How do you stay motivated? Have graduated (again) but am really struggling to keep going out running!

[Bayview]

Same as last year, graduated then running just fizzled out. I do enjoy running through the 9 week programme but just don't seem to be able to keep motivated. Would really appreciate any tips/advice/boot up backside!

[crox Graduate]

Your local Parkrun Once a week / twice a month what ever suits you go out and see what time you can achieve ;-), no one else cares about your time, it's just a friendly stroll around a park

[runningnotwalking Graduate]

Take a quiet moment out of your day and remind yourself why you started C25K and how much you enjoyed running during the 9 week programme.

Then don't think about it too much and just go out for a run.

Take a rest day and repeat !

[Pat184 Graduate]

Hi bayview the way I look at my running is its keeping me fit and most of all keeping my weight down. But I am lucky my husband comes as well. Pat

[Jany]

I stick to a programme! From the sounds of it, you need a training schedule to tick off- same as me, if I were just running I'd soon get bored. Think about a goal that you'd like to achieve- running 60 mins non stop, running 10k, running half marathon... whatever. And devise a training programme for it over 6 or 8 weeks. So mine is a 10% increase in time every week with 3 runs a week. You get a real sense of purpose from it and you're less likely to lose motivation. Also, when you achieve a goal it's great!

[ktaylor217 Graduate]

Set yourself a new challenge! My sister convinced me to enter a 10k race not long after I graduated so I had to keep pushing myself to be ready for that... I only did a max of 7k in training for it but ran the whole thing & that really gave me confidence and inspired me to keep going. Since then I've entered one other 10k and am just gearing up for my 3rd. This time I'm aiming at a specific time (55mins or under - eek!!!) so that has pushed me to keep pushing myself.

I've also lost quite a bit of weight through running so every time I look in the mirror I like what I see and remind myself that it's all because I run.

Some other ideas... Treat yourself to some new kit so you feel the part... Get into the stat's side of things, I love looking at my stats at the end of a run... Buy Runners World magazine, it is full of articles about how fantastically good running is for you their website also has loads of training plans on it... Find a running buddy... keep playing around with your routes/pace/distance to keep it interesting... Try the 5k+ podcasts... Get the audio fuel app... maybe reduce your running a little but add in another sport...

Above all just keep at it! They say it takes 12 weeks to develop a new habit so if you have already done 9 weeks you only have to keep yourself going for another 3 weeks and in theory then it will become habitual.

[Bayview Graduate in reply to ktaylor217]

Thank you for all your suggestions! What do you use to record your stats? I think this might be the way for me to keep to the idea of a programme and see the progress like you do in the first nine weeks!

[Bayview Graduate]

Thank you for taking the time to reply! I do need another goal or plan to follow so will look into your suggestions. I don't have a Parkrun nearby but will try one when we go away 'south' on holiday later this month. I just don't get why I haven't been able to stay motivated though, I have lost weight too so you'd think that would be incentive enough!

[mehitabel Graduate]

Try Mapmyrun or Endomondo to track your stats, and why not try registering for the odd race so you have something to train for? I'm doing the Olympic Run (8k) in a fortnight and a 10k in October.

[FirinBlanks Graduate]

My App of choice is iSmoothrun, it's reasonably accurate (as much as most apps can be), You can create custom runs (intervals/pace/distance runs, you name it) it records your run (and importantly for me it saves it on your device) in loads of different formats and it can post to most of the major running sites.

And before you ask, no I'm not affiliated in any way to it

My biggest tip though is to mix it up a bit, that could be to change your route, add more distance and set a new goal.

[lola465 Graduate]

I have a basic iPod (nano, the old one) and a very basic phone so the splendid apps are not available to me.

Like you, although I thoroughly enjoyed the C25k programme, my motivation dipped a little post-graduation. I did the stepping stones and speed podcasts and enjoyed them - that made me realise I need structure. I downloaded some of the audiofuel podcasts.

Now I've downloaded the bridge to 10k podcasts. Just completed week 1 today and I've got my running mojo back. I think I just need structure (and a goal - I'm thinking about applying for the Great North Run in 2014). You might be the same.

Good luck!

[hannie Graduate]

I have been using RunKeeper since i started the c25K and beyond - I have every run i've done in it and it lets me add goals and it compares my prior runs with my current one so I can see if I have run faster than my prior runs. It also lets you manually enter in runs from a treadmill which is really handy if your gym, like mine, doesn't have internet access/gps, so I can still track all my runs. It also uses GPS to map the run as you complete it and has km splits so you can see how fast you were going over each km run - fantastic!