Maintaining Running Dedication
Being committed to the long haul
I have been reflecting upon my rather up and down relationship with dedication. Some weeks I cannot get enough running and devotedly head out the door every day. On other weeks apathy can creep in, my commitment runs low, and I find reasons to do anything except run. Looking back over the last twenty years, this is also the case with my annual running. Some years I have run relatively few miles and other years I have run 1000 miles or more.
Does your dedication have peaks and troughs, too? Here are some simple steps to bolster your dedication for the long haul.
Why might dedication falter?
Thinking this through there are three starting points, possibly lots more, for why we lose our dedication. These include goal setting, overtraining, and our running purpose.
The times my dedication has taken a beating can often be associated with goal setting and achievement. For example, I have had a track record of setting goals as a motivator for training programmes associated with a marathon or ultra race. Once the goal of the race has been achieved, my commitment to running can be very low, and I find myself either on an extended unintentional break from running or dragging myself reluctantly out of the door.
