What do you do when you are supposed to run but you don’t feel like doing it?

May be you need a rest day…so take it…..listening to your body is very important but if you are just being lazy…..

Last night I needed to run but I felt like just sitting down and watch TV. I was not sored, I was not injured, I hadn't worked hard.......I had no real excuse......I did it for 5 minutes and then I stood up and got ready. I told myself to at least get dressed and see if I was feeling better about running…. But I was feeling the same way…” I don’t want to move my legs, I don’t want to go anywhere” ….I evaluated my options:

1- Take a rest day

2- Go the gym

3- Run anyway

Option 1 had most of the votes  but I knew that I was going to hate that decision later. I went to the gym during lunch time and did weights and abs so option 2 wasn’t really very good…that left me with only one option……go running… but how to make sure I was going to really finish my run ?? I have a list of things I do when I feel this way…

1- Do an easy run. You don’t want to run, you feel lazy but you finally decide to put yourself out and do it…so at least don’t kill yourself…take it easy and give your body a little of the rest it is asking for. Make it fun, enjoy it!! Go to your favorite place.

2- Run in a place where you will meet people you know. You might end running with someone and that will motivate you or if you are like me and you don’t like people to see you walking… ……there is no way I will walk where someone might see me 

3- Run far from home so you are not tempted to cut miles every time you loop around your apartment!! I try to split my run in 2 and run away from home until half the distance……there are not way to come back other than running!!! …and don’t take your metro card with you!!

4- Think about this run as an endurance training…….you are tired you don’t want to run, your legs don’t want to move…that is how I feel in the middle of an ultra!! But you keep going…you need to finish it…running in a bad day allow you to practice how to keep running when your body says STOP!! This is a good training!!

5- Think about your goal… there is much more than today’s run in your decision!! Focus!! focus!!

6- I don’t listen music when I run but if this helps you…set your favorites songs and rock it!

I finally went out and did the 6 miles I had in my schedule. I ran an easy pace what was a good recovery from the long run and bike ride over the weekend. Also, since I have speed class tonight, a slow run couldn’t kill me. I was tempted to stop several times but kept telling myself that if this were one of my ultras I couldn’t stop……that I needed to push it…..I started to think about the last 50 miler and how tired I was but I kept running…so HOW COME I WAS NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO RUN 6 MILES!! I also thought about the 100 miler and how mad I want to do it….but wait…how come I will ever train for that if I don’t even want to run 6 miles!!....KEEP RUNNING CLAUDIA!!!! ....as I always say…EVERYTHING IS MENTAL!!! I felt so much better when I was done!!!

God... 6 miles can be so tough sometimes!!!