The whole “Rise and Shine” thing doesn’t come easy when the mornings are dark and your warm bed feels much more appealing than the cold air that you know will greet you as soon as your quilt is removed…
The daylight saving days are now behind us but that shouldn’t stop you from moving out the door for some early training even before the sun rises. Getting yourself moving in the morning is one of the most energising things you can do to start a day (yep on par with that morning coffee!). As winter starts to appear and motivation inevitably starts to hit a wall, here are three tips to keep yourself on track!
Set a Goal
Winter fortunately means running events are on almost every weekend! This ranges from local Parkruns to larger more competitive events. A quick search on Google will come up with a schedule for your local area encompassing all distances which are great for setting goals and watching your progress! Some of my personal favourites around Sydney are: Manly Scenic Fun Run (May); Cooks River Fun Run (June); Sydney Running Festival (September) and of course the City2Surf (August).
Find a Friend
It’s much harder to avoid a training session when you have a friend counting on seeing you there (and likely to send a text asking why you’re not there!). This means getting out of bed is just that little bit easier! Try and find a local training group, or link up with someone of a similar ability to regularly meet up and keep yourselves moving over the cooler months!
Reward Yourself
This can be as simple as a trip to the local café for a post exercise coffee – BUT I think it is more rewarding when you set yourself a goal and once achieved reward yourself with some new running gear!
So here’s hoping 2017 brings a winter where the running paths stay busy!
See you out there!
By Emily Kempson.
