pezking4

I've been a runner ever since the age of 10, and was very committed to my workouts in high school. But for the past few years I haven't been able to get back in the routine of running. I've thought of a few reasons that are hindering me. For one, I'm very busy every day. I know a simple work out doesn't take long, but I'm so tired after work, and seem to always be on the go. My other reason is not having someone else to run with. Most of my life I've always trained in a group, and now I'm alone on runs.

How can I chase away these reasons, and get myself motivated for every day running again? I want to have those great feelings of pushing myself through a hard workout or finishing a good road race again.

bobw

Do you have a dog ? or maybe a neighbor has as dog that never gets exercised.... they make great running partners.

stinkynutz

try to find some cool park to run in. i usually go to the park here in the city. lots of ppl there. just get behind some cute girl who's going at the right pace...and just watch that butt bounce up and down...that's all the motivation you'll need..trust me.

nut_runner

I'm 29 and have been running since I was 11. I faced the same EXACT problem when I left high school. All of sudden, no one was forcing me to run, nor did I have anyone to run with. I kept with it, but not to the same extent that I did in high school. I'm pretty good at it now, though. I was 25-26 before I started getting serious about it again.

I don't really have any advice, except, as Nike says, "Just do it". The hardest thing is to get started. Even if you just go every other day for 30-45 minutes, just do it. After two weeks, you will not be as tired when you get home from work, thereby making it easier for you to go out. Essentially, it's a regenerative effect. Yeah, running alone can suck, but do as I do...use it to think about your daily tasks and problems. There is nothing more mind-clarifying than a good, long run. Or, on some days, use it as an escape. Don't think about anything, except the road in front of you, the fresh air in your lungs, and the dull burning in your legs. You'll feel better in the end, no matter what you do.

Mael

once you get started, start marking on the calenders the days that you run, and how long/far. and i mean on a calender, don't mark it in a running log, but a calender is nice and visual so you can "see" how much/often you run and it can be very motivating to see it that way.

druhim

I prefer a running log since there's going to be more room to include additional details such as where you ran, what kind of workout (speedwork, hills, etc) and also be sure to write down when you didn't run and what your excuse was. The advantage of this is that it'll make patterns much more obvious (for instance if you skipped 4 days in a row because you left your running gear at home). I think another important factor is to avoid your runs becoming a chore. If you're not enjoying your runs, motivation will continue to suffer. Set goals for yourself, do races. This will help keep you more focused on results but be realistic, or at least don't beat yourself up too hard if you miss a goal.

edit: I forgot to add that you might want to try getting into trail running. I've found that I vastly prefer running on trail vs pavement. I find running on pavement boring as hell after about 6-10 miles and that's why I'm getting into ultras. Most ultras are entirely, or mostly on trail. I'm talking 50k on up. I'm doing my second 50k in October and I'd much rather run 50k on some nice trails in the mountains than 26.2 miles on pavement.

__________________
"It's about morale. With weak legs and a good head, you can go a long way. With good legs and a weak head you go nowhere." - Paul Kimmage

Adog

Hey Pez, I think all runners go through this sometimes, for me I find its hard to get out on the road in the winter time because the days are so short. when I start to get burned out I will sign myself up for a big race so I have something to train for. Also I find it helps if I MAKE myself get up early and run so I dont have to think about it all day and its out of the way, then I feel good about what I have done instead of thinking about what I have to do, and scheduling my dinner time around when I run is a pain in the butt also. Anyhow hope this helps ya...................

cowlick

I've been running for a little less than a year. I got into running around new years and ran a few half marathons training on my own.
Then I blew my knee out and had to stop running. I got really discouraged and couldn't get started again.
I recently joined a 'boot camp' class at my gym, which is basically a running program. Having the accountability to show up at the class I paid for and the fun of working with a group have helped to pep me up again.

__________________
"It's a long story," says I, and let him up.

druhim

Be careful to avoid overuse injuries. That's a common mistake with runners, but new runners are especially prone to this in my opinion. If something keeps hurting, slow down and rest it until it heals before pushing yourself any harder. If you manage an injury while it's still mild, you'll lose much less training time and progress than if you push yourself until it becomes serious. Listen to your body. Don't forget the RICE protocol when you're injured:
Rest
Ice
Compression
Elevation

__________________
"It's about morale. With weak legs and a good head, you can go a long way. With good legs and a weak head you go nowhere." - Paul Kimmage

cowlick

druhim - you are completely right. I wish I had learned that earlier. I'm still just recouping from my injury.

almostaugust

Ive been runing since i was a kid too. Heeps of good advice on this thread. I would keep a running log, so you can compete with yourself and have some kind of guage. In so far as inspiration and drive go, youve just gotta be hard on yourself. Start of easy, but be sure to turn up for your runs.

__________________
'And it's been a long December and there's reason to believe
Maybe this year will be better than the last
I can't remember all the times I tried to tell my myself
To hold on to these moments as they pass'

winsecure

Best way to get yourself motivated to do consistent run workouts is find a 5 or 10k race in your area a couple months out. Sign up for it. Nothing is more motivating than a specific goal that has an approaching deadline.

nein991

Make a committement to run at least 3-6 times a week. Set goals
and run 5&10ks. Also search the web and see if there are any
running clubs in your area. Good luck.

HeAtHeN

I've was running for years....then I left the Army

Now, afte two years, I'm very out of shape so I've decided to run again.

I'm gonna run a marathon... for charity mate... probably Dublin or San Diego next year. I'm doing it for the Athritis Society here in Canada.... thats my motivation.

Find a charity that means something to you and do it that way.

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StinkyMnky1

Bite the bullet and register for a 5K in a week or two. Either you'll be psych'd cause you ran so well, and want to keep at it (10K in a few more weeks??) - or - "I've got a much better race in me!" and you'll be back into training.

Good Luck

onetime2

Try driving around for as long as possible with almost no gas. Keep a set of running gear in your car and run home whenever you run out of gas.

Seriously though, I have a similar problem. I started running in college while doing an ROTC type of thing for the Marine Corps. Ran every other day at least for about 6 years then starting working in a corporate environment and am now (8 years later) not running at all.

I just haven't gotten the motivation up to get back in shape. Not sure why but I'll start up for a couple of weeks and then give up.

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