What keeps you running?

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  • LesleeBeAlive
    LesleeBeAlive Posts: 504
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    If I get tired, I will tell myself "Just run till that song is over"... Then the next song comes on and I think "I like that one, I wanna keep running".

    Or my husband who responds to me being tired with "I hope you brought your phone so you can call somebody who gives a *kitten*!" Makes me so mad, that I continue to run.

    Sounds like my husband!

    I run for the pure fact that I can now run a 5k.. it took me months to get there when it took my friends weeks. But I am happy to finally be there and am currently trying to go further.

    And the markers in the road help, I know how far I have gone and how much further I need to go to get home.
    Plus, Plus I love the sweat that comes from it. If I walk I know I won't sweat as much. I enjoy looking at my sweat maks when I get home. Weird? Yes. Satisfying? Hell yea.
  • to_the_surface
    to_the_surface Posts: 38
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    When on a bad/weak day i break it down to smaller goals using natural markers along the way: the next mailbox, the big tree a block ahead, the light post at the end of the road, etc. When getting close to one marker i find another one ahead.

    By the time i'm done with the game i have jogged extra distance that i would have walked otherwise.
  • HisPathDaily
    HisPathDaily Posts: 672 Member
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    And as I've seen here also mentioned by others ... races. I forgot that one ... having something on the calendar gives me more reason to work out other than just exercise ... training for something tangible is always more motivating to me.
  • Sassy922
    Sassy922 Posts: 399 Member
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    Music keeps me going. I have a specific playlist for running. I do a lot of, "You have to finish this song", and then just like it was preplanned, another good song comes on and I have to finish that one.
  • Il_DaniD_lI
    Il_DaniD_lI Posts: 1,593 Member
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    Increasing my mile time is a huge motivator. And I never really started with the walk run just ran as much as I could each time.
  • JenRLo
    JenRLo Posts: 95 Member
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    More miles/time I run ... more calories I burn ... more wine I can drink.

    Burns more calories than walking the same amount of time

    I don't really sweat often, so I like it when I sweat while running. Makes me feel like I'm really doing something.
  • lax75
    lax75 Posts: 118 Member
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    Running is better for strengthening my bones than walking, which is particularly important to me because of medication I'm on. I think of all those little bone cells being created with every step. (Don't know if that's medically accurate, but that's how I think of it!)

    Various chants and counting steps - esp'y on the way home I think "the faster I go, the sooner I'll get there." If I'm lucky, my mind will get distracted and I'll realise a while later that I've lost count.

    Sometimes I do walk for a bit, but I try never to drop to a walk when there are cars going by - I feel as if the drivers would think I was lazy, I guess! :-) (Sometimes people do mention that they saw me out running - don't want them to say they saw me out walking!) Depending on the time of day or where I am on my typical routes, that can keep me going for quite a while!

    Knowing how good it feels when I'm done. Especially when I run in the morning, because then I can feel virtuous all day! lol
  • Jellyphant
    Jellyphant Posts: 1,400 Member
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    2 things. Music with a sick beat, and I try to match my pace with the bass. haha. And stressful situations of the day, or whenever. I play them back over in my head and pretend that I am running away from them. Oh my god, does it help my psyche. :)

    Totally agree with the jiggle when pounding the concrete though. Ughh.
  • ILoveTheBrowns
    ILoveTheBrowns Posts: 661 Member
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    my legs
  • jillybeanruns
    jillybeanruns Posts: 1,420 Member
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    Everything.

    What stops me? Nothing.
  • 28ways
    28ways Posts: 2
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    The first mile is tough for me, but when I get a good rhythm going I start thinking about work, family, church, writing, or anything else in the world than what I am doing. Once my mind is significantly away from running I can run for a good long while. The worst runs for me happen when I am thinking about running (form, breathing, pain, etc.).

    Music is great and I get lost in it - but really getting into my head is the best.
  • sevsmom
    sevsmom Posts: 1,172 Member
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    I usually pick visual landmarks way out ahead and tell myself I'll take a walk break when I get to that landmark. Then, when I get there, I realize I can go a bit further and push on. But, there have been times on a long run when I'll take a 20 second walk break. No shame. Especially if i am trying to refuel/hydrate. I can't open and eat those fuel packets AND run nor can I run and drink. So, I'll unashamedly take a quick walk break then.
  • acstansell
    acstansell Posts: 567 Member
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    nothing right now, unfortunately. A bout of sciatica benched me and when I tried to start back up, my legs felt like lead. But I need to do something - I loved the way I felt when was intervalling. A natural endorphin. :)
  • Tribbey143
    Tribbey143 Posts: 388 Member
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    races and beating my time.
  • futurestarz
    futurestarz Posts: 510
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    I count how many songs I have till I am finished. If I am just doing a 30 minute run I count 4-5 songs worth.

    this is what I do :)
  • normaleverydaymom
    normaleverydaymom Posts: 9
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    So I thought I was the ONLY ONE who actually hated running WHILE I'm running! I feel so much better listening to everyone- I'm not such a lazy-only-pretending-to-run sort of gal after all! :) During my 1st (and only so far....) 5K, I kept telling myself that my legs weren't giving out, my brain was giving up. It helped then, but not always anymore. I like the mantra "I don't quit when I'm tired, I quit when I'm done", but honestly sometimes I just get bored... the whole 1 foot after another thing, the repetition and that's when I have the hardest time to keep going. Yes, I see the irony as that is the definition of running...lol
  • tarynnmichelle
    tarynnmichelle Posts: 27 Member
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    bump
  • sjtreely
    sjtreely Posts: 1,014 Member
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    Thigh 1 and Thigh 2.
  • buudharich
    buudharich Posts: 50
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    My continued weight loss. Before joining here, I was down about 26 pounds since February. I am transitioning into running and will do my first 5k in less than two weeks. I want to get in shape again.

    I have a body image problem. Running will help get me in shape so long as I keep it up.
  • HauteP1nk
    HauteP1nk Posts: 2,139 Member
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    I run with others so I try to distract myself with conversation. We talk about anything and everything.

    I try to avoid running with music as I find I will run to the tempo...fast, slow, fast, faster, faster, slow, fast...etc. Running with only the outdoors and my running companions helps me to go at a moderate pace so that I don't tire myself out and I will last the whole 5km.

    And sometimes I just let myself stop to walk. I take 10-20 steps and then start right back up. Sometimes you just need a minor little break that will give you the extra little energy needed to finish that last leg of your journey. No shame in that....

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