Turkey Day Run, Here I Come!

Well, it is official. I signed up and paid the registration fee for the Atlanta Half-Marathon to be run on Thanksgiving morning. No turning back now. That is actually why I signed up over a month in advance, to keep me motivated in my training right up to the big day. I have found out over the last year and a half of running that I am a much more committed runner if I have a race I am preparing for. The windows of time where I don't have a specific next race in mind I have found it much easier to skip runs here and there and even go entire weeks without running.

I think this is actually a common human trait. We need that light at the end of the tunnel to motivate us to move or take action. How much easier is it to clean our homes when we know someone is coming by? Get a project done when we have a deadline? I think the thought behind goal setting is setting a finish line in place so we have something to work towards. My goal is physical fitness but that is arbitrary to me. My competitive side wants something more tangible, so I work with races which are far more measurable - not to mention the T-shirts. You don't get a T-shirt for loosing 10 pounds!

My real admiration is for those people that seem self driven, not needing that reward at the end of the tunnel. We all know those people who just seem to get things done, no matter the situation or the odds (can you say McGyver?). Perhaps their "reward" is defined very differently or in an eternal perspective. In a religious setting I think you would call it faith, I don't know what you would call that same drive in a secular setting.

So here is the shameless plug, what tricks do you employ to motivate yourself to action? What have you found to help you reach your goals? I'm expecting a few "chocolate" answers but for someone training for a Half-Marathon, I may need something else to work with.