Ready to Run

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Plan Your Route

Alright, you’ve got a goal, you’ve got a plan, and you’ve got your gear, now it’s time to run. The last piece of prep work you need before you start running is to plan out your route. If you’re going to run from home, the easiest thing to do to start is to just run half of your goal distance, turn around, and run back. You can either measure the distance with your car on your way home from work one day or just open up Google Maps. If you do use Google Maps to find a route, just make sure you check out the route ahead of time. This is something I’m not very good at and, on more than one occasion, have found myself in some sketchy spots and on some pretty tough terrain. Do yourself a favor and drive the route ahead of time just to make sure it’s a solid spot.

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Final Details

If you’re going to listen to music on your run, you can also take this time to make a sweet playlist to keep you motivated. Then, the last thing to do is set a start date. Don’t just pick a day to start either, look at your calendar and schedule the specific time of your run so you know you’ll be free. That will make it even harder to talk yourself out of.

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Remove Any Barriers

If you’re worried about follow through, make it as easy as possible so you can’t find an excuse when the time comes to get out the door. Set your clothes out ahead of time, or, you can even get dressed ahead of time. When I’m running after work, the first thing I do when I get home is I change into my running clothes, same in the morning, as soon as I’m up I get dressed to run. Even if I’m not going on my run right away, I know I’m far less likely to bail on a run once I’m already dressed to go.