Have you ever had an off day?

How about an off WEEK?!?

Well that’s what I had last week. I’m totally thrown off. I didn’t do any strength training last week and was lucky to get in four runs. {Three of those were on the dreadmill.}

Not only was I slacking in my strength training…but I was also falling asleep early and sleeping HARD! I guess my staying up late finally took its toll on me.

Come Saturday I just felt worn out and I had no motivation to get up and go out for my “long” run of the week. In fact, I felt like I was losing all motivation to keep running.

I’m beginning to wonder if I’m getting the winter blues early. You know what I’m talking about. The days get shorter and the nights get colder making the mornings colder too. It’s natural for our bodies to feel like we need to hibernate. And I really feel like hibernating. I’m totally talking about that crawling-under-my-covers-and-don’t-dare-bother-me-until-Spring hibernating.

Okay, so maybe I’m just getting the 4th Quarter blues too.

For those of you not in the insurance field, 4th Quarter is the busiest time of year. A majority of people will renew January 1st thus making October – February crazy busy. Talk about some stress. If you think you saw me stressed already? Then you must have not known me during 4th Quarter. I apologize to anyone ahead of time for anything I may say or do. {Specifically poor PJ}

Back to my lack of motivation for running…while sitting on the couch, I put a distress “call” out to my runchat friends on Twitter. I was struggling with the motivation to run and was calling out for someone to help give me that little push I needed. No response…then I realized that they were probably out running themselves. So in a split second decision, I got up and got dressed. I figured I could at least get a couple of miles even if it wouldn’t be the 5 scheduled miles.

It was a struggle to get myself out the door. It was a struggle to run. But I kept reminding myself that I’d feel better after I finished.

I ran the 5 miles. I’m so glad I did. Even though it was a hot and slow 5 miles, I still felt awesome. I felt accomplished. And after my run was finished I noticed that I had notifications from a few Twitter and Instagram friends encouraging me to get after it!

As I’m typing this post, I think I may have come to the conclusion on my lack of motivation. I haven’t ran a race in a while. Having races spread out through the year is a great motivator, not to mention short-term goal, for me. The last race I ran was in March. Luckily I have one coming up in a couple of weeks. I really should try to do one at least every other month.

In conclusion, it’s good to remind myself of what and who my motivators are:

• Because I can!
  There was a time after my car accident that I didn’t think I’d be able to run more than a mile properly without pain. I persevered.
• Motivational quotes like the ones I’ve shared in this post.
  When I need a little pick me up, I scroll through the many quotes that I’ve saved as I come across them.
• Registering for races
  I find that if I have a short term goal to work towards, I’m more inclined to do it. Having a race to look forward to will keep me running
• The #RunChat community
  Never heard of it? If you are a runner, you must check it out! Several runners from all over get together on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of every month at 8pm EST, using the hashtag #RunChat, to talk about RUNNING!
  http://therunchat.com/
• The #FitFluential community
  What a wonderful community that promotes health and fitness. The commoderie that I’ve found in this community has been extremely inspiring.
  http://fitfluential.com/

If you’re lacking motivation on why you’re doing what you’re doing, then maybe you should take a minute to remind yourself how and why you’re doing it.

Questions of the day:
How do you motivate yourself to keep going?
What are your motivators?

DISCLAIMER: I am not a certified fitness trainer, nutritionalist, or a doctor. The majority of my knowledge is derived from hands-on experience, a fitness specialist, exercise classes, or other fitness bloggers. If you have any concerns, I suggest consulting with your doctor before starting a fitness routine or diet. Sweat at your own risk!