott Jurek's new book Eat and Run is an awesome motivator. Even if you are not going to run long it’s a great read. Dean Karnazes book, Ultramarathon Man will also get you rearing to run long.
  8.      Write Out Your Race–Before your ultra, write out on paper your perfect race. Get as detailed as you like, be sure to include your lows and highs. By doing this you will see you can finish, all you need is positive thinking. And, of course, some training.
  9.      Sign On the Dotted Line–If you haven’t signed up for an ultramarathon yet, what’s holding you back? Once you register and pay you will be even more determined you will run it.
  10.   Love to Run–No matter how the training, racing and aftermath go, just love the run. Every run you go on, remember, loving to run is the original and strongest motivator.
What motivates you to run ultramarathons?

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