6 tricks to convince yourself to go running when you really don’t want to, from an Ivy League cross-country team

Jackie Katzman/ Business Insider

Members of the Cornell women’s cross-country team complete a workout together.

We’ve all been there.

You promise yourself you’re going to go on a run that day, but as the hours pass by, it becomes more and more difficult to lace up your shoes and get out the door.

Luckily, you’re not alone. Even the most elite athletes feel this way from time to time.

I run for Cornell University, and I recently asked my teammates to share the mental tricks that they use to help them log thousands of miles every year. Here’s what we had to say.

Play mental games with yourself

“I tell myself, ‘It’s only x minutes out and x minutes back, that’s it!’ So if it were a 40 minute run, I’d plug in 20 for the x’s. It makes it seem like two short runs in my head and much more manageable.” — A.K.

“The sooner you start, the sooner you finish.” — M.L.

“I remind myself that the run is only x minutes out of 24 hours in a day.” — J.K.

“Sometimes I tell myself that I’ll do a way shorter run than I was supposed to do/was planning to do. Once I start, I always end up doing the full thing, but it tricks me into putting on my shoes and getting out the door!” — K.O.

Run in the morning

“If I can, I try and run before work in the morning. I would hate to wake up early to an alarm for no reason. This alone is great motivation.” — name withheld

“If I run in the morning I don’t even think about it. I just do it.” — J.K.

“Running before work is nice because then I have so many free hours later in the day!” — name withheld

Focus on the future benefits

“I like to think of how I would feel about myself months down the road if I didn’t put in the effort today.” — D.C.

“I remind myself that the feeling of accomplishment and bliss after a run will far outweigh any pre-run dread. I also like to think about the reasons why I run. I think about all my teammates who are also training for cross-country season in places around the country and that makes me want to get out there, too!” — O.Y.

“I promise myself a really good snack if I go running, because I love food.” — R.I.

“I just tell myself that no matter how bad I feel rolling out of bed, I know I will feel 100 times better after I conquer my run.” — C.M.

“A run provides time to explore the beautiful world around me, reflect on important things, catch up with friends, and practice overcoming challenges. If I can get all that in as little as 30 minutes, is there really anything I’d rather do? Oftentimes not.” — K.S.

Focus on the future benefits

“I like to think of how I would feel about myself months down the road if I didn’t put in the effort today.” — D.C.

“I remind myself that the feeling of accomplishment and bliss after a run will far outweigh any pre-run dread. I also like to think about the reasons why I run. I think about all my teammates who are also training for cross-country season in places around the country and that makes me want to get out there, too!” — O.Y.

“I promise myself a really good snack if I go running, because I love food.” — R.I.

“I just tell myself that no matter how bad I feel rolling out of bed, I know I will feel 100 times better after I conquer my run.” — C.M.

“A run provides time to explore the beautiful world around me, reflect on important things, catch up with friends, and practice overcoming challenges. If I can get all that in as little as 30 minutes, is there really anything I’d rather do? Oftentimes not.” — K.S.

Just start

“If you keep telling yourself, ‘The first 10 minutes are always the hardest,’ it gets better.” — M.L.

“I remind myself that while the first five minutes will be miserable, the mood boost afterwards will enhance the rest of my day.” — A.C.

Be thankful for the ability to be able to run at all

“As someone who has been injured, I remember how much I missed running when I was unable to run.” — O.Y.

“I think about times when I have been injured and unable to run and how unhappy I was. I remind myself that running is a privilege and that they are so many people who aren’t able to do it.” — R.I.

“I think about the people who physically can’t run who would probably give anything in the world to be able to run for even just a few minutes. It reminds me how lucky I am to even have the ability to be physically active.” — A.B.

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