I ran today. I find that running is far more difficult if I don’t continue to run regularly. I tend to follow a running schedule really well for a week or 2, but then take a week or 2 off because I’m “tired”. Or so I tell myself. The problem is that I get lazy. Other days I’m motivated to go run, but I simply do not have the time. So, the obvious problems with my running plans aren’t the plans themselves, but motivation, and scheduling.
Motivation
How to prevent myself from being lazy…. That’s a tough one! The most effective way I’ve found to keep running regularly is to have a running partner. If you have a good partner like I do, it works great because they will harass you if you try to skip out on running. Plus, you actually feel bad skipping out because you’re not just letting yourself down your failing them too. The only reason this isn’t working for me right now is because I’ve gone back to school full time so it’s hard to find the time.
If you like to listen to music while you run (I don’t) a good, upbeat playlist is a must. I’ll mention this more later.
Another thing that I use to stay motivated is my Nike+. I like numbers, and charts. I like being able to see how I improve my times and distances when I run on a regular basis. I especially like seeing how my times get worse when I don’t run regularly. It definitely inspires me to stick to my schedule.
Scheduling
There’s not much to say about scheduling… It’s pretty simple. Make a schedule, stick to it.
I did really well with this over the summer (mostly because my running buddy made me). Now, I think I could stick to it but seasons change and I find that makes it difficult too. When I was doing well this summer I was usually running at around 8 or 9 pm. But…. 9 PM is to winter as 1 AM is to summer. At least that’s what it feels like to me. So now I need to run right after work if I want to continue running at twilight. This would be easy to do if I weren’t heading to class at that time.
Running Plans
I’m currently running using a coaching plan from Nike+. I’ve restarted it 3 times because I keep skipping my runs a week at a time. I should probably stop starting over, and if I miss a run then the next one will be just that much harder.
When I first began running last year, I did the couch to 5k program with my parents, girlfriend, and uncle. It was fun running with a large group!
If you’ve never run much, or it’s been a very long time. I highly recommend the C25K program. It’s designed so ANYONE can do it.
We first started the program listening to Robert Ullrey’s C25K podcast. This one was okay. It’s techno music with auditory cues letting you know when to run or walk. We liked it, but by the end of week one we were really hoping for something with some songs we at least knew…
So then we started Suz’s C25K podcast. This one we liked more. Didn’t know a lot of the songs, but they were upbeat, and at least had lyrics. You could definitely tell that the playlists were designed to inspire a woman (I don’t think most guys aspire to be “Rump Shakers”). But I cannot tell you how funny it is when you’re running and all of a sudden your mother starts singing “Bootylicious” by Destiny’s Child. It’s hard to run when you’re laughing. Suz’s podcast did have some variety though. One week was all Michael Jackson tunes, and my favorite week was all 80s tunes.
So, uh, in conclusion, I fail at keeping a running schedule all the time, and I make up a lot of excuses to justify it. I feel that my busy schedule and lack of motivation are my best excuses, but they’re just that… excuses. I need to “Just Do It”. Thanks for destroying every excuse I’ve ever made and ever will make, Nike.
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