A year ago I completed my 40 by 40 goal that morphed into my 50 by 40 goal. The original goal was to complete 40 races in the two years leading up to my 40^th birthday, but I’m an over-achiever and kept finding races I wanted to do, so I ended up completing my 50^th race the morning of my 40^th birthday.

While I may be an over-achiever in some things, I still sometimes struggle to stay motivated to go for a run, especially if my only option is the treadmill. So I’ve gathered a list of ideas that have helped me find that motivation, along with a few ideas that I haven’t tried, but that have worked for others. I’m sure at least one of them will help you get motivated to run.

8 Ideas to Help You Get Motivated to Run

1. Think about WHY you want to run

Because you think you should, or because you want to? For exercise? Weight loss? To feel good?

I run because I feel better physically and mentally when I do. I’ve never lost weight from running, but it has helped me maintain my weight. I enjoy the feeling of accomplishment that comes from working hard and achieving goals, and I like setting a good example for my kiddos.

2. Have goals

I’m a big fan of goals, and they can come in all shapes and sizes. Mileage, number of workouts/week or month, a certain race, a certain number of races in a specific time period, a personal best at a particular distance, etc. Pick a goal that will motivate you to stick to your training schedule. Achieving a personal best won’t happen if you don’t put in the work beforehand.

The #365milechallenge has been great for helping me stay motivated even when I’m not working towards another goal, and it’s great for cross-training, since any self-propelled miles count towards it. Sometimes all it takes is the act of paying for a race to get me motivated to run. This tends to work best on the more expensive races, but is helpful after a hiatus as well. “I’ve paid for this race, I better get running so I can be ready for it.”

3. Find a training partner

Having accountability works wonders. Knowing you’re letting your running partner down if you don’t meet them can be very motivating. Even if you don’t especially feel like going for a run before you get started, once you start running you will usually feel better and be glad you did.

I try to meet a friend once a week for a run while our husbands watch the kiddos. It means waking up early on Saturday mornings, but we have the chance to get some exercise while chatting about how our lives are going. And it’s a great way to start the day.

4. Find a running coach

I haven’t done this yet, but I plan to when my life isn’t quite so jam-packed. Having a training plan and someone who can tweak that training plan as needed and call me out when I’m not doing my best is something I need in my life. You can hire a personal coach or participate in group coaching through organizations such as Another Mother Runner (I will be signing up for one of their training programs in the future, but for now I enjoy listening to their podcast).

5. Use a fitness tracker

This can be as simple as using a FitBit to track your steps each day, or using a Garmin or similar tracker to track distance, speed, pace, elevation, heart rate, all. the. numbers. Many devices will allow you to upload info to the cloud or your computer, but I’m old school and manually record each workout’s data from my Garmin to a spreadsheet on my computer.

6. Join an online fitness community

Such as Strava, Map My Run, running groups on Facebook, etc. You can find running partners, cheer others on, receive encouragement from them, track your routes and workouts, compare your stats to other people’s stats, and so on. I did sign up for Strava a year and a half ago, but I didn’t find it motivating for me, so I don’t use it, though I know many people find it very motivating.

7. Join a local running club

Running clubs hold weekly runs, many of which are for runners of all abilities. They also host and sponsor races. You can run those races, but volunteering at a race is also a great opportunity to get to know other runners in your area, to help those running the race, and to see things from the other side of the water table (or finish chute). I’ve only volunteered once so far, but it was a fun and enlightening experience.

8. Find a time of day that works for you

Are you a morning person? Maybe lunchtime is the best time for you to squeeze a workout in. Or maybe you’re a night owl who likes to sweat when everyone else is in bed.

While I occasionally will squeeze in a workout before bed, I have found that morning really is the best time for me to go for a run. I’m feeling my best physically and my day’s schedule hasn’t yet gotten derailed by other tasks, so it’s the best time for me to schedule my workouts so they actually happen.

Have you tried any of these ideas? Did they help? Do you have any other ideas to help us find our motivation? Please share!