Runner's Training Tips: i need help getting myself to run on my own

 

Get a dog, or if you have one, run with it.

If that is not an option, my thoughts are as follows:

If you are like me, your mind can be your worst enemy some days.  If I am not feeling it after the first mile, I have learned that it best suits me to pack it in and go back home rather than keep going and dwell on a miserable run when I finally make it home.

Try a motivational tool that can be constantly with you.  A RoadID wrist band or dog tag works for me.

Talk about your running more to your freinds and co-workers.  Not to the point that they dont want you around anymore, but enough  that they start to ask you about how your runs have been...you won't want to tell them you have been lazy!

On a bad day I find that getting my kit on and telling myself I'll just do a couple of miles seems to work.  Then when I'm out there, if I feel like doing more, I can, however if I'm still feeling crappy at least I've still been out and done a little bit rather than none at all.

I find it hard when I haven't got anything to aim for.  Get yourself booked into a race then you've got a reason to train otherwise you're going to be coming across the finish line with the people dressed as bumble bees and pantomime horses (not that I'm knocking them - good on 'em if they're running for a good cause )

sky,

if running was easy, it'd be pretty damn crowded out there, now wouldn't it? as for motivation, what i do is:

-sign up for lots of races. thankfully, my pride won't let me embarrass myself in these, so it pushes me to keep running on training runs so old ladies & kids w/ numbers pinned to their chests aren't whizzing by me out there when the gun goes off.

-ipod: fill it w/ songs & playlists you like, esp. songs that hold certain memories for you. they can trigger the time machine in your head and you'll find yourself playing out past dramas & not realizing the roadwork you're getting in. inspirational stuff [i.e. spiritualized's 'broken heart' reminds me of a friend who died] works too.

-find a course you truly dig. growing up near the ocean, large bodies of water make me feel close to home, so i include as much coastal stuff [even if it's the hudson river] as possible. always helps.

 

 

I feel lazy when I am not running with my group on Saturday morning by the lakefront in Chicago.  I try running on my own,but ended walking most of the way, but got in my 6 miles.  So I need all the help I can get.  I run/walk my first 5k this past July, it took me 45 minutes.

I sign up for a half marathon this September,this is my challenge for myself, I need that push. 

Wish me well. 

 

Today my mood and energy level was at an all time low.  I toyed with the idea of not going for a run however in the end convinced myself to go out for an easy run, not to push it but enjoy the scenery.  Before I knew my mood had lifted and I was having a great time running along the beach.  I even nailed the killer hill at the end of my run.

In short when you really dont feel like, tell yourself to go anyway however take it easy on yourself and relax into the run and enjoy it, dont worry about time or effort.

 

Use your run as a commute to (or from) somewhere you have to go, that way you sneak in a run without "going for a run".  I run home from work, so there's no question about it  (if I want to get home).

Audiobooks. If you mainly listen while you run, you will want to keep running to see what happens next. I found that I was bothered too much by car noise, and getting headphones with better isolation made a big difference. You can save a lot of money by not getting an iPod. www.audible.com has a fantastic selection of audiobooks, or search newsgroups for free audiobooks. Many libraries have free audiobooks also. Switch the run time to suit your mood or lifestyle. Sometimes I run early, sometimes late. Give yourself permission to quit the run if it's just not working for you that day. Have a series of routes to choose from and decide on the run which you are going to do. Monitor your times and how you feel closely and keep records. Noticing improvement can keep you motivated. I count everything as a plus, patting myself on the back even for quitting early. It's my run, not someone else's. Try lots of things and see how they work for you. The best motivation is feeling well and fit and happy.

A hearty amen to the iPod, only I prefer Podcasts. They distract me more from the moment to moment mental game of running, and I find that I look forward to catching up on different Podcasts that I won't let myself listen to unless I'm out hitting the pavement.

I'm guessing you probably run a high school team. If thats the case, look at it like this.

If you don't go out and run, someone else will and that person is going to gain that much more fitness than you. Plus, at your age (still assuming you are in high school), mileage is key to high performance and if you really enjoy running and think you may want to run in college, then good performances are going to get you looks from coaches and bring scholarship opportunities.

Lastly, I will tell you that nothing is more annoying than hearing stories from people saying something like "I could have been so fast if I would have just ran more miles during high school". Do you want to be that annoying person with pitiful excuses?

If you aren't in high school, all of this stuff still applies (other than the college coaches/scholarships thing).

EDIT: I'm a couple months late I guess :)

Not to sound self righteous, but maybe this will help.  My motto is "Run because you can."

I'm a 38-year old, two-time breast cancer survivor.  I started running about a year after I finished chemo the first time around.  When I had a hard time getting motivated I'd remind myself of the days when I was too sick to run.  That would help me get off the couch.  

Earlier this year, I was diagnosed with a recurrence of cancer and have just completed another 6 months of chemo.  I'm finally able to get back to to running, though my blood counts are crappy and every step is a struggle.But I'm just happy to be back to running.  I'm looking ahead to my next half marathon.

I check out some inspirational quotes when I need a little more motivation.

I found this site that has some quotes that gets me going.

 http://www.tristateracer.com/Quotes/Quotes.htm

 

They also have a funny thing like Jeff Foxworthy's "you might be  a redneck if..." but this one is "you might be a runner if...."

 http://www.tristateracer.com/Quotes/MightBeaRunner.htm

maybe you could try to get a sport with fitness conditioning is key to performing well in that sport. lets say badminton or basketball where stamina is key to performing well.this would give you the extra motivation to run so as to perform well in the game. just an opinion not anything factual:D

ok, so I live in michigan and going out to run in the winter is really something to push yourself to do. xD I never really feel like going out there, but once I do I feel so much better. Also, I usually watch a couple movies of cross country races on youtube... that motivates me so much just knowing that if I just go out there and run I will be so much faster, I want to the person that peole say, I want to catch them, they are so fast... :)