Motivation during Project 30
Reflection on the surprising effect that external motivation has
External/Internal Motivation
I started writing this blog to reflect on my hardest run so far; the Bali run I completed on April 21st. As I was writing about it, I stumbled upon a realization. The surprising power that external motivation has had on me during Project 30.
Surprising because I started Project 30 believing it was a journey driven only by internal motivation.
I spent 2021 training for Project 30 by running up to 60 miles a week. I didn’t have a running group to join to help me keep motivated. Nor did I have a running coach to push me through difficult moments. I had to look internally for every drop of motivation.
Fast forward to the start of 2022 and completing Project 30 runs. For every one of my runs, I have had to push myself and remain determined to finish. No matter how difficult the terrain, weather, or my health condition. I haven’t always succeeded in hitting the 30-mile mark. Five of my P30 runs were only a marathon distance as the weather became too difficult for three of them to bear. (Two of which were official marathon races).
I view Project 30 as a year-long war. With each P30 run being a battle that I must conquer to become victorious. However, there are no guarantees of victory when I start my runs. Each run requires my focus, grit, and determination. Some have been easier than others, but each has been a grueling, hard-fought battle where I am the ultimate decider of whether or not I will achieve victory.
Even though each victory has to be of my own volition, I have realized that external motivation has played a vital role in my runs and in Project 30 overall.
This realization crystallized for me during a moment in my Bali run. For numerous reasons, this run was the hardest I have finished during Project 30. (However, for this post, I will not go into detail about the Bali run as I intend to write about that run in a later blog).
During the run, I met a fellow runner, let’s call him Jack (unfortunately, I don’t remember his real name). Jack and I had passed each other running in opposite directions 20 minutes prior. Jack had reached his turn-around point and caught back up to me. I was a limping shell of myself at this point. Jack was visibly surprised to catch up to me and said as much.
Instead of accepting any excuse for why I was moving so slowly, he said, “Come on! You’re young; surely you can keep up with an old man!”
That was precisely what I needed to hear. Knowingly or unknowingly, Jack had ignited the competitive drive in me that, at that point, I thought had been extinguished. Jack’s companionship and his conversation gave me a crucial boost of energy and distraction.
It amazes me how much pain can be nothing more than a mental conjuring. Even after four hours of running, I found that I had more in my tank and that the pain could be overcome.
However, I can sometimes only access that energy and motivation from an external force. It’s ironic because Project 30 is inherently a solo undertaking. No one can do the runs for me. I chose 30 ultra runs as my goal because I knew it would have to be accomplished independently. And yet, I realize that I can and have performed higher for external reasons.
External Motivators
These powerful external motivators have manifested in three main ways for me:
Running with Friends
I have been fortunate enough to have friends run with me. For some runs, they joined me at the onset of a run. For my San Diego run, I was fortunate enough to have friends join me for the entire 30 miles.
Friends more often join me during the last stretch of a run. Akshay, in particular, has done this on many occasions with me.
The best benefit of knowing that a friend will join at the tail end of a run is that I can look to that moment as a milestone. A milestone that slices my run into smaller chunks.
Sort of like how we mentally slice up a workday. Instead of thinking about the entire 8-hour shift we have. We can use the lunch hour break as one slice and the time after lunch as another. Doing this during a run as long as 30 miles have been beneficial. Even taking parts as small as five miles off of my run has significantly impacted my motivation to run. The mental chunks make the difficult and lengthy task of running 30 miles much more manageable.
Strangers
Jack was the most potent example of how inspirational a stranger can be. I have had runs where I see fellow runners ahead of me. I have picked up my pace because I know people are around to see me. So I pick up my pace until I pass them. I have even been on trail runs where I see hikers in front of me that I want to impress. It’s funny how that works...
Competition
The Inca Trail Marathon in Peru is the best example of this. I did an unofficial official marathon that was an outstanding experience. (One I will write about down the line). Twenty ultra marathon badasses were participating in this run. It was the first time that I found myself in around like-minded company. Each person I met during this trip was fit and had crazy endurance stories to share. One runner had completed the ‘Marathon Des Sables,’ known as the “toughest foot race on Earth.”
Before starting the run, my only thought was to ensure I finished the run and to do so with no injury. I wasn’t worried about my timing or what place I would get. But then the race started, and my mentality changed. One of the runners came out of the starting line like a lightning bolt. Once I saw that, I could think of making sure I caught up to him. My desire shifted from simply finishing the run to ensuring I did everything possible to catch up to him. Once I caught up, my focus shifted to building as much distance as possible between him and me.
That thought carried me through the entire run. My competitive streak pushed me to go on whenever I wanted to slow down or catch my breath. It drove me to put out everything I had until I hit the finish line.
Not only did I get to the finish line, but I placed first place by about one and a half hours faster than the next runner.
The desire to beat my competition outweighed my fatigue or pain during the run.
Project 30
Healthy rivalries and general competitive environments help keep runners motivated. They can also make the experiences more worthwhile. Reflecting on the three primary external motivators, I have more clarity on why runners join races.
Project 30 is very much a personal journey. Each run is a tremendous test. Even after 26 runs, I still feel nervous about the rigorous task ahead of me with each succeeding run.
I have a newfound respect for races and competition overall. But I chose to pursue Project 30 because I knew it would be an extreme personal challenge. Project 30 is a journey of personal growth and triumph. While I realize that I would have better results if I decided to run races, that isn’t the most crucial factor. I started Project 30 to build and improve my intrinsic motivation. To prove to myself that no matter how monumental a task I have ahead of me, I can get it done.
I chose a solo sport because I am forced to confront myself with each run. I am forced to dig deep and find the motivation to keep pushing during every run. Every run is a herculean effort. Each requires an immense amount of physical and mental endurance.
But I am now striving to balance internal and external motivations. I am now more aware of my access to healthy external motivators. Even with a solo journey like Project 30, I have been fortunate to have the support of friends and family. They have helped motivate me to keep pushing forward regardless of the setbacks that have come up.
Project 30 remains a solo endeavor meant to build and fortify my internal focus and drive. But the truth is that I wouldn’t be as far into Project 30 as I am now without external motivation. So, I am grateful for all that continue to help keep me motivated! Instead of disregarding the power of external motivation, I am learning to embrace it.
One of my favorite pieces you’ve written. It’s amazing how external forces can help drive our inner world.