In our last blog/podcast we answered the question; “How Do I Find Motivation To Run?” I gave you 15 steps to become motivated and stay motivated to lace up your sneakers every week. The question sparks a very interesting debate. Many feel that motivation is overrated and that it is the discipline that you need to be successful as a runner. When I use the term “runner” I’m also speaking to the beginner that is considering taking up running as a weekly practice.

This week we dive into the topic Motivation vs Discipline (How Do I Find Motivation To Run pt 2.) We will discuss the meaning of both words as well as talk to two amazing runners from around the world. In our podcast, you can listen to Lula Brown from South Carolina, USA talk about why motivation is only temporary, and discipline is the key factor in reaching your goals. Next, we got a chance to talk to Alain Tremblay from Montreal, Canada as he shares how a cancer diagnosis 16 years ago sparked his motivation to return to running.

Lula Brown & Alain Tremblay

Before I dive into giving you my thoughts, what do you think? Feel free to express your thoughts in the comments below. My thoughts are that you for sure need both motivation and discipline to be successful at any goal you set your heart after. Take for example a family vacation to Disney. What’s your motivation? To give your family a trip of a lifetime! How will you get there? The discipline of saving for your trip every month. Working a little overtime, or cutting spending on non-essential things to make your dream a reality. Every goal takes a certain level of sacrifice to achieve the goal. Would you want to give in and be less disciplined? Of course! So I kept a picture of the Magic Kingdom on my vision board as a reminder of where I wanted to take my family. Keep your reason why your motivation close to you. Motivation is like lotion it wears off daily. We need to keep reapplying it to stay moisturized.

To regain the emotions behind your original motivation to begin running for better health, or to become faster, keep a photo of what you want in front of you constantly. Save it on the screen saver of your phone, place a photo on your desk at the office.

Here is the definition of motivation:

the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way. For example; "escape can be a strong motivation for travel"

How about those that say motivation is overrated and discipline is what you need to be successful?

Here is the definition of discipline:

the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience.

Now, this is where self-discipline comes into play. No one will come to your home and punish you for not running on the day you said you would. Once you have identified your reason to begin running, your next step would be to find a schedule to which you could stick to. That’s where discipline comes into play. Let’s say it’s Tuesday and it is a designated run day and it’s cold or hot, raining or snowing, what will you do? People make excuses, it’s too early, or it’s too late! Again refer back to your original motivation for running. Was it to be healthier for your children? Then look at a photo of your children to remind yourself of why you need to tap into that discipline asap. When you don’t feel like doing something, then you may be saying that they are not important enough for you to go take those healthy steps today. That may sound harsh, but every decision we make is moving us either toward our goal or away from our goal. Can we move a designated run day to a different day? You can, depending on your schedule. Why not use discipline to run on those not-so-favorable weather days? Remember; You must train in everything to be ready for anything on race day!

Let's go back to my example of saving for your dream vacation for a moment. What happens if you put off saving for a month? You have to attempt to save double the next month. Doing that will cause stress and overwhelm some into not taking the trip at all. When it comes to running, consistency is key. Doubling up can cause injury. Review your life and weekly schedule and book appointments with yourself 3-4 days per week to devote to running to the best you!

Below I will share my 15 tips for finding motivations for running. After each tip, I will add if discipline is needed. This way we can see if one is more important than the other or equally important.

