I am 7 month post baby and the hardest part to getting restarted is motivation. If you have had similar, getting started issues. Use the tips below and lets get back out on the road (or treadmill, or track or trails!)
Making the most of the 15 minute rule
You know the feeling. Its 5 am and the alarm is going off. Time for your morning run, yawn. You may be getting off a long day at work and didn’t get much sleep, the house is a mess and you still need to get your run in today. UGH! We all have that feeling. Even the most dedicated runner has that feeling sometimes.
Many runners use the 15 minute rule (sometimes called the one mile rule). If you are struggling for motivation, promise yourself to at least get in 15 minutes (or one mile). After that point, if you are still struggling you can call it quits. However, after 15 minutes you feel fine you have hit your groove and you’re ready to tackle your run. It’s a simple mind trick.
I like to take the 15 minute rule a step further. I am deliberate in the thoughts I allow myself to have, as I go on this “15 minute run.” I think of the people in the running community, who inspire me. Sure, it’s easy to think of my secret cross town nemesis. I bet SHE isn’t taking it easy today and doesn’t get into running ruts. It’s too easy to start comparing myself, and too easy to forget that my training is about my goals. Instead, I think of people I see in the running community everyday, who embody the running community spirit, and give me a positive lift in my own running. These runners can be found in all running communities. They may go by different names, but the spirit is the same. These are some of my “runspiration.”
- The come-back kid
The comeback kid works so hard to continue to run. Due to reoccurring injuries and bad luck, she understands how lucky she is to be a runner. She makes me remember. I don’t have to run, I get to. When you see your friend work so hard to do something she loves. She falls down and gets back up, time and time again. That is the true runner’s spirit. We are all hoping when mile 25 of that marathon comes around, the monkey is on your back that we will find one more push. One more reason to get back up. To me that inspiration comes from the come-back kid.
- The doctors
When I think of people that represent our running community, these two are always at the top of the list. The first ones to agree to meet you at stupid o’clock in the morning with their headlamps on and coffee after. Hardworking, goal oriented women. They have offered advice to so many runners along the way. They are always one of the first ones to congratulate a fellow runner who has reached their goal. Most importantly, they enjoy it. They enjoy getting up and joining the group runs, they enjoy helping others, they enjoy cheering and sharing others success. I look up to them, I want to impact runners like their spirit has lifted me.
- Positively Radiant Friend
My friend is amazing. She is one of the main reasons I decided to run. She was training for the Chicago marathon and sharing her journey. My initial thought was, “A marathon? Gross, who is crazy enough to run that far!?” She kept posting and making it look like such an adventure. When it finally came race day, I know she was a ball of nerves. She completed her marathon and you could see the excitement all over her face. The sense of accomplishment was clear to anyone looking at her picture. Really, my friend inspires me daily. The way she approaches life is awesome. She has a way of always being so positive and in the moment. She has a magical way of appreciating the world. She approaches everything with a quiet confidence that is so peaceful and Zen-like. She manages this through everything, even when the world seems to turn her life upside down.
There are so many others in our running community that lift me up daily. Find your motivation. Get up and get out on your run, because you never know who YOU are inspiring today. Who motivates you?
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