"[ Author's Note: This article is part of an occasional series on the unique opportunities and challenges of growing older as a runner.] In the last half-decade, I have spoken with and coached dozens of 50-plus-year-old athletes who have struggled with motivation. Certainly, the motivation to train is something we all grapple with, but it seems particularly acute for athletes over 50. In working with older athletes, I have found three excellent ways to combat motivation and reinvigorate running."
"Embracing alternative forms of aerobic exercise can be fun and motivational at the same time. Skiing, swimming, cycling, and hiking are all great ways for older athletes to remain fit while taking a break from the day-to-day monotony of running. Although this may seem obvious to many, you would be surprised how many athletes, particularly aging ones, are unwilling or unable to branch out beyond their daily run."
"After a successful summer of racing, he simply lost his desire to run, which led to a downward spiral that impacted other areas of his life as well. While on a run together in early October, I suggested that perhaps he needed to take a break from the trails and hit the roads for a while, perhaps even targeting a road half marathon as a late autumn goal."
Many runners over fifty experience pronounced motivation loss for training. Cross-training with activities like skiing, swimming, cycling, and hiking provides aerobic exercise while reducing running monotony and can expand perspectives. Deliberately changing terrain or race goals, such as switching from trails to roads or targeting a late-season half marathon, can reignite desire and produce performance gains. Short, purposeful running vacations allow focused training and mental reset. Periods outside habitual routines help restore enthusiasm, prevent burnout, and often improve subsequent running by introducing novelty, variety, and renewed goals.
Read at iRunFar
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