honestly the only motivation tip that actually works

Everyone says 'find your why' and yeah, sure, but when it's 6am and raining sideways that does absolutely nothing for me. What actually got me out the door in my first year of fell running was just... making the decision smaller. Not 'I'm going to train for an ultra.' Just put your kit on. That's it. Half the time once you're dressed you go anyway, and if you don't, at least you tried. Mind you I also stopped tracking pace for the first few months because comparing myself to anyone else on Strava was killing it for me. Running the fells without numbers was the best thing I did tbh. Took the pressure off completely. One more thing — find something ugly to run through. Not a nice flat park. Somewhere a bit grim and demanding. Because when it's hard and you finish anyway, that feeling sticks. That's the stuff that keeps you coming back.