Keeping the motivation while on the move...?

Question

Hey, one of the hardest things to do while running is to occupy your mind, keeping your thoughts positive, and resisting the temptation to stop. Personally i find if i stop, it is near impossible to start again, and that despite running alone, there is an almost tangable feeling of defeat if i stop.

To combat this some use music, but i find this particularly hard as its beat is often very different to my pace, and I often find myself getting out of breath, or regurlaly getting out of sync, and finding the music annoying..

Any ideas? What keeps you going? How do you entertain yourself?

J. x

Answer 1

It is perhaps more a question of combating the boredom of long training runs by yourself. I used to have to learn things for work so made a tape and played it over and over again during my training runs, so effectively killing two boredom birds with one stone and not falling behind either with my training needs or my studying needs. You can also get talking books where you listen to an interesting or exciting story as you jog. This should not distract you from its beat.

Answer 2

find a group and consistantly run with them and you will automatically want to keep up with the group and your goals will form easily.

If you can't find a group remember running is a lot mental so try repeating i can do it in your head it helps me keep it going sometimes.

Answer 3

all the above answers are correct.

Answer 4

I used to have the same problem, just think about thoughts

of the day, or if you're running with someone, keep building

strategies on how to beat the other runner....

You can also count the lines on the sidewalk and count how

many you pass by...I know its stupid, but anything works, lol

don't listen to music, it distracts you from whats going

on and you could get in an accident. its harder that way

but its the safest.