Proven Strategies to Get or Stay Motivated to Train
One of the biggest challenges for busy middle age runners is staying motivated when they’re dealing with a minor injury or discomfort or simply getting motivated to run when they’ve been injured and it’s been a while since they were regularly running.
The following article gives some tips that may help…
GREATIST – 6 Tips for Getting Back Into Running (When You Really Don’t Want To) 
Thank you to Greatist writer, Deanna Bebara, for inviting Dr. Michael K. Ryan to provide his insight for her article – 6 Tips for Getting Back Into Running (When You Really Don’t Want To). The article published Thursday, October 25, 2018 on Greatist.com.
Written by DeAnna Bebara
A few years ago, I would have told you that running was kind of my “thing.” From 2011 to 2016, as Forrest Gump so eloquently put it, “if I was going somewhere, I was running.” In those years, I racked up an impressive amount of miles, including a full marathon, about a dozen half marathons, countless 10ks and 5ks, and a Ragnar Relay.
And I loved it. Like head-over-heels, butterflies-in-the-stomach loved it.
But that’s not the way I feel today. Somewhere between the major life changes I’ve experienced over the past few years (including buying a house, moving to a new state, launching a business, getting engaged, planning a wedding, and tying the knot), I have officially fallen off the running bandwagon—and fallen out of love with running.
Tip & quote from Dr. Michael K. Ryan
1. Start slow.
In your quest to fall head over heels with running again, you might be tempted to hit the ground running (literally), but nothing will kill your rekindled love affair quicker than an injury. So make sure to start slow.
“Engaging in any athletic activity in a high-strain or vigorous manner without proper acclimatization can ultimately lead to injury,” says Michael Ryan, orthopaedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist at Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center. “Returning to running requires consistent and graduated training to allow the body to respond.”
