Marathon Training Motivation – 15 Ways To Stay On Track

Find your stride with my top tips to stay motivated, energized, and excited throughout your marathon training journey

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 itโ€™s completely normal to feel your enthusiasm dip from time to time.

Whether itโ€™s 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 hereโ€™s the good newsโ€”staying 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, Iโ€™ve 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.

a note papers with words on them next to a cup of coffee

#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.

โ€œMy marathon training plan is like my personal coach,โ€  says Gary Smith, 4 x NYC marathon finisher. โ€œItโ€™s my map through my training period โ€“ I donโ€™t 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 Iโ€™m not motivated. 

โ€˜Stick to the plan, dummyโ€˜ is what I tell myself.โ€œ

Looking for a training plan? Weโ€™ve got you covered โ€“ย 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.

โ€œDo it for a charity. If people are giving money then itโ€™s 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.

#3: Tellย Everyone

This tip is designed to use your own social neuroses against you.

Itโ€™s simple: by telling everyone you know that youโ€™re training for a marathon, youโ€™re more likely to follow through on your training.

By making your marathon training public, youโ€™re inviting in the social pressures of actually delivering on your goal.

Imagine telling everyone at work that youโ€™re 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 โ€ฆ

โ€œHey, did I mention Iโ€™m training for a marathon?โ€

Youโ€™ll 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

a man and woman giving each other a high five

#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: โ€œSocial 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 isnโ€™t necessarily everyoneโ€™s 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€“ itโ€™s free to sign up and easy to use. Download it to your phone today.

Weโ€™ve set up a Marathon Handbook Strava Club, which you can join for free and log your runs within our community.

(Iโ€™ve 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. Itโ€™s 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 youโ€™ve signed up for your marathon with a friend, then perfect!

However, often itโ€™s 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 youโ€™re 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 + โ€œrunning clubโ€.

Asย Sharon Combes-Farr, marathon runner-in-trainingย says, โ€œFind 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 areaโ€ฆโ€œ

Related: Why You Donโ€™t Need Motivation To Run

two women running on a road

#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 youโ€™ve 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 theyโ€™re 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 canโ€™t 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:

โ€œWhenever I donโ€™t feel like running and can think of a hundred excuses I think โ€˜Just Fโ€™n run!โ€™ And I donโ€™t abbreviate Fโ€™n.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 youโ€™re running on the same route day in, day out.

However, you donโ€™t have to repeat the same run workout every day. In fact, you shouldnโ€™t!

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 youโ€™ve 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.

Two women running together on the road.

#9: Mentally Break Down Long Runs Into Smaller Chunks

This is a lesson I learned when I stepped up into running ultras, but itโ€™s 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 donโ€™t think of it as a 15 mile run.

Think of it asย 3 x 5 mile runs. A 5 mile run isnโ€™t 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 itโ€™s music, podcasts, or audiobooks.

I personally find audiobooks really engaging, and it means that Iโ€™m using my training time effectively โ€“ Iโ€™m working out and reading.

Two audiobooks I can highly recommend for running are Born To Run by Christopher McDougall, and Canโ€™t 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.

Iโ€™m a big fan of the Headspace mindfulness app, and recently theyโ€™ve been working with the Nike Run Club to develop recorded meditations for running.

Theyโ€™ve developed a series of 15 sessions to work through, 

Sign up for the app โ€“ itโ€™s free โ€“ then in the โ€˜guided runsโ€™ section navigate to โ€˜Run with Headspaceโ€™.

You have free access to these 15 mindfulness sessions. Try it out next time you have a training run youโ€™re not looking forward to.

A blue notebook that says training plan on it.

#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 โ€˜rewardโ€™ 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.

Hereโ€™s 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 itโ€™s completed.

Jon Lenoirย told us:

โ€œI print off my plan and use a marker pen to mark off each run. You really get a sense of how much youโ€™ve 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:

โ€œI 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 goalโ€ฆone marble for each training dayโ€ฆto 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 itโ€™s avocado toast, a smoothie, or a loaded omelette.

A person getting a leg massage.

#13: Indulge In Recovery

Marathon training is not all about running and working out.

A major part of marathon preparation is recovery โ€“ itโ€™s 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 sleepโ€ฆnow you have a great excuse to spend more time in bed! Marathon runners-in-training need their sleep, in order to recover properly.

Recovery isnโ€™t all about straining yourself over a foam roller, it has itโ€™s 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 youโ€™re 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, youโ€™ll be all the more motivated to continue.

#15: Understand The Principles of Marathon Training

It can be hard to stay motivated when youโ€™re following a training plan you donโ€™t really understand, or going for long runs which youโ€™re not sure are relevant to you.

Thatโ€™s why itโ€™s 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 itโ€™s there.

We cover all this (and more) in our FREE 5-Day Marathon Training Bootcamp.

marathontrainingmasterclass

Check it out! Weโ€™ll guide you through the essentials of marathon training. Sign upย and weโ€™ll send the bootcamp straight to your inbox.

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Thomas Watson

Running Coach + Founder

Thomas Watson is an ultra-runner, UESCA-certified running coach, and the founder of Marathon Handbook. His work has been featured in Runner's World, Livestrong.com, MapMyRun, and many other running publications. He likes running interesting races and playing with his three little kids. More at his bio.

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