Do you ever have those days that—no matter what you tell yourself—you can’t gather the running motivation you need to go for a run?
It’s too cold. It’s raining. I don’t want to.
Sound familiar? If it does, then this post will give you 7 ways to boost your running motivation—and that includes not getting motivated.
Let’s dive in.
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Revisit your running goal
It’s easy to get lost in a daily running routine without thinking of your overarching running goals.
If you’ve been low on running motivation, when was the last time you visited your running goals?
Are your running goals still inspiring and motivating to you? A quick refresh of why you run can spark your running motivation.
If your goals aren’t inspiring, then now’s a good time to change your running goals.
Put your running shoes on at a snail’s pace
Can’t pull yourself out the door? Trying moving at a snail’s pace.
Don’t think of the distance you have to run or the intervals you have to complete.
Instead, do one thing to inch yourself closer to running. Maybe it’s laying out your running outfit or putting on a pair of socks—no step is too small.
It may seem silly that these steps are so small, but that’s the secret to building running motivation. Each tiny action builds on the one before it, creating forward momentum and motivation.
It’s okay to dawdle. The key is to move very slowly.
Do 10-minutes
The tough part of running isn’t always running—it’s the act of showing up to run.
But what if you told yourself you’ll only run for 10 minutes? Does that make it a little easier to show up?
Commit to 10-minutes.
After running for 10-minutes, you might feel good and want to continue. But if you don’t, stop. You don’t have to keep going. The hard part—showing up—is over, and that’s still a win.
Do a trail run
If you don’t hit the trails regularly, you might get a boost of running motivation from a change of scenery and pace on trails.
Running on dirt also has a host of other perks—soft dirt gives your body a break from road running, and trail running helps you build strength and balance.
Try this site, TrailLink, to help you find a trail near you.
Start a high five file
Do you make a list of your running achievements? It’s easy to gloss over the good runs, but a high-five file helps you focus on what’s going well with your running. If you need a running journal, I’ve created one that has a spot for you to list your running achievements.
It’s where you keep a list of your running achievements, progress, and accomplishments.
It could be a workout streak or running continuously for a few minutes—anything you’re proud of goes into this file.
Rack up those achievements so that any time you’re feeling low on running motivation, you can go back to your file and review everything accomplished—and that’s motivating.
Use an app to help you pick up the pace
Dragging your feet because you’re not motivated to run at all?
You can put a pep in your step with a new app—Weav Run app—that syncs the beat of the music to your footsteps.
That means if you speed up, so will the music and vice versa. Or, you can choose and set a music tempo you enjoy.
“When your favorite song syncs to your steps — the moment you’re running, dancing or playing a video game — the listening experience is transformed into something more powerful and intense. And it makes exercise a lot more fun.” Visviki, Weav’s Co-Founder and CEO
This app’s new, and it’s only available for the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. It looks like they’re working on an Android version and you can stay tuned for its release here.
Don’t get motivated
There are times where low running motivation is a sign for you to hit pause on running.
You might be tired, sore from a previous workout, or stressed, and all these things impact the energy you have available to run.
Are you exhausted? Pulled in a million directions and stressed? These tips may help.
Change it up. Adjust your plan to do what feels best for the day. Had a tempo run planned? Make it an easy one. Don’t feel like running? Walk.
Take a break. If running feels like yet another chore to check off your to-do list, then it may be time for a break. Running needs to add to your life, not create more stress.
Get sleep (if you can). We’ve all heard it before—sleep is vital—and it’s even more so if you’re an active person. It’s where the body releases growth hormones and androgens critical to muscle repair, muscle building, bone growth and promotes fat oxidation.
Without sleep, your running motivation plummets.
Though getting more sleep is easier said than done, try for at least 7 hours to reap the benefits of more energy and motivation.
Conclusion
There you have it, the 7 running motivation tips to get you out the door and running.
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