How to Kickstart Motivation

Sometime last year, I was speaking with a patient of mine about his upcoming 10K race.

He mentioned that he wasn’t really doing that much consistent running but knew he could complete the distance on race day. He wasn’t concerned about anything and was content with the idea that he could finish the race once it came time to do so.

I began explaining to him that this mentality misses the entire point of signing up for a race.

Signing up for races is the best way I have discovered to light a fire under yourself to get out there and get training.

Signing up for a race isn’t so much about racing on race day, it’s more about the training you do leading up to the race

Signing up for a race gets you out there on runs, going for swims, going for bike rides, getting to the gym for cross training, etc.

The series of individual workouts over the course of weeks, months, and even years is what helps build the healthy habit of exercise.

Signing up for a race is more about the training you do leading up to the race and not necessarily racing on race day

Think to the times you have a looming deadline for something. Some work project, some event, or thinking back to school, some homework or test.

As the deadline gets closer, we start to think to ourselves “I better get working on this” 

That deadline pressure is good. It gets us working. Pressure can be good for us. Diamonds are formed under immense pressure.

Signing up for that race places that deadline on you to train. You can’t procrastinate the training for too long. At some point, you realize it’s now or never. And that’s exactly what you want. 

If you’re looking at your year ahead and you haven’t signed up for anything, check out the Valiant Physical Therapy Upcoming Events! page on our website. I’ve gone ahead and listed a group of various races that are coming up near us.

Most notably, the Ricky Byrdsong Race Against Hate 5K/10K which is on Father’s Day June 15th, 2025. This is an awesome 5K/10K race in Evanston that really brings the whole community together. I love this race. If you want an early summer race to get you training in the spring, the Ricky Byrdsong Race Against Hate is the event for you!

If you’ve never trained for a 5K before and you want some free guidance, the Evanston Running Club has a FREE 0-5K group training program that begins on March 16th with goal race of the Ricky Byrdsong Race Against Hate. It’s the perfect set up.

Make this your year. Sign up for a race.

Your best is yet to come!

Dr. Michael