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Hi Andy and all

I've been reading/lurking this superb website and forum off and on for years now. It helped inspire me to get fit after half a lifetime of zero exercise and run my first 10k. Well, now I am posting this message 'cos I have had a period of letting all my good work go to waste.

I had run four 10k races acheiving a 60mins time on the last one. I was very overweight and lost 35pounds and felt better than ever. Then...I gradually took backward steps. Running less frequently, pressure of job meaning not enough time, comfort eating blah blah. Now I have lost much of my good work. I am so angry with myself.

I have procrastinated long enough. So, I am now writing here where I know many of you have also had similar problems. I have bookmarked the website again and am determined to sort myself out and get back to running regularly. And to losing weight. Already reading the posts and diary entries I feel a sense of community and inspiration. Thanks for that everyone. I ran for the first time in ages 2 weeks ago. On the treadmill for 25mins. It felt surprisingly good. Then again last week for 35mins. My legs ached like mad but again I felt elated. Now I am forcing myself to go again today. Pretty soon I want to get back to running outside.

I know I love it, it helps me lose weight yet why the hell is it so difficult to get motivated, to find the time and actually *do it*!? An age old mystery. Anyway, I look forward to checking in here regularly again

Cheers
Robert

Hi Robert, Try not to lose heart, I think most of us go through times when we lose our motivation or work/family committments get in the way. I know myself i've been really entusiastic for a couple of months then lose heart and do nothing for a few months. I thnk for me the only that keeps me going is if I've entered a race then I know i've got to get out there and train otherwise i'll slip and do nothing for ages. At least you've made a start again so it won't be long until you're back to your fitness. Good luck!

Robert - it's great to hear from you again. I remember you, of course. I always remember the people who say nice things about the site. Sometimes I want to chase them up and demand that they return, but I have to accept that people will come back if and when they want to.

60 minutes for a 10K? Well that's exactly my position in the athletics firmament too. I've been there for about 97 light years. PB is 1 hour and 11 seconds I think. One day I'll finally dip under it.

The motivation question is always one of the toughest. We (you and I) talked about it here once before. Without wanting to abandon you, I think the first thing to say is that we all have different answers to this question, and what (usually) works for me might not do so for you. So the real question should perhaps be: "What will work for me?", and only you can answer that.

There are standard tips that really do help, like "enter a race", as suggested by Miss C. I find this works best for me if it's a race distance I've not done before. Just a personal thing perhaps, but I know I can get round a half, and even get round a marathon, so the element of fear has gone. In some ways this is good - not as stressful to train for - but it definitely reduces some of the motivation as well. I loved training for my first marathon. Every week I was running a bit further, and it was a constant challenge whether I could push it another mile further the following week.

Weren't you going to do a half marathon? Reading? Did you ever make it? Why not aim to do it next March? Or the Silverstone Half? I'll probably be running the coaches again to Silverstone, and Reading is my local half, so I'll probably end up doing both again. They are usually on successive weekends.

Why not aim for one of them? This gives you just over 5 months to train, which is very do-able. I'll do it/both with you if you like. You just have to get up to 10 miles between now and then. If you can reach 10 in training, you can reach 13 on the day - I guarantee. Take a look at http://www.halhigdon.com for some training plans.

More generally, well it's hard for me to be too smug because I've had a very bad summer, running-wise, and have only just got back into it. But September and October are great months for running. Cool but not cold. A great time of year to run early in the morning. When you run, you feel good; that's all you need to know. If you want to feel good, then get running again. Most of us have had a bad summer, but we seem to be getting cranked up again with our spring race goals in the distance. Why not join us?

The worst thing about running is the thought of doing it. Once we're out there, and into the second mile, we know we've done the right thing. But for some reason our front-of-brain thoughts put up a lot of resistance before we get to that point.

You have to be sort of smarter than your own brain, if that makes sense. Underneath those initial instincts, you KNOW it's a good idea to get out there.

Let us know how you're getting on, and we'll try to encourage/cajole as best we can.

And thanks for reminding me that I need to sort out a race or two myself.