You must train in everything to be ready for anything on race day! -Coach Tadris

Identify Your Reason for Running. If you don't know why you're running, it's hard to stay motivated. Here are some quick examples. “Running can be a strong motivation to help me lose weight.” Running can be a strong motivation to ward off illness.” You fill in the blank here “Running can be a strong motivation for me to be a better ________________ (Motivation) Oftentimes we are motivated to find a reason to run by our doctor telling us we are overweight and need to do something.
Set goals. A goal without a plan is just a dream. Write down your goal, place it on a calendar, tell friends, and go crush that goal. Goals do not have to be big and scary. They can be small. Setting out to run 15-20 in the morning before work. Setting out to run your first 5k. Goals can be big like running a marathon. Big goals do not have to be scary either. All we have to do is take a big goal and break them down into smaller obtainable goals. (Discipline) Once setting a goal it takes discipline to see it through.)
Dress for the exercise you want to do: How do you feel when you buy something new? Good! That good feeling will help you want to lace up those new running sneakers, that new running shirt, or for our lady runners, strap on that new sports bra, and go run. (Motivation)
Track Your Stats w/ App: Apps like Nike Run Club help keep me motivated as I see my miles pile up. I enjoy earning new badges as I achieve certain milestones. I connect with other runners around the world. I can go back in time to compare my growth as a runner as I recently saw my mile time go down. I recently accomplished a 6:50 mile on April 13th, 2021 for my mile test. Tracking allowed me to go back to my last test which was February 23rd in which my time was 6:58 for the mile. This progress keeps me motivated and wanting more speed day workouts. (How To Improve Your Mile Time) (Discipline) This may motivate you, but it takes discipline to be consistent with tracking your progress every run.
Run With Other People: When I was younger, I didn’t like running with people because I didn’t want to hold them up. Ironically, I coach a running group training program in which it’s all about running with others. I love it. I get to help individuals find their life again through running. I get to see people regain their passion for other things in their lives due to them deciding to use running as a way to improve their health. Running with others is very motivating. (Discipline) To show up when you say that you will show up.
Feel The Endorphins: You feel so good after a workout! Many use running as an escape from everyday stress. The feeling that we seek is the endorphins, the happy hormone. The beautiful thing about endorphins is that it is legal, we won’t go to jail for being on the (Runners High) and we won’t have a headache the next day. (Motivation)
Explore New Terrain: To stay motivated to run, it is a must to switch up your scenery. I enjoy the track, boardwalk, bike paths, and my neighborhood. Running on vacation is fun too as we get to explore the town on foot. (Motivation)
Give Yourself a Break: In last week’s blog/podcast we talked about the importance of Run - Rest - Repeat. It's so important to allow your body to heal properly after a great run. Without proper rest, you may get injured, and lose your joy from running. (Did You Know? If you check your heart rate every morning and it’s usually 55bpm. Check your resting heart rate the morning after a hard run and you may see 65bpm. This is an indication that your body has not fully recovered from your previous workout.) (Discipline) Oh yes it takes discipline to take rest days. It takes discipline to listen to your body and not overdo your workouts.
Lower your minimum time: To stay motivated to run, don’t feel as though you need to grind for an hour. If 10 minutes is all you have, make it the best 10 minutes ever! (Discipline) To be humble and realize any limitations on both your time and energy.
Maintain a healthy weight: Let’s face it, we all like to eat. Now I don’t believe you can outrun a bad diet. I was 217lb in 2009 and now I have been able to maintain 167 - 175lbs for the last 3 years. To keep me focused I teach others how to eat real food to help support their running goals. (Keeping It Real Challenge) Some injuries are attributed to running but it wasn’t the running that injured you. It was inflammation caused by our food choices. (Discipline) This is the biggest discipline of them all. Not an easy battle, but you can overcome any weight issues with the right discipline. (Keeping It Real Health Guide)
Get Competitive: Join challenges. This goes in harmony with setting goals. I host 3 free challenges per month on Nike Run Club App; 1) Keep Calm April Showers 60 Miler 2) Run To The Best You Spring Fling 80 Miles 3) Rain Hard/Run Hard Coach Tadris April 100 Miler (100 Miler) https://nikerunning.app.link/wpVtDRY5rfb (80 miler) https://nikerunning.app.link/cVcQlLO5rfb To join one of the challenges friend Tadris Parker on NRC app and click your desired challenge. (Motivation)
Sign Up for a Race: There is nothing like the energy that you get from a live race event. The sense of accomplishment, the fans cheering you on, and seeing others that inspire you along the way. Beginners would want to find a 5k to start. If you have been running 5 or 10k’s for a while sign up for your first half marathon. Here in South Jersey, I encourage you to check out https://www.acraceseries.com/ pre-Covid they had everything from 5k to the full marathon. Now due to Covid restrictions on the number of people that can gather in 2021, there will be 8k’s and half marathons in the spring. In the fall, all events will be available, the 5k, 10k, half, and full marathons. Any of their race series can also be done virtually as well. (Discipline)
Create a Training Plan: Of course, you may have a plan in mind already. However, this is where I come in. I have been helping people cross the finish line for nearly a decade. I help a lot of parents who do not have unlimited time to train. Our plans are designed to help you run less, yet run faster and further. We help online participants like Danielle Selassie cross the Chicago Marathon finish line. We are currently working with a member Gina Davidson in the United Kingdom to improve on her mile times, and soon her first half marathon. Local participants would sign up for our RunA5K program. Online participants would subscribe to my online coaching through my Online Accountability Group (Discipline)
Use Running as an Excuse: When staying motivated to run and friends want you to join them for happy hour after work, remember how sluggish you feel after drinks and snacks. Use running as an excuse. You could say; “I would love to, but I’m training for a half marathon, I have to get up early tomorrow morning!” (Discipline)
Reward Yourself for Running: When hitting certain milestones of your running, reward yourself with something new. Perhaps after 100 miles, you invest in a smartwatch like a Garmin or Apple Watch. After 200 miles of wearing the same sneakers, reward yourself with a new pair. (Pro-Tip - Change your sneakers every 200 - 300 miles) (Discipline) for making it this far in order to receive your reward.

You can overcome any weight issues with the right discipline.

Fill out our contact us form for a free copy of our (Keeping It Real Health Guide)

Those are my thoughts on this engaging topic of Motivation vs Discipline. When it comes to the question How Do I Find Motivation To Run? I found 15 ways for you to find that motivation you seek. 10 out of those 15 reasons takes extreme discipline to ever see your goals through. Just like you need flour and eggs to make a cake. You need both motivation and discipline to make the best version of yourself.

Inspiration is another key ingredient to staying motivated with your running goals. For that inspiration, press play on this week’s podcast. Listen to Lula Brown and Alain Tremblay as they discuss Motivation vs Discipline with me.

Lula Brown of South Carolina, USA

Alain Tremblay of Montreal, Canada.

Thank you both for sharing your experience with us all.

You both have inspired me to meet more people & Share Their Stories.

Thank you so much for reading this blog. Please do us a favor and comment below & share this on your favorite social media platform. Let us know what you think and we will give you a shout out in a future show.

Keep Calm And Run To The Best You!

Coach Tadris

#99 - Motivation vs Discipline (How Do I Find Motivation To Run? pt 2)