What do you do those days when you need to get a run in but are not feeling it? You’re not recovering or sore or tired or hurt but you just don’t have motivation. Here are some things I do:
I bribe myself– If you do on this run Ariana you can have a cupcake, a Starbucks, fast food…etc. Whatever I am craving I is what I bribe myself with to get me out the door.
I withhold something fun just for running– if I find a book on tape that is really interesting and I really want to listen to it, I restrict myself to only listening to it on my runs. This makes me want to get out and run so I can listen to this amazing book/podcast. Amazing might be a stretch, sometimes it is just a fun listen or something I find interesting or even something scary (have totally looked behind myself a few times when trail running and listening to something creepy)
(This is my current running only book)
Watching fit people do fit things– I watch the Dallas cowboys cheerleaders training camp or a documentary on cross fit on Netflix or a documentary about someone’s first 100 miler anything to get me in a fitness mindset so I get pumped up and want to go better myself.
Sort of another form of bribery but on a bigger scale– like if I hit my mileage goal for the month I can buy a new top or item of clothing, something fun like that.
Have a friend meet you– I am not going to stand someone up so if I make plans to meet someone to workout I will show up.
Don’t think about it- when I wake up I put my workout clothes on and watch a TV show while I eat breakfast (all with my bathrobe on over it) have some water and/or coffee then when my show(s) are over I take the bathrobe off and run out the door. Or I relax until a set them then there is no discussion, I don’t think about it I just get up and put my workout clothes on and walk out the door.
Take it one mile at a time– I don’t think about the overall length or how long its going to take, I just focus on getting through each mile. That helps so much on my long runs.