For The Days You Don’t Want To Run
I thought I would use the rest of the week to tackle some of the common running questions that I get from you. The problem is, they are good questions, which means I have a long answer (per usual) and split them into two posts.
Today’s question: Do you ever have days that you just don’t want to go running? What do you do about it?
To be honest, I don’t have many.
When I first started the process, there were many more runs that I just wasn’t feeling because I was building up the aerobic base, adapting my body to running and just learning the ins and outs of the process.
Over time, going out during a sunset or sunrise run on my favourite route became a reward rather than a requirement.
A few things I tried when I was just starting out to keep running interesting, motivating and fresh were to buy new workout clothes and shoes, find another friend who was just starting out too so I could learn more about what I was doing, setting a goal, whether it was to add one kilometre to my run or train for a race, tell someone who was influential to me that I was going on a run so they would check in or go at a time of day when I was feeling confident and motivated. (Often first thing in the morning before I was fully awake!) If you leave it till the end of the day when you are just getting started, I find that you spend the day worrying or dreading it!
When you are just getting started though, my number one piece of advice is to pick a race to train for, especially a local 5 km! There has been no greater motivation over the years for me to stick to my training than a race.
Some runs remain forever etched in my memory because I was tired, sick or just not in the right headspace.
I strongly believe that the above quote is true. Once you have pushed past the aerobic base building phase and have a platform of fitness to work with, the hard runs are the ones that your mind just says NO to.
Now that I have that fitness base built up, the hard runs are the ones where my body is feeling sluggish or I am rushed or goodness knows what else. At this point, it is not my body I need to coax, but my mind. Here are a few things I say to myself to keep myself running:
“Just run out (insert number of miles) and run back. At least you get some training in.” (Bartering)
“This isn’t a big deal, you are not a professional athlete. No one cares if you quit.” (This one makes me mad and I push harder)
“You can have a nice cup of coffee after this.” (Bribing)
“Don’t be a wimp.” (Personal insult)
“Nice job, sweetheart!” (Stroking my own ego)
“Ignore the pain. You won’t get injured.” (Famous last words….)
Regardless your level of running, whether just starting, intermediate or professional, there will be days when you just don’t feel a run. It is at that point where you need to develop phrases, counting or other mental tricks to keep moving forward. When all else fails, there is that deep love of just running that lives deep inside the heart of a runner.
And when that fails, there is bribery.
What are your tricks to push through a long run?
Hehe I love all these tricks! And I’m so sorry I’ve been so behind in the blog reading world lately and only just discovered that your ankle is giving you issues. I’m so sorry to hear that!! I hope it starts to feel better soon – maybe rest is just what you need for now. Any chance you can get some acupuncture done on it before next week? That was one thing that helped with my achilles problem last year. As far as long runs go, I always tell myself I know I’ll feel a million times better when I’m done. I sort of do that barter method that you mentioned – just do x number of miles, then you can stop if you don’t want to go any more. I usually always end up doing more!
This is only the first blog post where I mentioned the ankle, so we are all golden! We will need to have a tea date and chat achilles. My tendons are healing up ok this week, so I think I am going to save the acupuncture until after the race, but I am afraid that it will be a thing that will have to happen…
Bartering works, so does bringing a friend. I will never forget that one awful run we did together where I needed to walk. What a disaster! It is wild how much I have improved this year – I cannot wait until next spring to start running with you again!
Usually what I do is tell myself that I can just do the warm up, and see how I feel after that.
So, I do the warm up and of course feel ok.
Next I tell myself to just do the first 10 minutes, and see how I feel.
Rinse and repeat for the entire workout 😉
I love the idea of breaking it down this way. I am certainly trying this on my next rough run. Thanks for this, Kyle!
That is also quite effective while running 100 miles.
I have only done one 100 miler and it wasn’t all in a day, so I will certainly keep that in mind when I tackle my next ultra! It is so incredible how much of a long run/race is all in your mind.
When I don’t feel like going for a long run I tell myself: “Hey, this isn’t just a long training run. It’s an adventure or an exploration, like going for a hike in the mountains. You’re going to see different places and things. You’re going to pack some snacks and water for on the way, and when you’re hungry or thirsty, you get to eat and drink. That doesn’t sound like a hard run, right?” I find that the distance becomes a lot more manageable when I’m thinking this way.
I love the idea of making a run into an adventure. It is so true – I learn something new on every run. I just need to learn to ease up and stop treating my long runs like competition! I have a hard time not pretending I am racing…
Thanks for sharing this.
I love all of these except that I would never call myself sweetheart! I would be more like, Come on bitch, suck it up! Haha.
Haha, I know. It is so funny about what works for different people. And don’t worry, there is lot’s of “bitch” in my internal dialogue as well. 😉 Amazing how that word works, eh?