How to Ensure Regular Runs Stay Regular

Ever had that ‘don’t feel like it today’ feeling when it’s time for your run? Running motivation can sometimes be hard. While you look to other members for virtual club training 2 or 3 times a week, you may want to run more. It is normal that you just find some days are more difficult than others to get going. We all face the temptation of letting ‘just one-day’ slip.

So how do you stay motivated when the urge to get your gear is just not coming? Here a few tips and tricks to help you through these moments and get you out for your routine run.

Related: Should I Join a Running Club?

List the Benefits

If you don’t have a list of the benefits that you feel immediately after a run, make one. It will probably have stuff like:

• Work up an appetite and enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner even more
• Be in a better frame of mind
• Feel more energised
• Plus any other benefits that come to mind for you

Then add one more thing to this list:

• The feeling of achievement, having overcome the temptation to slack off and stay in!

Now, whenever you need a little motivation, think ‘List’. Remind yourself of what you will be enjoying in just a short while – however long your run lasts. But don’t think about it too long – you should already be lacing up your runnners and heading out!

Turn the Tables

Whatever reason you’re coming up with for not getting out for a run is just an excuse – one that you will overcome every time. Make a decision that you will react in the exact opposite way when you hear that voice telling you you’re ‘a bit tired tonight’ or that there’s ‘some work you could do instead’.

They say that in golf, a backswing thought like “make sure not to slice to the right” more often than not results in … you’ve guessed it … hitting the ball off to the right, the direction that is still echoing in your mind. So, if you’re hearing a voice telling you that you’re not in the humour for a run, apply some backswing thinking – you’ve just heard ‘run’!

You wouldn’t appoint a negative person to run your business, in fact, you’d use every opportunity to demonstrate the benefit of not following their negative advice. So decide that you won’t let your own negative internal voice manage your running agenda. When you hear “don’t run”, you run.

Audio Running Motivation

Maybe it’s escaping the kids for a while but you want something to look forward to getting out for your run.  Is listening to music really your thing? You likely know lots of runners who enjoy good sounds to help them set their pace and complete their runs. Perhaps it has never worked for you.

If not, then maybe it’s time to try something different.

Fast music may work well for others, but that doesn’t mean it’s your only choice. You could try audiobooks, documentaries, comedy podcasts, interviews or your own compilations. I myself would not have listened to anything else but uptempo music while running for years. Until one day I found a really interesting documentary podcast that helped the long kms pass by easily.

It won’t work for everybody. A lot of people find listening to audio distracting and completely incompatible with running, so dismiss it outright. If you’re not feeling running motivation though, it’s worth a try. I personally found myself increasing my running time so that I could get more episodes of that great podcast in. You may even choose to listen to a book a week.

Be guided by whatever works for you!

Some Other Tips for Running Motivation

• Vary your route and time. If your routine is getting repetitive, then change it. Zoom in on maps of your locality and figure out some new routes.

• Run at night instead of at dawn, or vice versa
• Integrate running into your commute
• Partner up with somebody that you won’t want to let down
• Purchase good runners and gear so that not only will you be more comfortable running, but you’ll be motivated to get your money’s worth

Have an enjoyable run!

Written by Johnny Haverty

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