Running Goals: How to Stay Committed to Running!

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You’re 2019 running goals are about being consistent. Trust me when I say this was my yearly goal for years. It took me a very long time to get to where I wanted to be on my running journey. Once I learned how to stay committed to running, my journey flourished.

 
 

My Running Diary: February 1st, 2019

Mastering commitment is an amazing and necessary challenge. Let’s call it the ultimate of all running goals. But that doesn’t make it hard. In fact, it can be extremely easy. That’s why I’m sharing my tips so you can become a master too!

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I started running in high school and have kept up with it ever since. There were periods when I ran a lot, and periods of time when I felt like my running journey was an uphill battle. Eight years ago I decided to make running feel effortless. I wanted to be able to go outside and “effortlessly” run, but it wasn’t until I learned how to stay committed to running that I became the runner I wanted to be. All running goals come back to this, so let’s start small.

 

Set small running goals

Start out by making a plan to run three days a week. That is a really easy goal to meet, especially if you’re transitioning from doing a different workout to running. I transitioned from running on the treadmill to running outside, which is also a different workout. The treadmill is a different beast and running five miles on the treadmill is much different.

Even if you’re an experienced fitness buff, running is so much different from other workouts. You breath differently, you use your whole body, the weather is different, and your environment plays a key factor in each run. That’s why we set small running goals in order to commit to running.

Gradually up your miles

This is a big one. If you used to run and took time off, or if you’ve never run before, you should always gradually up your miles. It was extremely hard for me to grasp this one. I thought that since I ran five miles on the treadmill, I could run 5 miles outside, but I did not factor in the terrain. It was a bit of a blow to my ego, but starting out with fewer miles helped me to get to my goal of running five miles a day.

Plan out your rest days

I was never good at this when I used to frequently go to the gym. I’d decide my rest days basically the morning of, because I didn’t want to get out of bed. When I started to consistently run, I decided to plan out my rest days. It really gave me the strength to build up my running, get used to running outside, as well as build up to being a six-day a week runner.

Walk

For a long time, I saw walking as a weakness. When I switched my focus completely to running, I learned that walking during my runs was fine. It was how I was able to extend my miles and build up my stamina. Walking is amazing! That’s really the key to being a consistent runner, stamina.

 



 

Challenge yourself

There are two ways in recent years I’ve done this. The first was by joining Map My Run’s You vs The Year Challenge. I started by joining the challenge to run 1,000 km in the year. They now up the distance every year, so this year its 1,019 km. It’s so much fun and there is an extremely large community. This is my 4th year running it and I’ve always finished the challenge in the top 1%.

The second was by running with a stroller. If you ever thought running is hard, then you don’t know the definition of hard. Pushing a stroller is intense, but wonderful. Since my baby was about six weeks old, we’ve run six days a week together. I do get a reprieve on the days I run with my husband, or if I have someone to watch her. Those are the days when I feel how strong running with a stroller has made me.

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Once I learned how to stay committed to running, I never looked or thought to myself that I’m not fit. This is a process that takes time, but commitment means just that. You are making a permanent change. Life gets in the way sometimes, but that’s okay. I keep trying to pinpoint the moment when I reached my “effortless” running goals. For me this meant going out to run no matter what. It didn’t matter if I was tired, if I had an early day, or if my baby kept me up, I stopped letting outside forces stop me from running. I embraced my morning run as part of my daily routine.

 

Fitness is an ever-changing journey. There are many challenges that will try to derail you, but once you push them aside and separate yourself from life’s mundane issues, you’ll be happy to grab your running shoes every morning!

 

Connect with our Writer:

Mandi Mellen is Lead Editor, Staff Writer, and Featured Host 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, and Instagram.

 

 

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Some days you just need to run. Embrace it as your running motivation. I know I’m using it as mine.