Becoming a runner: 7 ways to get (and stay) motivated

For years, I've been an active woman who didn't dare call herself an athlete. I've chosen challenging workouts but have not ever pushed myself completely out of the comfortable little box. I've done burlesque, belly dance, and some tough strength and walking training, but I've opted out of many opportunities to do the the activity that has scared me the most -- running.

For some reason, I've decided to get over that fear and prove to myself that my body and my brain are tough enough to withstand a year of training. I'm trying my best not to worry about the possibility of injury, the impending awful winter weather, or the fact I am on my own for most of this process. I'm taking it one workout, one step at a time. And I'd love it if you'd join me as I do my best to finally become the runner I've been so afraid of becoming.

I hope you will chime in with your own experiences, advice, and stories. I promise to listen and to cheer you on. Hopefully, sharing the tough stuff -- like how tight my IT band is right now -- as well as the victories -- like how proud I am that I added two minutes to my time on the track today -- will make this whole process more fun.

First off, I want to talk about the most basic part of choosing to be active. For me, that is being motivated, not just to do something big, like tackle a big event or new way of exercising. It also means finding and holding on to the motivation to make it through each 20-minute session (or 10, or 60, or whatever it is for you). Here's some of the best advice I've culled from other runners on really getting out there/.

1. Call yourself names. I met a woman at a party who told me she hasn't worked out in years but on a whim, she signed up for a triathlon in 2010. She doesn't even own a bike or wetsuit, but still, she's set on doing it. I confided that I am am trying to become a runner. Before I could even finish my sentence, she stopped me.

"Trying?", she asked firmly. I nodded my head and she raised her eyebrows at me and continued. "If you've already been out there once, you are a runner. Claim it. Be it. Stop trying."

So there we were, just days into our training, a runner and a triathlete comparing notes on breathing exercises and water bottles. The next morning, I thought of that as I pulled myself away from my laptop to get outside to exercise. How could I be a runner if I wasn't actively running? That question and owning the title was enough to set me in motion that day.

2. Buy pretty things. Whether you believe in buying sustainable workout wear or you are happy with a cheapy pair of Spandex pants from Target, putting on new exercise gear can be enough to get you out the door. I bought a new jacket (similar to this one) that is not only adorable on, it serves a few important purposes. I can't avoid outdoor workouts now that I have the perfect-weight jacket for windy, brisk autumn runs. It has a tidy little place for my iPod, phone, and keys, so I don't have to hold on to a bunch of things while I am trying to focus on my breathing and pace. I also decided I will only wear it to walk or run, so it is a (very small but effective) reward for just getting dressed to work out. Clearly, having good shoes that fit well are critical -- and who isn't motivated by new shoes?

3. Build slowly. I love this post by Janice at Mom On The Run, who reminds us that reintroducing (or introducing, in my case) our bodies to running takes time. But she also says it takes consistency. While we can't expect to go from zero to half-marathon in a week, keeping a slightly slower but steady pace, running at the same time every day, and adding a little time and distance to your training every week will keep you going at a manageable rate. Today, I turned that into a visualization to help me go an extra lap around the park, thinking about building a tower out of those colorful, wooden kiddie blocks, one by one.

4. Make a commitment -- financial and otherwise. I was spending more time worrying about how to become a runner than actually trying to become a runner after a friend asked me to join a team of mom bloggers in a relay next summer. Then that same friend was inspired to sign up for a half-marathon to kick her training into gear. She and the other women she's running in that event with are blogging their progress here. That helped me jump into my own training a month earlier than I anticipated (are you following all this?). My plan is to sign up for several events along the way -- I have my eye on a stair-climbing challenge in one of my city's skyscrapers -- so I can prepare myself for and attain smaller goals on the way to the big one. Plus, paying to participate, whether it is twenty bucks or a hundred, will keep the event on my calendar and me out on the track training.

5. Center on yourself. This is not easy to do. But when Bob Harper said that the only REAL reason to exercise is to be good to your body and honor your own well-being, it made me realize how often I set those things aside. I've only been on this journey for a few weeks now, but I see the difference in how I feel when I remind myself of how running is fueling my physical and spiritual selves. I've already noticed that my stress level has dropped because I am pounding out many of my frustrations on the pavement rather than keeping them locked in my head. In the last laps of my workout, it has also helped me to really zone in on how much stronger my legs and lungs feel than the first day I huffed and puffed around the park. Just telling myself, "Damn, girl, your ass is going to look amazing in those jeans after this run" works. It's cheesy and superficial, but it does work.

Finally, as one of my best friends who is a long-time runner and has completed marathons all over the world told me, "No one and nothing messes with the time I take to run. Some days, that is 15 minutes and some days, that is 2 hours. But that is my time and I protect it fiercely." I have to tell you, saying that over and over and claiming that block of time for myself has been as empowering as checking out my slamming tush in the mirror.

6. Center on others. A woman who I am friends with on Facebook has a high-pressure profession as an attorney and two small children and makes time for running to stay in shape and keep a cap on stress. After a long day at work, she gets motivated by dedicating her workouts to people in need, friends who inspire her, or whatever can help propel her forward. It seems to me that this makes her workout like a prayer and that she is using her mental and physical energy to put a great intention out into the universe as well as keep herself going. I've seen other runners dedicate their training sessions or events to women undergoing breast cancer treatment, a struggling single mom, their own mothers, and politicians. I love the idea that focusing on those people can do such good things for us as well as them. And when I am having trouble making the time and expending the energy for myself, I am sure there are four or a thousand women out there who I can think of to give my all for during just one workout.

7. Find the small stretch of joy. I gathered a lot of advice from runners before I ever laced up my shoes. One of my favorite bits of wisdom came from a former colleague who has made her way all over the city during training runs. She told me, "You don't have to love your whole route. Just find one little stretch that you can't wait to get to each time." For now, I am running around and around a park near my house. It is fun to see kids on the playground and serene to watch the leaves fall across the sidewalk, but it isn't necessarily a gorgeous view. There is, however, a small stretch that I love. It's a path that goes slightly downhill and where I can pick up my pace just a bit on each lap. It's lined by big oak trees and a minute of quiet before I round the bend to a busy street where cars are honking and commuters are walking home. I push myself to get to this part of my route. It's one small stretch that keeps me going, so it counts for a lot.

Share your own running wisdom: What motivates you?


[photo credit: Getty Images]