I motivate myself by setting goals.  You can have one goal or many goals, but I find the more goals I have, the more motivated I become.  Make it challenging.  Then design your training plan to attain those goals. 

If you feel you're burning out, step down the pace of your training or racing a bit and change it up.  Do some cross training or run a fun race.  Join a running club and volunteer for some of the races.

Also, keep it fun!

Jeff, as I said to someone else before, running is a lot like other things in life. You wouldn't expect to be happy every single day between here and October. You want the majority of days to be happy days (I assume), but once in a while something will go wrong and it'll put you in a bad mood and that's ok and perfectly normal. So that's a lot like running. Not every run will be good (mentally and/or physically) or fast (and this is true for long runs and short runs). But the key is to realize that this is normal and as long as you keep the balance so that you're having more good runs than bad runs then you're doing it right. If that balance tips and you're having more bad runs than good, then it's time to look at factors like training intensity, sleep, diet, etc. but it doesn't sound like that's the case.

As for motivation, I've learned the only way to get myself running is to sign up for a marathon. The other distances I could pretty much go out and wing (not that I'd run them well, but I'd finish them), but I can't do that with a marathon. So every morning I get up knowing in October I'm holding myself accountable and what I do today will determine how much fun I have in October. In terms of burnout, when I'm truly burned out (and not just lazy/busy/etc) I take a day or two off. Better to lose a day or two than overtrain or destroy your knees because of sloppy running form (I learned that lesson last year and have the pictures if you'd like!) And I find by the end of those few days I really want to be back out there again.

I've also realized that running for me is like therapy. When I'm in a bad mood, I go running to get out of my house and my head and try to leave it on the pavement. When I'm in a good mood, the grass never looks as green and the sky never looks as blue as when you're running by it. Then there are weeks like this week where I'm out of town and it would have been easy to have left my running shoes behind. But instead I was able to meet friends, see the sights and really enjoy my time here in part because of my hobby. I'm a lucky girl to be a runner! 

Hi Jeff,

Charlie, Kat, Jenn and Leigh have made valid points. No one is going to have a good training run every time out. There are all kinds of variables that figure into the overall outcome - how you feel that day, the weather, etc. I like the idea of having goals within a given run.  My program is set up to hit specific split times.  There are days when I won't get them all, so I try to make sure my average split time is in line with the goal for that run.  If that doesn't happen, I at least want to do my best to ensure the last split that I run is on the number. If I just have a lousy day all together, there is always the next workout.  Changing up the route is also a good idea. I get a chance to do that when I travel out of town.  But I think my biggest motivator is trying to learn from every workout, and chances are I can learn from a run that was subpar, which will ultimately help me in the long run (no pun intended).  I break things down with respect to my preparation and my focus and use those lessons to have a better run the next time out.  So as long as you are learning something from each run, that's a good thing. I hope that helps.  Talk to you soon.

Karl

Hi Jeff.  Let me jump on the advice bandwagon....

It's simple really.  All that is required is a straw.  The bigger, the better.  This is a necessity for training for the marathon.  And this worked wonders for me last year.  Every time I didn't want to or I wanted to quit, I'd just stick that straw in my mouth and told myself to "SUCK IT UP AND RUN!"  I'm just kidding of course.   This is an inside joke, if you haven't caught on yet.  Seriously it did help me to say those 5 words.  Especially when I didn't want to run in the early mornings.

On the more serious side, I totally understand and sympathize with your feelings.  Most of us have gotten stuck in a rut throughout our training.  I was in a major one last year and expect to feel it again before October.  It's just part of the journey and it is completely normal.  There will be good days, bad days, strong ones, weak runs, fast and slow times.  Remember that not everyone can run a marathon.  It takes a lot of work and dedication.  Take heart! You are doing the hard work that will help you endure 26.2 miles.  Take each day as it comes and don't worry about your next run.   All the days you learn to "suck it up" will pay off on October 26th. 

Here's wishing you lots of motivation for the rest of the summer,

Ruby

On the days when you know you have to run but can't get out of bed, aren't motivated to leave the office at a reasonable time or otherwise see something you like on TV, remember these are the days you become successful in your goal.

Set time out for yourself; eat right; have your rest; get plenty of fluids... and go like he11.

What a privilege we have to share a course with the Hoyts!