How To Stay Motivated If Your Race Has Been Cancelled

What To Do If Your Race Has Been Cancelled - Bethan Taylor-Swaine — *image: Alex Dixon*

Chatting to friends who were training for spring races lots of them have told me that they’re really struggling with motivation now they don’t have a race to train for. Suddenly they’ve gone from getting out the door and clocking up the miles to struggling to run just once a week, it’s an emotional rollercoaster.

Training for a race is a huge investment, both in terms of time and energy, and it’s natural to feel gutted if something you’ve worked so hard for is cancelled or postponed. So what do you do next?

Running Isn’t Cancelled

First things first, just because your race has been cancelled it doesn’t mean running has been cancelled! True, there might not be cheering crowds and a medal at the end, but you can still get out there, explore some new places and benefit from how good movement makes you feel.

Remember Your Why

Your ‘why’ is the reason you get up and out the door. It’s WHY you endure those tough runs. It’s what drives you through the wind and rain. It’s what you remind yourself of during a race. A RUNNER’S WHY IS EVERYTHING. It’s not something tangible, but more like a feeling, the thing that lights you up and makes your heart sing. You can read more about my WHY here.

When things get hard I like to go back to basics and remind myself of my why and journalling can be a useful tool when you’re going through a tricky time and need to remind yourself of what matters (you can read here about the benefits of practicing gratitude and the power it has over our mindset). Journalling sounds a lot more complicated than it is, really you just need a pen and paper or the notes section of your phone and to quickly jot down a few points that remind you why you’re doing what you’re doing. There’s no need to spend ages over the exercise (I usually suggest just 60 seconds! Set a timer on your phone!) and prompts like the ones below can be a really useful starting point as you reflect on where you’re at;

What inspired you to take up running, and what inspired you to keep running?

What is it about running that you enjoy? Why?
What was the best run (not race!) you’ve ever done? Why was it so good?

By taking the time to clarify your thoughts and concerns you can make the space in your mind to focus and keep your eye on the prize. You’re not a runner because you’re training for a race, you’re a runner because you like to run!

Set A New Goal

Although your original race might have been cancelled or postponed there’s nothing stopping you from setting a new one. A great way to reframe the situation is to think of it as an opportunity for an even better challenge to emerge. Take the time to reflect on what you want and set yourself some short, medium and longer terms running goals that will keep you motivated until races are back up and running. You could set a new 5km goal, get to the track to work on your speed, give trail running a shot or even commit to running a specific number of miles in a month.

Enter A Virtual Race

Virtual races are a great way to stay motivated if you love the community spirit that comes with training for a race. True, you’re not going to be able to meet up with other runners to train, but most virtual races have hashtags that you can use to connect with other runners on social media so you can build community virtually!

At the moment loads of races are offering a virtual option, including some that are normally ballot only like the Lululemon Seawheeze half marathon at the end of August and which makes a great summer training goal! You can find out more here.

Work on Your Weaknesses

If your race has been postponed take some time to reflect on your training to date. How was it going? How did you feel mentally and physically? Any niggles or frustrations? Perhaps you’ve been slacking when it comes to your warm up, strength training or recovery, all the things that make the difference between a good race and a great race, well now you’ve got time to build better habits! A postponed race simply means more time to work on those weaknesses so come race day you’ll be stronger than ever!