I recently read a Facebook post that sparked a thought for my next blog… ‘Different running goals & motivations’.
What drives us?
What gets our competitive side going?
What goals do we have?
What gets us out of the front door day after day?
What do we want from our running journey…?
Do we even have a goal for our running adventures?
Do we need one?
So many questions and so many different answers!
There really isn’t a right or wrong answer, because we all have our own reasons for running and no doubt we all have our own goals too – or maybe some of us don’t have goals at all?!
From completing your first 5k right up to running 100 miles in 24hrs (and lots more in between), there are plenty of different goals to aim for and what appeals to one runner may not appeal to another. There’s no rules and no right or wrongs – as long as your enjoying your running that’s all that matters.
I’m more of a ‘purest’ when it comes to my own personal running journey. To run as fast as I possibly can and bag as many PB’s from 5k to marathon distance is what drives me at the moment.
I still feel I have plenty of PB’s to achieve and when the day comes that I can’t improve my speed anymore, I image my running will take a different route. Endurance races like Ultra runs are becoming ever more popular, so as I get older these and being good for age will likely motivate me.
One thing for sure is – I’ll always have a goal in my head because this is what I’ve identified as my motivation to train, this is what gives me the buzz! However, like I said earlier, there is no right or wrong way to be motivated and some people won’t have goals. That’s the thing about running, there is no runners rule book to follow, just do what makes you happy! If your running in any way, shape or form you’re already doing something great – you’re already ‘winning’!
There are so many different types of runner; the runners that don’t ‘race’, the runners that run alone, the runners that run to keep fit, the weight loss runners, the runners that like a social group jog but have no interest in races and the runners that run in the gym on the treadmill. These runners might or might not have a target or goal, it might be a lifestyle choice or it might be a case of running simply because people just enjoy doing it! These guys can enjoy a nice chilled jog with no schedule or big races to think about. They can take all the good from the running game, no disappointing race times to think about, just ‘winning’ with every step with big smiles along the way.
So, whatever your own personal goals are or aren’t – we’re all enjoying doing what we love and following our own path, and we all have that one great thing in common – WE’RE ALL RUNNERS IN THIS TOGETHER!!!
Happy and healthy running!