Motivation for Your Run

That early morning alarm can be the worst kind of wake-up call, especially when you’re dreading going outside and running. Hitting the snooze button too many times can mean you miss out on valuable workout time. You may even miss out on the day completely! When you are training for a race, you need every minute of running time you can get, and that means that you have to find a way to get your body out of bed every day.
 

Finding motivation is easy for some people. They are the perky morning people who love to get up and don’t mind getting sweaty and working hard first thing. The rest of us work out in the morning because that is when we can fit it in. With the rest of your day full of meetings, work, running kids to appointments, and other sundry obligations, the early morning is the only time you have left for yourself. 

 

The first thing you should do to make sure that you can find the will to get out of bed in the morning is to go to bed early. This seems logical, but many people skip this easy step. You need a full night’s sleep to function properly, and you definitely need sleep to exercise bright and early. Make sure you are getting eight hours of sleep every night to make it easier to get up in the morning.

Along those lines, limit your caffeine to make it easier to sleep. Don’t have caffeine after four in the afternoon. It cannot be stressed too much that sleep and proper rest is essential to having the will to get up in the morning. When you are well rested, getting up is much easier, even if your destination is the running track.

Get creative with your outside motivation. Make a new playlist for your workouts that you only listen to during your morning run. Buy new workout clothes, or a new pair of shoes. Reward yourself with a delicious breakfast after you’re done running. Having something to look forward to during or after your run will help you find the will to get up and out in the morning.

Rewards are very important, especially in the early part of the process. While you obviously can’t let yourself eat tons of candy or fried food, you can reward yourself in other ways. Go see a movie, get a pedicure, or buy yourself something you want.