Hey there and greetings from Vermont! 

I’m glad that you joined me today for our little discussion about why it’s so hard to start running again. This is for beginner runners and those of you coming back to the sport after an injury.

There’s a myth in the running community that says, “All you need is a pair of sneakers and you can get started, it’s easy peasy.”

I’m going to shed some light on why you may be finding it a challenge. I’ve had to reclaim my running habits a few times due to injuries and know how frustrating it can be and sometimes you end up feeling almost like a failure. It is actually a sport based on failure because you have to get to exhaustion to make it to the next level or to improve on your time and/or distance.

When returning to running, it’s often a real challenge. I see a cycle over and over again where people start by being super motivated and energized, and then all of a sudden, training falls off the radar again. That doesn’t always feel good. If you’re seriously looking to get back into your running and make it feel super fun again, I just want to shed some light on what’s happening.In the running world, it’s really super easy to find training programs, training information, how to eat, how to dress. These are what I call the external or Outer Game things. It’s all based on logistics and very factual information. That stuff is super easy, so most times, people think,  ‘I have my shoes, I have my outfit, I have all my stuff, my gear, I have my training plan, I put it on my calendar…’ and then something happens and they get off track. What people aren’t telling you and sharing, and I’ve made it my mission to share this with folks, is the Inner Game of running.

This is where you can get some clarity, and I hope you find this helpful. If you are feeling frustrated, feeling like a failure getting back into your running program or starting your program and it hasn’t gone so smoothly, here’s what’s happening. There’s what I call the inner game. When you get frustrated, it’s because something gets in the way. Nobody tells you how to say no to people that you love. Nobody tells you how to put the time into your schedule and really stick to it. Nobody tells you how to deal with the emotional guilt of skipping a day or the emotional fear of an injury starting to crop up and you’re not sure if you should run through it or if you should listen to your body. This is what I call that inner game, this dialogue of when things start to get a little bit iffy, how do you deal with that?

When you get frustrated, it’s because of an Inner Game Conflict. Nobody tells you how to say no to people that you love. Nobody tells you how to put the time into your schedule and really stick to it. Nobody tells you how to deal with the emotional guilt of skipping a day or the emotional fear of an injury starting to crop up and you’re not sure if you should run through it or if you should listen to your body. This is what I call that Inner Game.

I hope you found this helpful and it can shed some light on why you’re feeling frustrated and why it’s so difficult to get started. If you have all the components in place for your Outer Game, your logistics, and things, now it’s time to start thinking about your Inner Game, and I want you to think about why you’re doing it, why you’re committing to it. What is that motivating drive? I want you to hang onto that when things get difficult, and if you need support getting through this phase, don’t hesitate to reach out to me.Thanks for joining me on today’s video blog, and I look forward to seeing you again soon. Take care!

If you resonate with this, please reach out and let me know. I’d love to hear from you! 

Email me: Sarah@RiseAndShine.Run