Yes, I do! This is basically my entire job right now as a coach 

That is to say, you are not alone! Anything we can do to alleviate the stress we put on ourselves as goal-oriented athletes is energy well spent. So consider yourself normal for whatever you are feeling: lack of motivation, feeling that training is pointless, anxiety about races being cancelled, lack of structure, loneliness without a training group… all normal.

That said, one of the things I emphasize to my athletes is that training is a long term project. Although the next goal always seems like the most important goal, we’re all working on a much bigger picture. Now is a great time to be training for a 2021 or 2022 race for example, if racing is your primary motivator. That’s what I’m doing.

The next thing athletes should do is get clear on what excites them about training. For the runner who submitted this question, it may be racing. But it may also be having the structure of a training plan. It may be the social aspect, or having regular performance markers, or stress relief, or being in nature. Get clear on what you LOVE about training, then approach your training from that perspective.

For the folks out there who are highly motivated by racing, time trials and virtual (strava) races are a must! It helps so much to know that on such-and-such a date we’re going to go out and perform, and it gives us structure to work around.

For non-race-oriented athletes, AND for racers, I highly recommend experimenting with cross training and intuitive training right now. Having a selection of different types of training to choose from on any given day provides an opportunity for the body and mind to weigh in on what they need today. If you think you’re a one trick pony and that trick is road running, consider trail running. Or mountain running. Or calisthenics-based strength training. Or hiking. Those are all things you can do with just your running shoes. I’ve been probing the websites of the various organizations that maintain trails in the UV and trying to visit less traveled places, at ridiculous hours of the morning or in the rain to avoid other people… there’s something fun about the challenge of that. But even if running in the dark and in the rain isn’t everyone’s idea of a good time, you could still challenge yourself to get to know your home better and run a new trail or road.

Check in with other athletes. Keep the social aspect alive by sharing workouts and discussing training goals, or even meeting up for a socially distanced run (although keep in mind that, though the jury is still out, it is likely we do need more than 6 ft between us when breathing at high exertion.) Zoom strength sessions with your training buddies could be a new part of your routine. Communicating with other athletes will help you keep the accountability aspect that training groups provide.

One other trick to consider: training is about wellness, and there are things besides training we can do to contribute to wellness. You might find you’re more motivated in training if you spend some energy developing other wellness habits, such as working on your sleep hygiene or focusing on aspects of your nutrition you’d like to improve.

Thanks for the question! I think this speaks to a lot of us right now.

If the resources are available to you, or a combination thereof, I used to run on the treadmill while watching a ski race video (yeah, I’m that old) or an old recording of the Boston Marathon on my TV that I kept saved just for this purpose. It actually really helped my stride rate!

Nowadays it could be watching a recording of a previous marathon on youtube while on a treadmill or other stupid-indoor-machine, or listening to it on a device (I don’t know how – I defer to a millennial) while running outside.

There were some cool, row-with-me coaching videos filmed in San Francisco Bay that I used to watch while on my Concept II. If I still had it, I might try to find a recorded race on youtube and try to match their stroke rate. (There would be an added abdominal component, as I’d be laughing at my attempt.)

In all cases, I’d feel like I was in a race situation, with competitors/fellow sufferers, and the crowd cheering me on at the same time.

I’m feeling your pain, Rob!

With races being postponed and canceled faster than Mo Farah can kick the last 400 meters of a 10K, it’s easy to slide into the doldrums. Poor me, why should I train hard if I’m not going to race? There is now the VIRTUAL racing option to help keep your cardio battery charged up but, I know, it’s just not the same, right? So, what to do…you’re losing focus and on top of that the pounds are starting to creep back in around your waist, ugh!

HERE’S WHAT TO DO:

1) Have a purpose – set a short-term goal, create a fun, doable challenge.
Strava offers dozens of challenges each month – e.g. complete 15 activity hours in a month combining running, walking, hiking, riding, swimming, you name it. That’s just 30 minutes a day. Use Strava or whatever social media program you like or make up your own challenge. Then take it on, one day at a time.

Personal Tip: When I wake up in the morning, usually around 5 am, and as soon as I touch my glasses on the bedside table, Mookie the 100 lbs Labradoodle jumps up off his bed and is ready to head out the door for a walk. Okay, I’m lucky to have a willing training partner, but before we head out and right after I brush my teeth and take my vitamin B-12 and D3, I look at myself in the mirror and remind myself of my challenge for the day, then I slap myself across the face to reaffirm my commitment to get it done. BAM!!! My reward is to look at myself in the mirror again just before I go to bed and smile because I did what I said I would do and it was easy! One day at a time…pure and simple.

2) Commit to Only One Step – Just get your foot out the door, after that if you want to go back to bed you can, but you won’t.

Personal Tip: I always allow for a warmup at the beginning of an activity, even if I’m just walking, I feel my way into the workout. How do my feet feel? Quads? Hammies? Calves? I relax and do a quick body scan? If everything is starting to loosen up a bit, then I do some simple drills – walk/jog backwards, run in place…tap, tap, tap…relax my foot muscles, tendons and ligaments and feel the ground with my feet splayed out and push off your forefoot…aaah…

3) If you don’t want to do the workout JUST DON’T DO IT…OR BETTER YET…TRY A “FARTLEK” – NO PRESSURE

Personal Tip: If you have promised yourself that you only have to commit to take ONE STEP and that you can bail out at any time after that, then the pressure is OFF and any dread that might have tried to creep in is GONE. So, I’ve started down the road and despite a thorough warmup…IT’S JUST NOT HAPPENIN’. I mean, I’m just not up for this THING, this 10 x 400 THING or this 15 minute Tempo THING or this 10+ mile LOOOOONG RUN THINGGGGGG…No Worries. If you’ve got headphones, get ‘em out put ‘em on and jog slowly. At the end of the first song, pick up the pace a bit during the next song, then jog or walk or whatever during the next song, then pick it up bit during the next song…that’s FARTLEK, YOU ARE FARTLEKIN’. Now if you don’t have headphones, start jogging slowly and pick out a telephone pole or funky tree or rock or fence or turn in the road and pick up the pace a bit when you get there, then pick out something else down the road and slow back down when you get there. If it’s still not happening’ go home, but you won’t need to because you will in your groove and run-in’ down the road. You may even be smiling at yourself for being such a DICK in the first place. AND…DON’T FORGET TO SMILE AT YOURSELF IN THE MIRROR BEFORE YOU GO TO BED. NICE JOB, YOU DID IT!