Staying motivated during training can be one of our biggest challenges, especially when the weeks start to stretch on and the long runs get longer. The excitement of starting a new training cycle can wane as the miles pile up, and itโs completely normal to feel your enthusiasm dip from time to time.
Whether itโs dealing with bad weather, juggling a packed schedule, or simply feeling burned out, marathon training requires just as much mental strength as it does physical endurance.
But hereโs the good newsโstaying motivated is something you can actively work on and improve. In fact, the key to pushing through those tough days is often finding small, consistent ways to reignite your passion for running and your commitment to your goal.
With this in mind, Iโve compiled 15 expert tips from fellow running coaches, the Marathon Handbook community, and my own experience to help you stay engaged, focused, and inspired throughout your training journey.

#1: Follow a Training Plan
Having a marathon training plan is having a map to marathon success.
Without a plan, your training will become unstructured and unfocussed. If you don’t know exactly what your workout will be the next day, it’s easy to just skip it.
โMy marathon training plan is like my personal coach,โ says Gary Smith, 4 x NYC marathon finisher. โItโs my map through my training period โ I donโt over-think my training at all, I just stick to the plan. It prevents me second-guessing myself, or trying to come up with excuses on days when Iโm not motivated.
โStick to the plan, dummyโ is what I tell myself.โ
Looking for a training plan? Weโve got you covered โย check out our free, downloadable and customizable training plans.
#2: Run for a Charity
It’s extremely motivating and fulfilling to run for a cause you are passionate about.
โDo it for a charity. If people are giving money then itโs impossible to give up,โ says Georgie Corner, a member of ourย Marathon Training & Support Facebook Group.
Almost all major marathons have spaces assigned to specific charities โ you can get in touch with your preferred charity and participate on their behalf.
Alternatively, simply enter the marathon on your own and set up a page onย JustGivingย โ their site is easy to navigate and takes you through how to set up your page and begin fundraising.
- Related: 11 Pro Running Motivation Tips
#3: Tellย Everyone
This tip is designed to use your own social neuroses against you.
Itโs simple: by telling everyone you know that youโre training for a marathon, youโre more likely to follow through on your training.
By making your marathon training public, youโre inviting in the social pressures of actually delivering on your goal.
Imagine telling everyone at work that youโre preparing for a marathon, then pulling out because you lost momentum in your training.
Ever since you’ve told them, believe me, you’ve become a role model and someone to look up to for many. You don’t want to let them down!
Seriously โ slip it into conversations with colleagues and acquaintances โฆ
โHey, did I mention Iโm training for a marathon?โ
Youโll be surprised how much it actually legitimizes youย โ people will treat you like a marathon runner, which can be a huge confidence boost.
Related: 20 Running Motivation Quotes

#4: Make it Social
Social media can be an awesome tool for propelling you along the way with your marathon training motivation.
How?
Ian Mercado, a marathon runner based inย Apalit, Philippines, explains: โSocial Media is very powerful nowadays; Iย created new Facebook and Instagram accounts exclusively as my running account. Iย joined running communities and groups; Iย added and followed runners, elite, newbie, all kinds as long as they run!
Now whenever I open my feed what I will see is their progression, their training, where they run . . .ย it motivates me wheneverย I see them going out and run! Now I do the same,ย I post my running progress, not to show off, but to motivate myself and others.โ
Social media isnโt necessarily everyoneโs cup of tea, but you can use it to your advantage.
Stravaย is a social media platform and activity tracker designed specifically for runners and cyclists โ itโs free to sign up and easy to use. Download it to your phone today.
Weโve set up a Marathon Handbook Strava Club, which you can join for free and log your runs within our community.
(Iโve also written a blog about Why Strava Is The Only Social Media Platform You Should Use).
We also have a bustlingย Marathon Training & Support Facebook Group; all you need is a basic Facebook profile to join. It has tens of thousands of runners in there who actively contribute to discussion and answer any questions you have.
#5: Run With Others
As much as digital communities can give you a boost, nothing works quite like running with other people. Itโs social accountability, motivation, and company all in one.
Ideally, you would find someone who is running the same marathon as you and following a similar training plan.
If youโve signed up for your marathon with a friend, then perfect!
However, often itโs not the case that you can connect with another runner who runs at your similar pace and is signed up for the same race.
If you don’t have the option of a running partner, find a local running clubย to do at least one run per week with.
I find my energy levels and motivation are typically much higher when training as part of a group.
Where to find a local group?
If youโre US-based, the Road Runners Club of America has an index of local running clubs.
In the UK, check out Run Together โ or simply google your town + โrunning clubโ.
Asย Sharon Combes-Farr, marathon runner-in-trainingย says, โFind a running partner; join a marathon training group even if virtual, sign up for the same race as people you know; hook up early with the race pacers for your planned time if possible; join a gym that organizes participation in local events in your areaโฆโ
Related: Why You Donโt Need Motivation To Run

