The love theme continues, as we discuss how to fall back in love with running after a rough patch. This summer was mine. I was hot, sweaty, umotivated, and otherwise not into it. Boo. But running and I are (mostly) back together. Here’s how we did it.
Acknowledge (And Embrace) The Suck
You can’t get through the hard days without acknowledging, and even embracing them. Isn’t that always the way? However, the sooner you look the bad feelings in the face, the sooner you can work through them and start the journey towards mending the relationship. In my case, I was coming off a very traumatic year, and didn’t feel like putting in the extra effort to working through heat, humidity, anxiety, and sadness.
Make A Plan Of Attack
Now that you realize what went wrong, it’s time to create a plan to fix it. In my case, I decided to restart Couch To 5K to build up my endurance and stamina, and then register for some super fun races. I also treated myself to some new running gear, because new shoes make everything better. And because I had to be really honest with myself, I realized that I had to get back to the gym to work on my strength training. It made a difference before I fell out of love with running so it would make a difference again.
Take Action
It’s now time to put the plan into practice. I set my alarm earlier. If my running buddy wasn’t up to running, I went out earlier so I could run before I met her for a walk. I worked around our car schedule to make sure I made it to the gym at least two times per week (more is better, but I can make twice happen fairly consistently). And I found events that made me smile so training wouldn’t feel like so much of a chore.
Celebrate Your Return
Like all relationships, my love affair with running is a work in progress. As the years pass, things change, and I am learning to live with those changes, for better or worse. The important thing is creating a relationship that is strong and works in the season we are in. And that’s something to celebrate!
Have you ever fallen out of love with running? How did you get back?
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I’ve never fallen out of love with running, but if I ever do, I’ll be coming back to this post—these are great tips!
Right now, I’m training Sandra, and I take a similar approach with her as you do with your running buddy. I head out for my own run at 5:30 AM so I can be ready to train with Sandra at 7 AM. It’s an early start and a bit of a sacrifice, but absolutely worth it!
I am not full on loving running right now as much as I used to for decades. I’m sure I will snap back into it at some point -or I won’t. right now I am just taking it day to day and enjoying running when I do