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“Having a weekly running routine can provide stability. It can help us feel more at ease by enabling us to regain some control of our lives,” explains performance sports psychologist and Olympian Jessie Barr.
However, it can be difficult to stay motivated. As Jessie explains, “Human behaviour is complex and there is a lot of behavioural science behind why sticking to our resolutions is so difficult. Having the best of intentions is great, but that alone is not enough to sustain a behaviour over time.”
So what should you do if you want to keep running through the chaos of 2024? Here’s Jessie’s guide to keeping you on track this year.
If you want to stay motivated, you really need to understand why you’re doing something. Rather than thinking ‘I’m going out running because it’s good for me’ find a specific goal, even if it’s something like timing your regular run and improving on it. Make goals, meet them and make new ones.
The “why” is sometimes easy, the “how” is often much harder. That’s never been truer these days when so many people are still working in a hybrid manner, trying to find the right work/life balance and with fewer daylight hours to get outdoors.
There’s loads of ‘tech’ for doing this now but I still prefer to write it down in my training diary. Technology tends to only record statistics but writing things down allows you to record how running makes you feel. In psychology that’s called ‘subjective measuring’. It’s hugely motivating and can be very instructive.
Apart from the distraction and fun it creates during your run, nothing is a greater motivator. Running with someone else makes you accountable and less likely to make excuses. Having a running group is also really great for helping women to feel safe on the roads at night.
For you! I think some people’s issue with running is that they get far too hot. They’re told to layer up and wear far too many layers and then get uncomfortable. Why not do your warm-up indoors before you go out? I do this and then just run in a long-sleeved t-shirt and a windcheater, something that I can easily tie around my waist if I get too hot. Experiment. Find out what works for you.
You have the best of intentions, get all the new gear and then you struggle to get out the door. I’m the worst in the world when it’s dark, cold or wet. Those are my barriers and I recognise them and have a contingency plan. Can you do a bit of strength and conditioning or yoga or mobility indoors instead on those nights? What is it that’s stopping you?
Even us athletes moan that we’ve ‘no time’ but how much of it do we spend on our phones, reading news or flicking through Instagram? I’m the worst for picking up my phone and mindlessly scrolling. Couldn’t 20 of those minutes be easily given to running?
Getting more light into our lives is proven to improve our mood. Trust me, I’m not a morning person but catching the sunrise on your run is a real boost. If you’re struggling to get up early, give yourself rewards like a great breakfast afterwards.
Even if it’s only once a week and you have to plan it, this is really worth doing. Research tells us that being in green (parks, forests, mountains) or blue spaces (anywhere with water – sea, rivers or lakes) really boosts our mood. Running in those spaces is even better.
If you’re lying in a cosy bed or on the couch and can’t find the motivation to get up, just remind yourself how energised and great you felt at the end of your last run. Do you ever come home feeling worse? No! You always feel better mentally after exercise so keep reminding yourself of that.
This article was originally published in January 2022.