Will Run for Food…

Lately my long runs have taken their namesakes. As the mileage for my training runs goes up, the dreaded feeling I have prior to running them also increases accordingly.

I’m not going to lie running many, many miles is not only taxing on the body, it takes your mind for a spin too. For me, the mind games happen prior to my run as well as during. I use all the procrastination tricks in the book trying to delay the inevitable.

Today when I got out there, I ran 11 miles and every mile after a while seemed to blend into the last. (Well at least until mile 8 when I got Jodi to come and keep me company ;p). You have heard me talk about the benefits of having a running partner before; however, one thing I haven’t talked about is setting up a reward for yourself after.

Now it doesn’t mind what the reward is, it can be as simple as a hot bath. However, by having this reward predetermined, it will help to motivate you to accomplish your mileage. My reward is always food-based. Big surprise, right?

For my first couple of marathons, I always treated myself to a foot-long sub at Subway after my runs, but lately it is Starbucks I crave. I literally run for food. You know those lab animals that follow trails of food through a maze. Yep, I totally get that.

Whenever I want to stop, I imagine myself sitting down and enjoying a sandwich. I know this may sound a little crazy, but if you aren’t a foodie like me, replace the sandwich with whatever works. You will quickly see why the reward-based system works so well. Happy running!