I’m excited to start up my Ask Wifey Q&A again. I get asked so many questions about so many topics including running, marriage, travel, weight loss, Disney, motherhood, and more; and answering them is one of my favorite things to do. This week’s question came from my Run Wifey Run Facebook page:

How Do I stay motivated for a 5K race coming up in September? Any tricks or tips?

Great question. Staying motivated can be challenging but I do have a few tricks and tips that can be helpful to keep you on track for your big day.

Join a running group. Running with other people can be extremely helpful when training for a race. I trained with a local group – Get Fit Atlanta – for both of my marathons and it was the support I needed to help me meet my goal. I looked forward to meeting my running buddies for long runs and they helped pass the time away.

Set mini-goals and reward yourself when you achieve them. Maybe your milestones are each mile you add; or maybe it’s a time your trying to beat. Whatever fits your main goal, identify some attainable steps and celebrate them. As you taste the success, you’re more likely to continue.

Adopt a motivational saying. For my first big race it was BELIEVE. I wrote it on a piece of shiny, silver duct tape and put on my running shoes. Any time I felt like stopping I said it to myself and looked at my shoes. It was powerful.

Share your goal with others. Social media is a wonderful tool for support. Post your training runs on Facebook, Twitter or whatever platform you use. Share a picture or how many miles you ran and build motivation from your friends cheering you on. DailyMile.com is a running/fitness platform similar to Facebook and is a great resource for information and motivation.

Read Running Blogs. Talk about instant motivation. Hearing other peoples success stories; and challenges, too, reminds me that I’m not alone and is a constant source of inspiration. You can also get some great insight on training and other race day tips from reading recaps and following others on their training journey.

How about you? If you have any tips or tricks to add I’d love to read them, please leave them in the comments.

Winks & Smiles,

The advice on this site is intended to be helpful, but is not meant to take the place any professional service or advice. If you feel you need professional help, it is encouraged for you to get some.