Train Like a Champion: How to Motivate Yourself Without Self-Criticism

Training in winter can be tough, even when you have a spring race ahead.

Despite your best intentions, getting out the door in cold, dark, wet weather for hours of running isn’t easy. Motivation is lacking.

Many runners, when struggling to stay on track, make a common mistake: using self-criticism to force themselves to train.

You do it because you think you need to be hard on yourself to get your training done. You don’t trust yourself to follow through otherwise.

But this approach doesn’t work to your advantage.

Let’s say you have a 20-mile long run today on your schedule, but you’re procrastinating.

Your inner critic kicks in:

“Why can’t I get this done like everyone else? I’m so lazy. I’ll barely get any training in, as usual, and DNF my race. This is so stupid—just go get it done before it takes all day.”

It works—for now. You manage to get out the door.

But what happens tomorrow? You’ll need to shame yourself into another run. And the next day? More guilt, more berating. Over time, training becomes a chore, dictated by a relentless inner critic you can never satisfy.

The more you criticize yourself, the less you want to train. Instead of feeling motivated, you start resenting the pressure. You dread the workouts. You make excuses. And eventually, you give up caring about training altogether.

There’s a better way: to build lasting motivation, swap self-criticism for self-love.

Think of it as replacing your inner critic with an inner champion.

Your champion motivates you not through fear, but through desire—desire to reach your goal because you and your goal matter.

Instead of saying, “I know I won’t go run, so I have to force myself,”your champion says, “I know I’ll go run because I want this goal.”

Self-love doesn’t mean skipping tough runs. It means showing up for all the runs, including the tough ones, because you care about your goals and reaching your potential. Each run becomes an accomplishment that puts you one step closer to the race you want.

So, notice how you talk to yourself about your training. Really pay attention. You might have gotten so used to critic that it seems normal.

• What are the words you’re using? What is their intent? 

• How do you actually feel when you hear those words - motivated or inadequate?

• When the critic’s voice tries to force you out the door for a run, switch to to your champion’s perspective, and why the run is worth doing and puts you closer to what you want.

Training from self-love doesn’t just make running more enjoyable—it makes you a stronger, more resilient athlete.

Self-trust is the secret weapon of successful runners. When you rely on self-criticism, you’re constantly battling yourself. But when you train from a place of self-respect and belief in your goals, discipline becomes second nature. You no longer waste energy debating whether you should run—you just do, because you know it’s what you want.

And most importantly, when race day comes, you’ll have more than just miles in your legs—you’ll have proof you can depend on yourself to do what you committed to do. You’ll know, deep down, that you’ve truly done the work. That confidence will carry you through the hardest miles of the race, when quitting feels tempting but you choose to keep going.

Because in the end, your training isn’t just about the miles you run. It’s about the relationship you build with yourself along the way.

Choose to be your own champion. Your finish line depends on it.