How to Get Yourself Out of a Trail Running Rut

If you spend a long time trail and ultra running, you’re going to go through highs and lows… it’s just part of the fun!

The highs are great, obviously, and we’re lucky that there are so many “highs” in our sport: meeting new friends, exploring new places, getting to mountain summits and incredible wild places are just a few. Plus there’s all the “firsts” you’ll encounter, like your first 50k, 80k, 100k, 100 mile… and all the personal bests you’ll rack up!

But what about the lows? In such a great sport and hobby, why would we ever have to experience a low?

My experience has been that the lows are an unavoidable part of the journey, and they’re going to be different for everyone. Some people experience a low after they finish a big goal, like a big race. For me, it was a period of time, around 2015-2018, when I just lost a bit of the original joy and motivation I had. I DNF’d a lot of races, and those I did finish were less enjoyable. I questioned my love for the sport, and even thought about quitting altogether!

Unfortunately, there were no shortcuts, and my motivation needed to take its own path to come back to life. Here are some of the things that helped me!

1: Get your health checked out

Around this time, I was still fairly new to trail and ultra running, and my eagerness got the best of me. I was over-training without realizing it, and my body was pushing back. A lack of motivation can be a very good telltale sign of overtraining or under-fueling, and that a new approach is needed! As a young 26-year-old, I didn’t recognize the signs. Instead of pausing when I felt tired, I assumed I wasn’t fit enough, and pushed harder.

I didn’t check in with my health until 2018, when I found out I was super iron-deficient, with a ferritin of 4! Being iron deficient would obviously affect my energy levels, my enjoyment from running, and my ability to absorb any training load, which would also make workouts less fulfilling, as they would be doing little benefit. I was caught in a frustrating cycle where I would train, but the training would lead to little or no progress. I learned a lot through that experience, and I realized that our mind follows our body. If you feel mentally off, there’s a good chance that it has to do with your health, or how your body is responding to your training.

I’d recommend to start with looking inward if you see a motivational wane. Go get some blood tests done, and check-in on your sleep, as these are crucial elements to getting your motivation back!

2: Lower your expectations and pressure to “perform”

When I look back at that time, I also see a big pattern. I had some success at local trail races in BC and Washington, and I’d taken my running to the next level, trying to compete in Europe, at some of the World Trail Running Championships events. Even though I was new at that level, I put an incredible amount of pressure on myself. As I was representing Canada, I thought that I had to be perfect, and I expected myself to perform with the best. Whenever things didn’t turn out that way, I had a lot of negative self talk, and it was a vicious cycle. It led to a lot of DNFs, as it was never good enough.

I’ve found that high expectations are rarely very helpful, especially in ultra running. It tends to create a lot of stress, and rob from the enjoyment. As I accumulate more and more years in the sport, I’ve adapted my mindset substantially. These days I try to have zero expectations, but instead I have really high hopes. I’m still very ambitious, but it feels much different. It’s lighter, and more fun, more based in curiosity. I’m kinder to myself, and in turn, it’s way more fun to get out there and see what’s possible!

3: Try new things

At one point, I considered quitting trail running, which is crazy, because it’s such an incredible sport. Instead, I decided to try new things. I figured that doing more of the same would produce the same results, and that mixing it up was essential to break free from my rut.

I took a break from really competitive races, and instead did more local, grassroots events, where there would be no pressure, and an emphasis on fun. I tried having a trail running coach, which provided a big motivational boost, just knowing that someone was rooting for me. I travelled. I picked up new sports, like stand-up paddle boarding. I spent time writing. One thing that really helped, was that I tried races in new-to-me places, where I didn’t know the people or the routes.

As part of this, I ran the Canadian Death Race in 2019. I’d never set foot anywhere near Grand Cache prior to this, and so it felt like a fresh start. I didn’t know anyone there, and no one really cared how I did. I went out there, found myself a random roommate from Edmonton, and just enjoyed the whole experience. I ran alone for a really long time, and cried a little bit when I finished. I think I got emotional because I’d re-discovered the joy out there in the northern Rockies, and it was incredibly satisfying.

4: Don’t compare yourself to others

Part of my rut was related to the pressure I put on myself, which I shared about above. A lot of this pressure was more oriented towards comparing myself with other people, as opposed to focusing on myself. This is a slippery slope for any aspect of life, and it never leads to those happy fuzzy feelings. In running and in most areas of life, there is always– or usually– someone better than you. Comparing yourself to other people is unlikely to lead to positive feelings, ever. Plus, there are many other ways to analyze your progress and performance that are far healthier, with no downsides. For example, you can compare your time up the local mountain from year to year, you can evaluate your technical skills compared to the past, and you can look at how you’ve improved as an athlete overall, by looking at your recovery practices, your nutrition, your race strategies, etc. The problem with comparing yourself to others, is that there are so many incredible trail runners out there, that you’re unlikely to ever satisfy that battle.

5: Give it time

It took me years to get my mojo back! The crazy thing is, you can’t force it. I got my full enjoyment for trail and ultra running back in 2019, which was over 3 years since my motivation waned! I think it could have happened much faster if I had known and practiced the lessons above, but I was only in my twenties, and hindsight is 20/20.

I hope you found this helpful, and that you’re able to keep your motivation and stoke as high as mine is right now!