Monday Brain Exchange - Motivation

It's a little late, but here is this week's Monday Brain Exchange from Jill at http://onelittletrigirl.wordpress.com/.

Question: What/Who motivates you? What do you tell yourself when you are struggling? How do you keep going when it is too cold, too windy, too hot, too humid, too early, too late, etc…?

I think the best motivation for me is having races on my calendar. This helps me focus and define what training I have to get done to make my goals.

I don't have a solid track record for handling weather adversity in my running. I'm notorious for skipping workouts if there is precipitation falling! I just hate getting my shoes wet! I don't mind a light mist but anything more than that and you can find me at home. I deal with heat by carrying water with me...during the summer I become really dependent on water during runs. I'll also take short walk breaks if I feel like I'm getting too hot and need a breather.

Lastly for the mental motivation, I rely on my friends and running partners to motivate me when the workout gets tough. I've got such a good group of friends that also happen to be training partners and we all encourage and support each other. When I'm running by myself, I'll talk to myself and remind myself that I've run so many miles in my life that another won't hurt me and it's just 10 minutes!