#6: Prime Your Environment
Do you sometimes have problems just getting out the front door to go running?
Suddenly you becomeย chief procrastinator, or remember all the household chores you have to do โ and before you know it,ย youโve run out of time to do your runย . . .ย so maybe tomorrow, right?
You can get around this byย priming your environment. This meansย having everything set up and oriented towards going for a run.
For example:
If you go running in the morning,ย prepare your kit the night before.ย Lay out your running gearย and shoes so theyโre ready to slip into as soon as you wake up.
In other words, make the process of going for a run as automatic as possible.
If you do your training runs after work, the same story applies:
Have your gear prepared and ready to go; remove any opportunities for procrastination or getting sidelined by something else.
Prioritize and plan your runs, so excuses canโt get in the way.
And cutting out booze can make you even more motivated. Doing challenges like Dry January or Sober October help clear your head and give you more energy.
#7: Stop the Excuses
ย Sometimes you need to cut all the life hacks out and just get your head down and go.
As Joel LeMar, member of our Marathon Handbook community, puts it:
โWhenever I donโt feel like running and can think of a hundred excuses I think โJust Fโn run!โ And I donโt abbreviate Fโn.โ
#8: Mix Up Your Running Workouts
One common problem when training for a marathon is fatigue.
Mile after mile of pushing at a constant pace can beย depressingly monotonous. Especially if youโre running on the same route day in, day out.
However, you donโt have to repeat the same run workout every day. In fact, you shouldnโt!
Your marathon training should involve a variety of running-based workouts.
I always find introducing anย interval training sessionย into my training calendar revitalizes my motivation, and my body.
Running short, sharp bursts of speed helps shake my body โ and mind โ out of the fog of the monotonous training.
You can also look to other ways to mix up your marathon training runs.
Try and find new locations and routes to try out. Yourย weekly long runs can be a great opportunity to hit the trails, and explore somewhere youโve never been before.
Using Strava, find segments near you, and see how you measure up, or search for new routes to explore that others have run.

#9: Mentally Break Down Long Runs Into Smaller Chunks
This is a lesson I learned when I stepped up into running ultras, but itโs equally applicable to marathon training long runs.
The very thought of going for a 15 or 18 mile run can seem pretty overwhelming, and not very appealing when you wake up on a Saturday morning, right?
Thenย donโt think of it as a 15 mile run.
Think of it asย 3 x 5 mile runs. A 5 mile run isnโt so bad, right?ย You do those all the time in training.
In your mind, segment the long run into 3 of these shorter distance runs, and conquer them one at a time.
Why try and eat the whole apple in one when you can take bites?
#10: Listen to something engaging
Get the headphones out and tune into something interesting while you run โ it can help pass the long miles.
Everyone has a different tonic โ whether itโs music, podcasts, or audiobooks.
I personally find audiobooks really engaging, and it means that Iโm using my training time effectively โ Iโm working out and reading.
Two audiobooks I can highly recommend for running are Born To Run by Christopher McDougall, and Canโt Hurt Me by David Goggins (an accomplished ultra-runner with an incredible story).
(you can click here to sign up for Audible and get your first two audiobooks for free!)
#11: Run Mindfully
Mindfulness has been shown to improve motivation, relieve boredom and give you a deeper sense of purpose and calm.
Iโm a big fan of the Headspace mindfulness app, and recently theyโve been working with the Nike Run Club to develop recorded meditations for running.
Theyโve developed a series of 15 sessions to work through,
Sign up for the app โ itโs free โ then in the โguided runsโ section navigate to โRun with Headspaceโ.
You have free access to these 15 mindfulness sessions. Try it out next time you have a training run youโre not looking forward to.

