I didn’t want to run today

There’s plenty of days when I wake up and don’t want to run. The biggest piece of advice I have repeatedly heard is to stop wasting time thinking about how you don’t want to run. If you would just get up and get your workout done without laying around thinking about how you don’t want to do it, you could have had it done by time you ever get out of bed. I agree with that philosophy and think it’s a great way to stay consistent. However, I am human, and today I woke up and thought for way too long about how I didn’t want to run. It was noon and I could have had everything done, but I didn’t. 

Each time, when I wake up and don’t want to run, I run through a list of options I have.
1.) Take an extra rest day - I was really trying to avoid this option because I already run the minimum days a week I would like for training due to my work schedule. 

2.) Reschedule the run - This is also difficult because I schedule my runs according to my work schedule. 

3.) Make the run an easier run - Surprise, surprise. It was already an easy run.

4.) Just get off my butt and do the run. As you may have expected, this is what I ultimately chose to go with. 

Now that I have ultimately chosen to eventually do my run, how do I get myself excited about this run? Luckily, my dog helps. He needs to run and I love seeing how happy he gets when we run. I also choose to go on this run like my dog. What do I mean by that, you may wonder? I want to view this run as more of an exploration. I think it would be fun to notice more things with all of my senses and really immerse myself in being outdoors, because I know I love that! 

So as mentioned before, I didn’t want to go on a run, but I did go on said run.

I start the run with the mindset of exploration, like I was a captain staring out into the wide open sea. I feel the warm sun on my face, really feel it. I look to my left to see my dog prancing along with a slight smile on his face. I look back up in front of me and hear birds chirping above me. How lucky am I to share this experience outdoors? I continue running, and I get a cramp in my stomach. Today, I won’t let it get me down. I start to walk. Today is about exploration and not about performance. I wonder how much more I can see and notice while I walk for a few minutes. I notice more birds, cows out in the field, the breeze picks up a little more and makes the tip of my nose quite cold. The cramp subsides, so I pick up the pace. The airport is nearby, and at this time of the day there are planes and helicopters flying above. I love watching them. All of a sudden I round the corner, my watch beeps, alarming me I am done. Honestly a great run. Not because I did anything well, but because I went out and enjoyed and explored. The same reasons I ever started to enjoy running.

Exploration worked for me this time. It doesn’t always. Sometimes you can rearrange your schedule or just grunt it out to finish the workout. I am always stoked for when my love of the outdoors motivates me to get out and get my run done. 

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