The 7 Tactics that Allowed me to Start a Running Habit

If you want to get fit or just feel happier, running is an amazing way to do that, but there is a problem.

To get the benefits of running, you need to run consistently. Once you are running consistently it quickly becomes a habit, and once it is a habit it becomes so much easier to keep running. The hardest part is getting to that point.

I have 7 tactics that have helped me make running a habit.

Have a Plan

Plan when you are going to run.

If you want to run consistently you need to have made a plan. You need to decide in advance on what days, when and where you are going to run. Fitting in time to run can be awkward, and there are a lot of other activities that, in the moment, will often seem more compelling than running. Unless you have planned out ahead of time when and how you are going to fit running into your life, you will fail to run consistently.

If you are able to run on the same days and times each week, that is the easiest way to build a habit, and if you can’t do that you need to plan harder so you at least have a running plan for the next week. 

First Thing 

Run first thing in the morning.

I do the majority of my running first thing in the morning. This works well, because then I feel great for the rest of the day, it’s convenient to have a shower afterwards, and I minimise the risk that some distraction will prevent me from running. If I leave my running until later in the day the chances are much higher that my motivation will drop and I won’t run that day.

I still sometimes run in the evenings when I have to, but I strongly advise fitting in your running as early in your day as possible. 

Dress for It

Have your running kit ready and laid out the night before.

That way you can change into your clothes first thing in the morning, put on your trainers and get out the door straight away, without having to think too much about it. This will increase the chances that you will actually run. You want to remove as many causes of friction that are between you and successfully getting out the door to run.

Even quite mundane obstacles, like finding your clothes, can prevent you from doing a task that is already hard, so try to identify and remove as many of these as possible.

Get a community

Achieving something that is hard is easier if you have people cheering you on.

They don’t have to run with you, or even live nearby. I have a WhatsApp group with a few friends on, and we all live in different parts of the country. We post to the group when we get back from a run, listing our time and distance, and we respond to each others’ runs with a thumbs up or a compliment.

It’s as simple as that, and it is really effective.

ParkRun

Whenever I can, on Saturday morning at 9 am, I run 5 km with hundreds of other people because of ParkRun, and it’s great.

ParkRun is an amazing group that organises 5 km runs in public parks across the UK and beyond every Saturday morning, for free. Running with others like this is really motivating, and I push myself physically much harder during these runs than I would do when I run alone, because psychologically it doesn’t feel harder. It’s also become something I look forward to because of the community spirit present at every ParkRun.

If you can make ParkRuns a regular part of your weekly routine, you’ll get fitter faster and enjoy yourself more too.

Focus on the Immediate Benefits

The long term benefits of running are huge, but focussing on them won’t keep you motivated.

Even if we know something will be really beneficial to us in the distant future, that knowledge is a bad motivator to doing something today. A focus on the immediate benefits is more effective. For me the immediate benefits of running are that I feel happier, it reduces my stress, it gets me out of my head, plus I take satisfaction from running quicker and beating my previous times. 

The immediate benefits will vary from person to person, so it’s important to discover what these are for you, and to remind yourself of them whenever your motivation to run dips.

Track Your Progress

Keeping a record of your runs is important.

I record how far and how quickly I run, as well as my heart rate. This is important because it allows me to see if I’m improving (or not improving) and that helps make each run more meaningful. I do this using an old Garmin watch and a Polar heart rate strap, but you can do most of this with just an average smart phone.

Having a record like this makes every run I do matter that bit more, and the idea of missing a run hurt that bit more.