Winter Running: How to Stay Motivated (and a Little Training Update!)

It’s dark in the morning, dark in the evening and don’t even get me started on the drizzle. Winter running is no one’s favourite, but this year it’s important I keep on running (more on that in a mo) so here are my winter running motivational tips!

#1 – Go Shopping for New Kit

I always suggest this as the first form of motivation for winter running. It sounds silly, but even just a new pair of socks can be a nice treat to persuade myself to go out. If you’ve not invested, it could be a good time to invest in some brighter running gear so you can run safe this winter. Or maybe you could ask Santa for that new running watch you want…

#2 – Find Yourself a Crew

I’ve not run a lot with my group this year, but when I have it has helped my motivation a lot. I did my first winter run with them the other week, it was quite nice to be out in the dark with people. Another thing I have done a lot of is run with friends or Dr W. Having some company on a run really does keep you motivated. It’s great for easy runs as these need to be chatty and you can keep an eye on your ‘chatty levels’ if you’re running with another person.

#3 – The Run Commute

I’ve banged on about this in a separate post about run commuting. But whilst it may not be my favourite type of run at all, it means I get the job done. There’s no walk home from the station coupled with motivating myself to go back out in the dark. I can just get home, shower and put my PJs straight on. Chilling out knowing my run is done!