Staying Motivated to Run

I have almost always been motivated to run. The simple fact of knowing how agonizing it is to take a break and then get back into running motivates me to run. However, you probably can’t always call it running. The ground may be moving underneath my feet, but I’m not sure if you can call it running.

Here are a few tips if you have taken a break from running and are just finding it too tough to hit the road.

1. Schedule Your Run or make a date with yourself to run. Write those days down on the calendar and the time frame, so that nothing else get’s scheduled in place of your run. Make it a priority above all else. I love to run first thing in the morning. When I arrive back from my run, I shower, have my coffee and start my day. Nothing can replace the euphoric or invigorating feeling that gives me. When I’m struggling to get going on my run, I think of how great I’m going to feel when it’s done.
2. Find a running partner or easier yet, join a running group in your community. Running groups aren’t hard to find. I live in a small community that has three running groups. They are either free or nominal costs. Running groups are welcoming and offer a healthy social outlet.
3. Sign up for a race - personally this works well for me. As I mentioned, I’m usually motivated to get my running shoes on and get out for a “so-called” run. But signing up for a race really motivates me to train, which ultimately makes my running easier and feel much better.
4. Set goals that are achievable - this could mean signing up for a race, or it could mean that you are going to set a goal to run “??” times this week for “??” minutes on each run. Or, you may want to challenge yourself further by incorporating speed bursts or fartleks into your run. It could be by the clock or from telephone pole to telephone pole. You be the judge.

No Pain - No Gain

Since skiing season ended a few months back and I now have my weekends back to my running routine, I’ve been feeling really good.  My running condition is the best it’s been for over a year now.  I consistently keep up with my Monday/Wednesday/Friday runs and on the weekend we have been increasing our distances and are now at 2 hours again.  I think that 2 hours is a nice distance to be at with no particular goals in mind.

My body has felt fine through all the runs and even my first 2 hour run felt great and I recovered well.  But last Sunday, we did our 2 hour run on soft bark mulch through one of our urban forests. It’s only been a few years since our last marathon and I remember the feeling well and that was it.  After 2 hours, I felt like I’d just run a full marathon.  Later that day, I even found it hard to stay on my feet and man did I sleep well that night.  The next day, I still felt a little bit sore, so I decided to put off my usual run until the following morning.  But now I’m back in action and feeling better than ever and running better than ever.

So is it true - No Pain - No Gain?  I asked a running coach friend of mine and he said - “It’s normal to have aches and pains as your body adjusts to new running distances and new running surfaces” (My body wasn’t used to running on bark mulch) “and normally these pains will go away as your body becomes stronger.  But if the pain is severe and doesn’t go away, then it’s time to visit your doctor”.

So it’s a good thing to add variety to your runs.  Try a different route that includes different terrain or grades that your body isn’t used to.  I’ve been very pleased with our results.  Our local town has a half-marathon in September and I’m in.  Last year I went out and supported my friends who ran in it.  It’ll feel good to be on the other side this year.

One more item on sports nutrition. www.poweringmuscles.com is an interesting website that has an online tool to calculate the nutritional supplements that you need for a given workout.  You can put in the details of a workout and specific sport and it will do the calculation and let you know what your body needs before, during and after your exercise. Though there is an unlying focus to the website with advertisements for Accelerade.

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