How to Regain Momentum After Skipping Runs

If we’re being honest, it’s not always easy to keep a consistent running schedule. There are some obsessive-compulsive exercisers who would probably feel miserable if they missed a run, but for the rest of us, we occasionally trip up and find ourselves in need of some momentum. Anyone who’s ever tried a diet before knows that if you mess up once, it’s easier to rationalize messing up a second time, and a third…until suddenly, you’re off the wagon.

Want to stop that cycle? Then you’ve come to the right place.

If you miss a run one day, end the cycle as soon as possible. If you didn’t go running one day when you were supposed to, get the next run in as soon as possible. It’s easy to lament the fact that you’ve lost momentum if you’re sitting around and doing nothing, but if you’re out hitting that pavement or back on the treadmill in a flash, you’ll have less room for doubts. Doubts happen when you allow yourself to indulge them – so don’t. Get back on the wagon as soon as possible.

Getting back on that wagon will nip the rest of the doubts in the bud. Yes, you lost momentum there for a day, but now that you ran this morning, you feel like you’re back in the saddle. No reason for doubts. The longer you wait to get back on the wagon, the harder it will be to catch up with it!

If you can’t get yourself to do a full run again, capture what momentum you can. If you find it nearly impossible to motivate yourself to get in a good run, especially now that you feel like there’s more work to do, then don’t try to bite off more than you can chew. Do the small things. Lace up your shoes. Head outside. Run five steps. Run five more. You don’t even have to use this as a way to build up to a full run – simply being out there and knowing that you have the motivation to at least take some sort of action is sometimes all you need.

You have to feed your habits. You can’t feed your habit if you tell yourself you’ll start over again “tomorrow.” Guess what tomorrow becomes? Today! Emphasize consistency, not perfection. Even if you don’t get in a great run every day, keep your habit alive by doing something on a regular basis.

Photo Credits: sarniebill1

Originally posted 2009-11-24 03:41:54.

This post involves:

bud, diet, doubts, exercisers, five steps, habit, lace, lament, momentum, Motivation, pavement, running one, second time, shoes, treadmill

... and focuses on:

Running

Posted by Bike Swim Run on January 12, 2010 in Running. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.