Running News Daily

When you have an urge to pack it in, try these tips to get back on track

Running can be tough, and it’s challenging for all of us to stick to goals. Everyone, from elites to recreational runners, have moments when they want to give up. When you feel an urge to throw in the towel, here are a few pointers to keep yourself moving.

According to coach and author Steve Magness in his Science of Running newsletter, navigating the urge to quit involves three simple steps.

Choose appropriate goals

Big goals are appealing. Imagining that you’ll prepare for a tough race with a few week’s training, or that you’ll revamp your fitness entirely in a month, can get your enthusiasm and blood flowing—at first. “Setting high goals can backfire, sending us towards finding that hole to step in,” Magness says. Similarly, setting goals that are too easy won’t motivate you to keep going. Objectives should be reasonable, but meaningful and challenging. If you find yourself calling it quits early or lacking the motivation to get out the door at all, reassess your goals.

Put yourself “in the mix”

Make sure the group of people you’re surrounding yourself with are working towards similar things. If you’re very new to running, don’t join a run club that’s preparing for Boston. Likewise, if you’ve always been an ultra-distance runner, don’t expect to suddenly start winning your local 5K races without some practice. Find a group of people working towards similar goals to align yourself with, immerse yourself with them, and use them for support and encouragement.

Use intrinsic motivation and embrace the process

Focusing on inner motivation, rather than ego-driven end goals can be helpful in staying the course. Magness describes intrinsic motivation as “a focus on putting forth a best effort, of competing for the joy of the activity itself.” These are also sometimes called process goals. While we can’t control factors in a race (or in life) like weather, we can control how we approach the situation we face. We can reward ourselves for troubleshooting effectively and seeing something challenging through to the end, rather than being stuck on whether we win the race or nail a PB.

It’s inevitable that you’ll have days that you want to quit running, but the way you approach those days has the potential to make you a stronger athlete. You’ll also find that running carries over to life, and those frustrating situations at home and work become easier to embrace when you follow the same guidelines.