Staying Motivated

The temperature is finally above freezing, the sun is out, the snow has melted... yet motivation to go out for a run is at an all time low.  It seems that everyone needs a little boost of motivation so I found a few tips to keep motivated and reasons to keep running! I posted my favorites here....

#1 Start a blog (CHECK!)

where you post your daily mileage, then give out the Web address to your friends and family. Do you really want Aunt Ellen to ask why you skipped your four-miler on Wednesday?

#2  Get a new pair of shoes - Two-time Olympian Shayne Culpepper puts new gear she receives as an elite athlete to good use. "It's fun to break in a new pair of shoes," she says. "Sometimes that's enough to get me excited."

#3 4. GO SOFT. It's hard to stay motivated with shinsplints, so get off the pavement for a few days and run on a cross-country course or unpaved bike paths.

# 4 FORGET TIME. Shane Bogan, who coaches distance runners in the Washington, D.C./Baltimore area, advises leaving your watch at home once in a while. "It's liberating not to be worried about pace," Bogan says.

#5 GOOD-TO-GO PLAYLIST

Classic Rock
"Don't Stop Me Now," Queen
"Break on Through," The Doors
"Gimme Shelter," Rolling Stones
"Come Together" the Beatles
"What Do You Do for Money Honey," AC/DC

# 6  EVERY MILE YOU RUN burns roughly 100 calories. Think of that next six-miler as two slices of pizza.

#7 RUN AT LUNCH. Daniel Sheil, a marathon coach in Portland, Oregon, recommends lunchtime runs for two reasons: (1) You get your workout in before the day gets away from you; (2) You get a midday break from work stress.

source: http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-243-297--11733-0,00.html