I’ll start training… tomorrow

I’ll start training… tomorrow

Earlier this month I signed up for the Goodlife Half Marathon on May 6th here in Toronto. I signed up with my boyfriend and we figured three months should be a good amount of time to dedicate to training.

Unfortunately, it’s now nearing the end of February and I have yet to run more than 30 minutes on a treadmill. I’m getting scared.

I was super motivated after signing up. We decided on giving a week to prep for training- figure out schedules, see what days we can run together, find a gym, get gear, etc. I set out to start a strict running schedule for myself. I found one that seemed simple enough on About.com. Rest days, moderate running, and other cardio training once a week sounded completely doable.

However, I’m constantly “too busy”. Actually, I’m getting pretty good at sleeping in lately too.

First of all, I probably suffered from the common mistake most people make: announcing your plans. You never think twice about doing this, it seems like the next step once you decide something exciting. However I’ve read that this is often a bad move and, according to an article I read, announcing your plans satisfy you enough that you actually end up becoming less motivated to actually do them.

The article even says, “63 people found that those who kept their intentions private were more likely to achieve them than those who made them public and were acknowledged by others.”

I should have kept my big mouth shut. Now, not only am I failing myself, but everyone knows about it too and I have yet to actually start seriously training.

Excuses like “I’m tired”, or movie-watching, or going out with friends, or even just sitting in bed and staring at the wall are completely taking over, more so than they used to.

I decided maybe I need to print a schedule, post it on my wall, and pencil myself into my own schedule. I read that consistency in plans will motivate you to actually do it. And, seeing them on paper makes me feel more guilty about bailing.

On top of this, I’m not going to talk about running a half marathon to anyone else. No Twitter. No Facebook boasting. Even Pinterest and Tumblr are going to have to sit silent to my new found running interests.

Lastly, it’s time for me and the boy to get real when it comes to training together and what we can do to motivate eachother. Because, he’s gotta run it too!

How do you get motivated to get out of bed, get off the couch, and go for a run?