How to Run When You Don’t Feel Like Running

Have you ever been in this situation? It’s after work, you’re exhausted from being at the office for a good nine hours, and the only thing you really want to do is sit on the couch and zone out in front of the television. But if you look at your training schedule, you know that it’s time to get down to the gym or out on the pavement to get a good three miles in.

It’s far more enticing to sit on the television and turn soggy, but you know you’ll respect yourself more if you go on the run. The problem is you simply don’t feel like it. How do you get yourself to go anyway? Here are a few tips.

Think less, move more. The first thing to do is get out of your head. Have you ever noticed how fears become more powerful the more you think about them? When you were in line for your first roller coaster, you might have spent an hour or so feeling nervous. When you let yourself think too much, you can often think yourself into a rationalization. Avoid that. Instead, do something that will get you feeling like you’re in the “running” mode. Put on your running shorts. Put on your shoes and grab your keys. Get out of the house or apartment. Walk. You’ll feel a little more in the running mood.

Don’t think about the whole thing. If you think about the “three miles I have to run” or the “monster run I still have to do tonight,” it can be difficult to convince yourself to get out of the house. So don’t think about the whole thing. Don’t put that much pressure on yourself. Instead, tell yourself that all you ask if to put on your shoes and go running for just a fraction of your run – say five or ten minutes. How do you feel about it now? Don’t worry about what happens after those ten minutes, simply think about the present moment. What little amount can you do right now?

Do something drastic. Sometimes, you simply have to snap out of your stupor of rationalization with something drastic. Jump out of your couch and grab the keys. Splash yourself with water. Shout out “Treadmill, here I come!” like a warrior going to battle. This will help pump you up and shake you out of the TV-watching mood you might have been in earlier.

Photo Credits: samm4mrox

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Originally posted 2009-10-20 03:24:58.

This post involves:

apartment, couch, drastic jump, fears, fraction, monster, pavement, present moment, rationalization, roller coaster, running shorts, shoes, shout out, stupor, television, worry

... and focuses on:

Motivation, Running

Posted by Bike Swim Run on April 16, 2012 in Motivation, Running. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.