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I take up running...every year (Read 339 times)

LedLincoln


not bad for mile 25

    Try finding a running partner, even if they are a four legged running partner.

    If I find myself sitting in my easy chair at 4:30am with a serious lack of motivation my running partner is always motivated to go. He starts pacing, panting, and being a general PITA till I get up and out the door. Some mornings I just need a little push to get going.

     

    Good doggie!

      Don't let the fact that you didn't run yesterday somehow justify your not running today. Don't think yourself into a passive rut. You can turn the situation around any time you feel like, and you need to turn it around right now. So just get out the door and go!

       

      (BTW, this is the trick I use to stop myself in the middle of a drinking binge, and end it right there. I used to think "I've had x beers. Might as well have another and be hanged for a sheep")

      Never been to the Americas, but how many of you guys have ever been to Derby?

       

      NikoRosa


      Funky Kicks 2019

        I say this mostly in jest because it is really not a good reason to get one, but owning a high energy dog is a great motivator to get out there for a run every day.  I have a German shepherd, and if he doesn't get his morning run, he is very restless and mildly annoying.  I have been a runner, on and off, for years.  I have never been as consistent a runner as I have been since I got my dog four years ago.  I know that if I skip  our run, around 2 pm he will be pacing the house, rearranging the furniture, and ordering bully sticks online with my credit card.

        Leah, mother of dogs

        idelsan


          I would like to have a dog, but "with a great pet, comes great responsibility" and I don't have the time. The dog would not be happy. It would be nice if my neighbor got one and he lent me the dog for the runs. Big grin


          12-week layoff

            *Make an appointment with yourself to run every day.  Don't break it; even if you don't want to run, at least start. You may finish, nut even if you bail after a mile or two, you still covered a mile or two.

            *Don't take off more than one day in a row; on the second day, you start to discover all of the things you can do with the time you spend running. None of them are as good for you.

            *I can't run in the heat as I used to when I was younger, so most of my summer miles are on a treadmill. Since I don't watch a lot of TV, I use my treadmill time to watch inappropriate TV that my kid can't watch.


            some call me Tim

              I'd never be able to do it without a race to train for, no matter how far out it is.

              GC100k


                Your story is not that different from mine.  Right now, in fact, I'm in a period of very little running.  I don't feel guilty about it.  Running is my hobby, something I do for fun, not an obligation.  There's nothing morally wrong with quitting running.  There are enough obligations in life without adding another one just for a hobby.

                 

                If you do want to stick to it, register for a race a long ways off.  Last year I restarted in January and in February I registered for a November marathon.  So every week I knew I had to build for that marathon and it kept me motivated.  Maybe register for a race and another one a couple months later.  That way you won't give in to the post-race letdown and quit after the race.  I've also found that hanging around in these forums keeps running on my mind and is a big motivating factor.

                 

                If you want to run, run.  If you don't want to, don't.  There's no law that says you have to run.


                SheCan

                  Is there a sport you might perhaps like doing better?  Do you enjoy walking?  Or maybe this IS the sport for you....which to me it sounds like.  You sound like me though,  like you sometimes just get tired of doing it always.  ?

                   

                  Anyway, when I first started I'd run with my son.  After about 6 months it became more of an ingrained habit, when my son stopped running.  Somewhere along the line I started registering for races which again kept me motivated.  By about a year and 1/2 the newness was wearing off, and a neighbor suggested I start running with him every day.   Some days I'd want to be lazy, but I knew he was waiting on me so I couldn't give up.  Eventually I ran my first marathon, which started me logging my runs.  This simple act of keeping track of the runs, in its self keeps me focused.  I've ran a number of marathons and many halves since.  My neighbor no longer runs.  I've "quit" many times...that is I take breaks for a  week or 2 or sometimes 3 at a time. I'm always a beginner. But I figure if I could start once, i can start again, over and over and over.  Every day is a new beginning.  If you quit, then tomorrow, decide you're finished with quitting and start again.  I've ran for about 5 years now, and am starting again tomorrow. Wink

                  Cherie

                  "We do not become the people who this world needs simply by turning our backs on anyone we don’t like, trust, or deem healthy enough to be in our presence. "  ---- Shasta Nelson


                  running metalhead

                     Normally the running period lasts between 4 to 6 months. Then, after another six months, I take it up again. And that each year since 2003.

                     

                    It's not so bad as you might think. In fact all serious sporters do a thing called "Periodization" and this includes rest periods or periods of doing something else. While real periodization is somewhat more complex let's stick to the idea that you need to alternate planned rest periods into your training.

                    You also need to put yourself targets such as races, a race is a very good one as doing t gives you a sense of accomplishment and that is important.

                    Take a race as target, prepare a plan for 12-18 weeks of intense running and once you are done with the race take a few weeks or even a couple of months off, reduce your running to 50% of what you normally do and do something different... take a couple of weeks of forced total rest! That's very nice too.

                    I personally follow a plan for 12-18 weeks with one or more target races and after the race I reduce my mileage to 40-50% of my average. I analyse my results and my weak points and cross-train to reinforce these by doing other sports (weight lifting, boxing for the upper body, rope skipping, some elliptical and HIIT). The result is that after a few weeks off the trails and roads I'm screaming mad to hit the outdoors again, and even better: Mad, fresh and stronger!

                    - Egmond ( 14 januari )            :  1:41:40 (21K)
                    - Vondelparkloop ( 20 januari ) :  0:58.1 (10K but did 13.44!!!)
                    - Twiskemolenloop ( 4 maart )  :   1:35:19 (3th M45!)

                    - Ekiden Zwolle (10K)   ( 25 maart )
                    - Rotterdam Marathon ( 8 april )
                    - Leiden Marathon Halve ( 27 mei )
                    - Marathon Amersfoort ( 10 juni)

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