#12: Mark off your Progress
Acknowledging your progress is a great way to celebrate a run, and can go a long way in terms of marathon training motivation.
In his best-seller Atomic Habits, James Clear talks about the importance of a โrewardโ at the end of completing a routine.ย For us, we want to establish a behavior at the end of each run which helps with our habit-forming.
Hereโs some suggestions:
A) Mark off your Training Plan
Several members of our running community noted that theyย print out their marathon training plan, stick itย on the fridge, andย mark off each run as itโs completed.
Jon Lenoirย told us:
โI print off my plan and use a marker pen to mark off each run. You really get a sense of how much youโve achieved every time you see it.โ
B) Share your Run on Social Media
Easily the best platform for this isย Strava. Let it track your run, then share it once completed.
It can help toย add in a quick photoย to make the run more memorable and engaging.
C) Put Marbles in a Jar
Melissa Graham from our Facebook group tells us:
โI really love the process of putting marbles or paper clips in a jar every time you do a daily habit/ goal.
So, I think it would be fun to count out the number of marbles it takes to reach your goalโฆone marble for each training dayโฆto reach your marathon.
So, every day you train, you put a marble in a jar. The visual reminder would keep me motivated!โ
D) Reward Yourself with (Healthy) Food
Another habit-building practice is to reward yourself with something nice at the end of each run.
This can include food!
Remember that after each run, you want to eat something with carbs and protein to kick-start your recovery. Make this something you enjoy and look forward to, whether itโs avocado toast, a smoothie, or a loaded omelette.

#13: Indulge In Recovery
Marathon training is not all about running and working out.
A major part of marathon preparation is recovery โ itโs important to take it seriously to keep your body in its best condition.
And hell, recovery can be somewhat indulgent.
Massages?
Sure!
Spa sessions, with sauna, steam and cold water therapy?
Go for it!
Self-massaging in the evening can be a lot more fulfilling than it sounds.
As for sleepโฆnow you have a great excuse to spend more time in bed! Marathon runners-in-training need their sleep, in order to recover properly.
Recovery isnโt all about straining yourself over a foam roller, it has itโs indulgent side too.
#14: Embrace Rest Days
Rest days exist on your training plan for one reason . . . because you need them.
Your muscles, your cardiovascular system, and your brain โ they all need some time off to recover from the stress of marathon training.
When youโre in marathon-training mode, it can be easy to get restless on your rest days, and feel you should be doing something to build towards your marathon.
It may be counter-intuitive, but switching off completely on rest days is just what you need to re-charge those batteries.
Soย lean inย to your rest days.ย Disconnect completelyย from the world of marathon training. And when you come back to it, youโll be all the more motivated to continue.
#15: Understand The Principles of Marathon Training
It can be hard to stay motivated when youโre following a training plan you donโt really understand, or going for long runs which youโre not sure are relevant to you.
Thatโs why itโs important that you understand the principles of marathon training . . .
- Why marathon pace is so important (and how to train towards it)
- How to handle long runs
- How your weekly mileage should gradually increase.
- What the taper is, and why itโs there.
We cover all this (and more) in our FREE 5-Day Marathon Training Bootcamp.
Check it out! Weโll guide you through the essentials of marathon training. Sign upย and weโll send the bootcamp straight to your inbox.
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