Cheers

Andy

Hi Robert,

It's good to hear that you've decided to start again. Running really is an addiction in many respects, the more you do, the easier it is to motivate yourself out of the door every day. Conversely, if you do stop running for a period, it can be hard to motivate yourself to get going again.

On balance I think it's a healthy addiction but I'm not sure my wife would always agree. ;-)

Anyway, now that you've posted here there's *NO WAY* that you can back out, well be eagerly awaiting progress reports every week. As Andy an others have suggested, setting yourself a target (whether it be a race or weight) is a good idea to help with the motivation.

I'm sure Andy's recent doldrums have been due to him failing to realise that marathons are no longer a challenge for him and he's ready to move on to ultras. ;-)

Hi Andy

Ahh...you remember me! When will you get a book published eh? Your writing is just superb. And my wife loves it too...she is not a runner, loves books and used to work in publishing. So there...a qualified lit critic enjoys your writing too.

Well, what can I say..thanks SO much for the encouragement. I really take heart from what you said. Thats a great idea re: a race. But at present I feel so far off doing a 10k never mind a half marathon. Plus I really think I need to lose a stone or so first. Ah...I know...excuses, excuses. Maybe I will do the Reading race after all. Let me think about it..

I don't know about you but my body is such that if I stop running and dieting for a while I seriously pay the price. That is why I am almost back to square one. Then again, I got to thinking, before I ever started running I couldn't even run for 15mins. Even now, lapsed runner, I can still do 35mins. So...maybe it isnt back to square one after all. I just need to get going again.

Thanks again, I will be sure to keep checking in here to let you know how it goes. I hope you keep hearing from me. That means I am still trying!

Cheers
Robert

Hey Tim, Miss Champers

Thanks so much for thewords of encouragement! So kind. All I can say is today I am very determined. Hopefully I will be like this tomorrow as well!

thanks
Robert

All -

Forgot to mention....so today I ran again! Did 30mins. Felt great. The only problem is I have been starving all day since I came back. Ate sensibly since though. Maybe that is a good sign that my fat is getting eaten away!

Robert

Tim Wrote:I'm sure Andy's recent doldrums have been due to him failing to realise that marathons are no longer a challenge for him and he's ready to move on to ultras. ;-)

Tim, I fear I've been hoist by my own petard. When I wrote what I did, above, I was aware that I seemed to be suggesting that I'd somehow left the marathon behind when it came to challenges. A very, very foolish impression to give by someone who still can't quite break the 5 hour barrier.

However. However. Just on the off-chance.... that I wanted to think about a bigger challenge, I wouldn't mind some advice. It would be interesting to have a bigger nut to crack. But what?

Not necessarily just a longer distance, though maybe that really is the easiest and best suggestion. What else is there? There's not much point in considering a mid-winter triathlon, or an all-uphill marathon in the Alps that only steroid-filled 21-year olds could cope with. I like the idea of moving away from the road, but I'm a bit reluctant to just dive into the remote, mountainous, February marathon with a field of 30 runners. £2 to enter, and a cup of tea for all finishers.

What might inspire me, but offer just the right amount of stress and uncertainty to make me work hard.....?

andy Wrote:What else is there? There's not much point in considering a mid-winter triathlon, or an all-uphill marathon in the Alps that only steroid-filled 21-year olds could cope with. I like the idea of moving away from the road, but I'm a bit reluctant to just dive into the remote, mountainous, February marathon with a field of 30 runners. £2 to enter, and a cup of tea for all finishers.

What might inspire me, but offer just the right amount of stress and uncertainty to make me work hard.....?

Cup of tea??! You must be talking about the swanky events. ;-)

A lot depends on where you're based and how far you're prepared to travel. My experience is pretty limited so there's not a lot I can offer in terms of experience of events. A useful link for slightly "different" events is http://www.interlog.com/~jedward/marathon.html.

The Ridgeway 40 looks interesting as it's for both walkers and runners.

Don't think btw that all ultra runners are scrawny mountain goat types. Ultra runners aren't afraid to walk stretches (particularly uphill bits) and you'll find folk of all shapes and sizes.

andy Wrote:What else is there?

What might inspire me, but offer just the right amount of stress and uncertainty to make me work hard.....?

Hi Andy
I've been thinking it for a while now. What you need is a good Hash !