Pushing through when you don't want to run.

I love to run. If I didn't, I wouldn't be writing this little blog. But even though I love to run, there are still some days when I don't really want to run. I'm not a high mileage runner (we'll talk about that another day), but ideally, I like to get in 20-25 miles a week which means unless I plan to run a super long run one day, I need to run 5-6 days a week. 

It's not every morning that I wake up and think "I don't want to run today" (those days are actually very few and far between), but when those days happen, I have the choice to either give in and not run or motivate myself to run. I'll be honest with you, sometimes, my "I don't want to run" mindset wins, but when it doesn't I feel so much better.

Here are a few things that motivate me:

1. The way I feel after a run. Ideally, I like to run outside, in the morning, and not be rushed, but with a husband, two kids and a full-time job plus a general fear of running outside alone in the dark, this doesn't happen too much except on the weekends. Regardless, I still feel just as good after my treadmill run inside. There's not much better than knowing I got a workout in while my sweet family is still sleeping and knowing I can get ready for work and not have to take three more showers in a given day.

2. I know it's good for me. Some people need therapy (shoot, I might some days), some people need chocolate, and me? Well, I need running. Running makes me happy and it's good for me and knowing these two things makes me motivated to do it.

3. Knowing I'll have to take an off day soon. If I know I'm going to have to take a day off running because of plans, I'm more motivated to get in a run even if I'm not feeling like it. I don't like to not be active any day, but there are some days that I know I won't really be able to run. For instance, we went to Birmingham a few weeks ago for a wedding and I knew that I'd more than likely not be able to run every day we were there, so even on the day we left for a long car ride, I made sure to get up early enough to get in a four miler.

And, finally:

4. A feeling of accomplishment. I am a goal setter and planner (though I don't plan my workouts in great detail) and nothing makes me feel quite like accomplishing something does. So when those days when I don't feel like running come along, I just look at them as a challenge to accomplish something I didn't really feel like doing.

What motivates you when you don't want to run?