Some people start out with good intentions to maintain a regular running habit, but eventually give up after a couple of weeks. It can take about four to six weeks to develop a habit, so it does take some perseverance to make your new running habit stick. Try some of these tips to maintain your motivation and determination to keep running.
Sign up for a race.
Training for a race is a great way to stay motivated to run. Consider signing up for a 5K charity fun run, and start collecting donations for the charity. When you feel like giving up on your training, you can think about all of the supporters you won't want to let down.More: How to Find Local Races
Tips for Your First Road Race
Tell others.
Share your desire to start a running habit with family and friends. By telling others, you're making yourself more accountable. Knowing that your friends and family members will be asking you for updates about your progress will help you stay motivated to keep running. Also, your friends and family members may have some good advice, and offer some much-needed encouragement.Keep a running log.
Keeping a training log is an excellent way to track your progress and stay motivated. It's easy: Just get a notebook and write some notes after each of your workouts. Be sure to mark the date, your approximate mileage and time and a few comments about how you felt (i.e., "finished strong," "felt sluggish first 2 miles"). Keep the log in a prominent place to help remind you (and maybe put a little pressure on you) to keep running. Look back at your previous entries to remind yourself how far you've come.Don't overdo it.
When some people decide to start running, they strap on a pair of running shoes and run as fast and far as they can. They end up feeling exhausted, sore and discouraged, rather than looking forward to their next run. Running too much too soon is one of the easiest ways to get injured. When you first start running, focus on increasing your mileage gradually. Don't run every day. You may even want to start out doing a run/walk. You'll enjoy running much more if you don't get injured and you're not suffering through every run.Have a bad weather plan.
Don't let hot or cold weather give you an excuse not to run. If you always run outside no matter the weather, make sure you're prepared with the proper hot and cold weather safety precautions. Also make sure you have the appropriate clothing for the heat and cold. If you know you won't run outside when it's too hot or cold, make sure you have a place where you can run or cross-train indoors.Beat boredom.
Boredom is one of the top reasons people give up on running, so try to keep it fun and interesting. Vary your routes and workouts, so you're not doing the same runs over and over again. If you do a lot of treadmill running, try these tips for combating boredom on the treadmill.More: How to Get Out of a Running Rut
