It’s one month into 2021 and we might be hitting the snooze button and skipping workouts more than we did that first week of January. What matters though, is that we don’t lose sight of our inspiration and the goals we committed to on New Years. We caught up with melin Family, Alec Merlino to understand his process on how he stays motivated throughout the year and his tips on discipline.
How do you stay motivated for the entire year?
Staying motivated is as Goggins would say, "Only the Kindling". My life's mission statement is to become better each day and leave the people and places I cross path's with better than when I met them. Motivation is what gets me out the door for a run on a sunny day when my body is feeling good, but when I'm sore, it's raining and cold, there needs to be more. I am resetting the bar for myself each day. Running further, thinking of gnarlier challenges, signing up for races, etc. That is what keeps me driven. Challenging myself and being the best version possible in all facets of life from relationships, to fitness to work.
What does your goal setting look like for the year?
I sit down at the beginning of the year or the month and think about what it is I want to cross off my bucket list. Some of my goals are completely absurd to people. Ie; calendar club challenge, 100-mile marathon. I set these goals for myself that are going to push me. I have my goals printed out and hung in my house where I stare at them every damn day.
Do you have advice on how to stay disciplined around training, eating, and recovery?
Create yourself a goal and from there you can create a plan. Once you have that roadmap for yourself, there's no way you'll get lost or go off track. You'll be driven to achieve those goals at stop at nothing to do so. The discipline comes from sticking to your plan and keeping that vision of achieving that goal in mind. For me, every time I run, I think about what it's going to feel like when I cross the finish line on these long races. What will it feel like, what will the journey be like, how will I become better from it?
Does gear play a part in motivation?
Gear is huge! If I don't feel comfortable training it's not a good training session. At the end of the day, it doesn't all boil down to the gear. There are days where I'm not feeling it or I'm pushing my body, but I do like to look good and feel good while training.