The difficult part of Running – Showing up!

Marathon Runners make their weekly Long Slow Distance (LSD) runs outdoors and if they are like me, hate to do it on a Treadmill. What if you are practicing for a Spring Marathon and you need to practice during winter in the mid west? Your running plan demands a LSD of 10 -15 miles but the thought of running in the snow at 23 F with cutting wind which makes it feel 13 F makes you take the most inevitable, drop the plans for the run. Sometimes your mind plays games and you just don’t feel like going for a run even if the weather is good. Running can be boring even for the motivated, especially for solo runners like me. How do we make it work?

Have a running plan and review the plan for unforeseen disruptions like weather conditions, personal commitments that could hamper your running and make adjustments. A marathoner need to be disciplined to stick to the plan.

Read or watch motivational videos of running that will increase your motivation. Sometimes Social Media posts from fellow runners can give you a motivating push.

Start early in the morning. This is easier said than done when it is cold and you went to sleep late the previous night etc. Remember its all about discipline.

It may be daunting to make the long run sometimes but make yourself ready to run even a shorter run that planned but once you get into the rhythm you will keep going and finish the run as planned and sometimes overdo the target. The the feeling at the end of your run, the Runner’s high is priceless.

It is all about “Showing up”. You need to have the discipline of a monk when it comes to running marathons. Shared some pictures that I shot during one of my runs this winter.