Let’s face it, if you’ve ever run a marathon, or even been a spectator, you’ll appreciate the motivation and commitment involved. If you’re not prepared when it comes to race day you can expect many hours of suffering and struggle!
It doesn’t have to be that way, of course, if you put in the required training over several months. This requires commitment and motivation, and a belief that the accumulation of all those training miles will help you to reach your goal– whether this is time-oriented, or the equally valid desire to get round.
So what is meant exactly by motivation and commitment? Motivation is the desire to achieve something unusual that gives you the incentive to do things that other people are not prepared to do. Not many people are prepared to train week in, week out so that they can stand at the start of a marathon and say to themselves, “yes, I am ready and I couldn’t have done anything more.”
You can always do something more, but even the elite athletes feel that way. Every athlete has their challenges — whether it’s getting the children ready for school, or an Achilles...