Setting your running goals for next week?
Try this strategy:
Give yourself a goal “window” to accommodate how you’re feeling. Rather than planning to run 5 miles on Wednesday, decide to run between 4 and 5.5. If you get out there and you’re not feeling it, you can do the minimum. If you’re having a great time, go a little extra. Set the bottom point as the bare minimum you’d like to run, and think of the extra miles as a “bonus”. It makes it easier to return home not feeling discouraged if you cut your run shorter than the ideal length because you weren’t feeling it.
If you give yourself a little flexibility most of the days you run, it’ll probably net out even by the end of the week. (If you’re always doing the minimum or always doing the maximum, you may want to rethink your goals!) Or, just do it on the days you know heading out the door that it’s going to be a tough running day.
If you feel obligated to go the extra mile, sometimes it’s not as fun!
I know I’ve turned back in defeat when my running goals for the day were too lofty. If you can’t meet your goal, it’s hard not to quit once you’ve realized you’re not going to make it. The feeling of defeat prevented me from running as many as I could that day. Giving yourself a minimum and maximum goal can make you feel less defeated on those inevitable running days that don’t go well.
Happy running, and HAPPY FRIDAY! Hope you have some fabulous weekend plans ahead of you.
I do this all the time! 🙂 On Tuesday I started out “okay, run for 5 mins, walk for 5 mins”. I ended up running 5 miles straight. But the thought of only “having” to run for 5 mins got me started! I agree it’s a good tactic to have that range.
Happy weekend, Kelly!
Fear that I can’t finish a goal has kept me from doing as well as possible on plenty of runs in the past – it’s amazing what freeing yourself from a maximum obligation can do to actually make you run further! Ahh, running. So many mind games.