To Become a Runner, Start with Your Head Not Your Legs
Mindset and goal setting are key to creating a lifelong habit of running
This post is for new runners, young or old.
Without the right mindset, you absolutely, positively will fail to become a runner. I hate to be so blunt. Furthermore, you need goals until running becomes an addiction.
I know, I know: “If you run, then you’re a runner!”
Well, no, most can run, and most do run on occasion, but that does not make them “runners.” A runner wants to run and finds joy in running despite some sluggish days.
The mindset to embrace is one in which running is a lifelong practice. This means that if you get injured, you’ll work to figure out why and make adjustments to your running. You will not give up. This means that if you have a busy day, you have to set your alarm to run earlier, maybe in the dark. You will not skip the run. This means that you’ll have to run in the rain, or when it’s cold, or when it’s hot. You will not make excuses.
Sorry, gym dude, who runs for 20 minutes three times a week to get a cardio workout, you’re not a runner. Gym dude uses running. Running, for him, is a part of something else.
