11 Running Motivation Tips to Get You Motivated

Running Motivation Tips and How to Motivate Yourself to Run

Whether you are a seasoned athlete or not, sometimes you need running motivation to help you get on track. As much as it may be easy to formulate an excuse as to why you may not make it for a run, learning how to motivate yourself to run is essential to help you conquer such feelings. Some of the motivation tips you can use to help motivate yourself to run include;

Setting a reward for yourself

Rewards play a vital role in keeping you in high spirits and working on your running motivation. You can use an e-calendar or a chart with stickers to help you keep track of your progress. By rewarding yourself weekly or monthly, you motivate yourself to stick to maintain your running routine and make the exercise more fun as it gives you something to look forward to, making the process easy.

Join a running group

Sometimes the motivation to run alone is missing; thus, working with others not only helps you stay on track but makes it easy to run faithfully. Different running groups have different schedules. Some include drinks after or a social event that brings people together.

So, instead of running alone and struggling to keep up, joining a running group is likely to encourage you to stay on track and give you new friends in the process. Besides, the social hangouts may be appealing and help motivate you not to miss the run. It is also difficult to miss a run if you know that other people are waiting for you or when your friends keep calling you to show up.

Purchase excellent sportswear

Clothes play a significant role in enhancing your mood. By buying sportswear that you like, it can motivate you to wear it and go for a run. It will allow you to look good, show it off, and put in a run in the process.

Get some good music

Identify the kind of music you like and those that motivate you, then develop a running song list. It will not only help you look forward to your running time, but it will help you listen to great music and make you run longer. By having good music, you can jog your mind and make it withstand longer runs, helping you kick in the run time required to keep your body healthy. The music will also keep you in a good mood making the activity fun and keep you looking forward to the next.

Schedule the time

Most people lose their running motivation because of poor planning or lack of planning at all. At times we get so busy we cannot get any time in to run. However, by slotting your running time into your schedule, you will likely not skip it and give yourself the motivation to act on it.

The same way you schedule doctor’s appointments and work meetings, planning your running time is essential to ensure you are not tied up in other activities that you forget to run. You can take a look at your weekly or daily schedule and fit in at least 20 minutes to one hour daily to help you run.

Avoid excuses

Excuses are the number one killer of every runner’s routine. You start enthusiastically, but with time, you begin creating excuses such as not having time, early meetings, or the weather is terrible, among other reasons that will make it cumbersome for you to stay on course. By knowing what excuses, you create and going around them, you help yourself stay on track and focus on achieving your goals.

One way to ensure you do away with excuses is by scheduling a time and sticking to it. For example, if you are to run at seven, wake up, go, and avoid all excuses.

Get a running buddy

Sometimes running alone can be cumbersome; thus, getting a friend or family member to run with is likely to keep you remain accountable and make it more fun. For example, you can choose to run with your spouse or child to give you time to bond over an activity. By getting a running buddy, it helps you stay on course. Therefore, you are likely not to skip your running routine if you know your neighbor or friend is standing outside your door waiting for you.

Set a goal

To be successful at your running activity, like any other thing, you need a goal. Ask yourself what your motivation for running is. Setting a plan and sticking to it, whether losing weight or staying in shape, gives you something to keep you in check. A goal provides a road map that helps you stay on track and a point of reference that enables you to track your progress. It is likely to give you the motivation you need when the results are not coming in and help you remain steadfast, ensuring you do not miss your running sessions.

Have a challenge to conquer

A challenge is likely to keep you competitive and help you look forward to your exercise, giving you running motivation. Instead of just running around the block, set a timer to cover a particular distance over a specific time or try to beat the time you took the previous day during your run. This challenge makes running fun and gives you something to work on.

You can also get an app to help you keep track of your progress and develop new challenges. By conquering the previous challenge, you are likely to set a new goal giving you the motivation you need to keep running.

Get more understanding of the importance of running

The more knowledge you have on a topic, the more you are likely to keep at something. Thus, get a book or a movie on running and see the benefits you stand to gain from being consistent. By getting more knowledge on what you stand to benefit from it, you are likely to take it get more serious and keep at it as the more information you know on a subject, the more you are to take it seriously.

Schedule it around your work hours

If you don’t have enough time to run, then wrap the schedule around your work time. Your schedule can accommodate a program to run to work or run home after work if you stay near your workplace. You can also decide to put in a jog during your tea or lunch break.

Conclusion

Running may not be fun at all times, but your body will see the benefits, and thank you later for sticking to a routine. Remember the motivation starts from inside, so once you have made up your mind you want to run, nothing will stop you. We hope you pick a few tips to help you learn on how to motivate yourself to run.