Staying motivated in running

Once you've started, running can be a hard sport to stick with. During the first five months, when the initial enthusiasm that first got you running is on the wane and training runs still feel uncomfortable, there are lots of tips you can use to stay motivated.

To start with running can be an activity that requires a very high level of motivation to keep a regular routine going because you always feel uncomfortable when you go on your run. However stick with it through the initial stage of discomfort and the rewards can be substantial.

Early days

This initial stage can last for up to five months and is when many enthusiastic new runners fall by the wayside, as their initial burst of enthusiasm dwindles in light of the realities of running. If this happens you need to find other ways to motivate yourself and there are many contributing factors that will determine how successful you are at doing this. These factors include:

• the individual - an individual's character has a great bearing on the success of sustaining a running programme over any length of time.
• occupation - a significant factor that can determine the amount of time and energy you can contribute to training.
• environmental factors - the weather, terrain and location that you have available will affect your motivation and ability to step out the door for that run you promised yourself.
• general lifestyle - those with a lot of commitments, e.g. single parents, will have to be very organised to fit in a daily run.

Bear these factors in mind when thinking how to encourage yourself to become a habitual runner.

Lifestyle changes

Embarking on a running routine may involve a significant change in health and lifestyle - so you need to make sure you are ready to accept some changes in your life. If you don't your motivation to sustain any routine will quickly evaporate as you slip back into old habits.

The stages of change

Research suggests that there are five stages to change and it is only when you are in the third and fourth stages that you are ready to adapt to these changes:

1. Pre contemplation - This stage does not apply to people thinking about running as it suggests that a person is not changing and has no intention to change.
2. Contemplation - This is perhaps the most common stage for someone who is considering taking up running. Here, a person has not yet changed but is intending to do so.
3. Preparation - At this stage, a person has started to make some changes.
4. Action - Here, an individual has made all the changes necessary to become a regular runner and their motivation will be high.
5. Maintenance - At this final stage, the individual has been a runner for more than six months. Their motivation has resulted in success.

Getting past the first two stages

In the first two stages, external motivating forces need to be applied to encourage advancement into stages three and four and so allow change to be accepted by the individual. Such motivating forces could be a need to improve general health, to lose weight, to become more socially involved, to reduce stress or simply to prepare for a specific running event.

Any of these reasons may cause you to think about starting running, but this motivation needs to be maintained through that initial period so that the fifth stage can be achieved. To do this, there are a number of tactics that you can employ to help you, for example:-

• Meet like-minded people on a regular basis who will reinforce your exercise beliefs.
• Run in a group at least once a week.
• Surround yourself with inspiring literature to increase your desire to succeed.
• Keep a diary of your running to monitor your progress.
• Acknowledge your weaknesses and get others to help you overcome them.

Set goals for yourself

Crucial to maintaining motivation is setting goals for yourself. This is a skill in itself and needs to be practised to be mastered. First of all, it is best to set yourself a long-term goal, then establish some intermediate goals along the way to that goal. Finally, set some realistic short term goals that will build your motivation to move onto the next goal.

Goal setting rules:

• Set measurable training targets for yourself so that your progress can be monitored on a weekly or monthly basis. This will help to boost your enthusiasm.
• Goals must be specific in nature in order to stimulate your motivation. For example, rather than just saying you will set a personal best over 5 km, you should set yourself a target such as setting a personal best by 10 seconds.
• The goals you set need to be within a time frame. For example, the 5 km personal best you set yourself must be achieved within six months. Leaving it open will encourage complacency and you may never achieve it.
• Goals must be realistic so that they can be achieved, yet at the same time they should not be too easily obtainable. This is so that you do not become bored with running which is unchallenging.
• Goals should be adjustable in instances where training is going well or an injury is sustained so that your running programme remains realistic and challenging.

Record your progress

Keep a diary of each run and record times, pulse rates and any other statistics. This will provide feedback on past performance accomplishments, inducing renewed enthusiasm when needed.

Summary

• It is important to stay motivated when you first start running.
• Think about what you can do to encourage yourself to go through the period of change to become a habitual, regular runner.
• Running with others can help you to stay motivated and improve your performance.
• Set goals for yourself and keep a diary of your progress as you work towards these goals.

If you follow this advice, you should maintain your motivation through a lifetime of running experiences and ultimately achieve your long-term goals.