Hello Jerome,

I saw this post and felt I would like to reply as I have been running since started again in Jan 2019.

I can understand and have experienced the same thing as you in the past in that it is much easier and better in the short term to chill at home or do anything but run or do ecercise. It can feel like a chore and it is tiring and often in the UK, cold. The only thing that separates those that run compared fo those that dont, is willpower to actually get your trainers on and get outside. There is a good Mark Manson article about the difference between children, teenagers and adults, which says something along the lines of: adults do the right thing for the sake of doing the right thing, and that is reward enough eg through positive self esteem, confidence etc.

To get me started I tried to make it as easy as possible. So if i got my trainers on and went outside and ran say 100m, that was still classed as a “win”. I made sure every run was a positive one. I run every day. Some days 100m feels all I can manage, but often once i have started to run, it all kind of flows, or somedays I will run for longer. Parkrun or runnibg groups may help too.

I also try and make sure i dont think about running, i just go. I have done this by making it a non negoitable item of my day to run and try not to let my brain jump in and think at the decision point. Looking at Mel Robbins 5 second rule could help?

Also, the days i feel less inspired I look at Ukrunchat on twitter and their inspirational stories can give me a mini boost to get out, so that may work?

Another thing could be to really feel or write down in a journal how you feel after running tto how you feel on the days you dont to look back on when you are feeling unmotivated. Running is like a leap of faith in a way, as you run, then the good or sometimes neutral feelings come, but so much mentally gets in the way between thinking you want to run and actually getting out of the house, so it is finding ways to ignore that. It could be that you could run before breakfast or a shower, tthis means you HAVE to run if you want either of those things. In my experience it is bard to motivate myself to run after a day at work and commute then it is (for me) first thing.

I think the key is to be kind to yourself, focus on the why you want to run, remind yourself of the benefits of running and celebrate every sucess. If you put your shoes on and go for a jog round the garden or to the shop and back, that is still a win! Dont worry about the distance or keeping track. I used to have a fitbit but found all the stats actually made it easier to feel bad about myself if i didnt do enough steps compared to the previous day. Focus on doing the activity itself and building a habit and the rest will just fall into place.

All the very best of luck! Let us know how you get on. 🙂