How To Make Running Adjustments For Mood | My Running Diary

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For a long time I thought I had to be in a “I’m ready to be bad ass” mood to go run. That of course is the ideal mood to run, but it’s not always attainable. I learned how to make running adjustments for your mood and optimal running success.

 
 

Diary of a Running Chick: February 21st, 2018

I always want to do be in the mood for optimal running success, but sometimes I wake up and that’s not the case. Learning how to make running adjustments for my current mood was a huge step in my journey! Instead of not running on a day where I’m not feeling like a bad ass, I learned to adjust. Its how I’ve achieved my running success. Even if I’m not feeling well, traveling or busy, I can always make the time needed to run, or find my motivation to continue my running journey tomorrow.

Making running adjustments is my biggest tip, and its easier than you think. I’ve talked about this before and it’s a great skill to have. First and foremost, you must let go of your expectations. Some mornings I know I’m either too tired to run my usual five-mile loop, or I just don’t have the time. I still want to run, so I need to make an adjustment. This has been especially true over the last year and a half with my baby. I started making adjustments when I got pregnant and it’s how I stayed running up until the day Maddi was born. It’s how I was able to get back to running a month after Maddi joined us, and have kept running ever since!

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I can’t stress making adjustments enough, especially if you normally run for over 45 minutes. Let go of your baseline on days that require adjustments. Sometimes I need to be back in 30 minutes, so I give myself the option to run shorter. That way I still have a solid run. I tell myself I’m going to have a quick but great run, and I do! That’s my main advice on how to make running adjustments for your current mood. It’s that simple.

 

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The second type of adjustment is literally the flip side. Know when to push yourself. This means you are conquering your own mental walls. This happened to me this past week. Maddi hasn’t been sleeping well due to teething and she’s been nursing like crazy. I thought I had weened her off night feedings back in November, but I was mistaken. The past two weeks have been challenging and I’ve lacked in the sleep department. On Friday, Maddi was so uncomfortable that Dan had to snuggle with her in the morning to calm her down and they both looked so peaceful. I decided to go run by myself and let them sleep. I ran 10 minutes faster than I had two days prior running the same route! I could have just run slow, or not run at all, but I pushed myself to get out of bed to take advantage of a run by myself.

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Hold yourself to your plan to go run. This is a big one. If you decided the night before that you would set your alarm clock, get out of bed, and go run the next morning, then do it! Barring any sort of illness or injury, push yourself to run. It can be difficult to strengthen your body and mind to do this. But once you do, you’ll be forever grateful. This is how I get up and out to run no matter how I feel, and it works 9 out of 10 times!

These are my three best tips to help you learn how to make running adjustments for your mood. It’s really about honing in on how you’re feeling and what you can motivate yourself to do. The sheer act of going out for the run is the ultimate running success.

 

Connect with our Writer:

Mandi Mellen is Lead Editor, Staff Writer, and Featured Youtuber at BuzzChomp. She’s also an Actress, Writer, Director and Producer. Get lost in her Youtube comedy channel PillowTalk TV. Follow her on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or Instagram

 

 

Running Adjustments Photo Credits: Yours Truly!

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