In our casual thoughts and conversations we often use words without being overly specific as to their meaning. Consider the words motivation and commitment. How should we apply these to our athletic training? Do they mean the same thing in other situations?
Motivation
Motivation is a force or stimulus that encourages us to act. Picture yourself sitting in your favorite chair, all happy and comfortable. Then, along comes thirst. You find the energy to pause the movie you are watching, get up, walk to the refrigerator and grab a cold beer.
Now consider this version: Picture yourself sitting in your favorite chair, all happy and comfortable. The storyline of the movie you are watching has the main character drop into a bar for a cold, frothy glass of beer. You already know the rest.
At the risk of oversimplifying, the first scenario represents intrinsic motivation and the second scenario represents extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation comes from within. There are things we do just because it is the right thing to do. It's what we want to do. The feeling can range from casual to intense. Oftentimes, when someone who is operating from intrinsic motivation is asked why they do what they do, they have a hard time coming up with a reason. This may sound strange, but the best answer to that question is, "I don't know why."
Extrinsic motivation comes from our environment. It's external. Even if it is in the form of a thought, it is the source of that thought that determines whether it is intrinsic and extrinsic.
It helps to differentiate between intrinsic and extrinsic by looking at reward. If we run hard to enjoy the feeling of having a good race, the reward is intrinsic. If we are focused on the prize money, the reward is extrinsic.
It just so happens that motivation is a great way to monitor an athlete's training. It is one of the most important data points on the morning check-in. Think of it as your check engine light. When motivation is low, something is wrong. We might not be able to say why just yet, but we may need to adjust by backing off the training volume for a few days.
Our wearables provide an abundance of performance data that suggests how well we performed. The latest crop tiptoe along the line of telling us how we should feel. We aren't there yet. Nobody knows how you feel better than you, and one of the most useful ways to express how you feel is motivation.
Commitment
Commitment is about doing something you agreed to do. Your best friend asked you to drive them to the airport, and you said yes. That is a commitment. When we fail to keep our commitments we create a great deal of turbulence and stress in our lives.
A training plan represents a sequence of daily commitments to complete the assigned exercise. Ideally, your intrinsic motivation is enough to get you out the door, day after day, and doing the work assigned. The truth is, motivation ebbs and flows like the tide. We can't always count on motivation. That is where commitment comes in. We can act even when we lack motivation because we promised ourselves we would.
When your mojo goes missing
A couple of days with low motivation are normal. Hopefully, your commitment will be enough to get you through these inevitable low points. If the condition persists, treat it as a sign that something is wrong. Insufficient recovery. Poor nutrition. Pushing too hard. Illness. This is a time when having a coach with whom you communicate regularly is a big advantage. Your coach can review your training and talk with you about what challenges you have been facing, then suggest how to adjust. Be wary of asking for help in social media. You may get more bad advice than good, ranging from admonitions to just gut it out to the old classic, buy a new bike.