If your enthusiasm for running is starting to wane, you need help from the experts.
The ASICS PRO team of independent fitness consultants have the following advice to get you back in your running shoes.
1. Forget about speed and targets: Concentrate on enjoying your running. Use your training to also escape stresses and strains of daily life and give yourself some personal time. Do not get stressed about your running, rather use it to be free and relaxed.
2. Vary your running routes: Use running to explore your local environment, or discover new areas when you're away from your usual patch. Pounding a new set of streets helps avoid monotony.
3. Introduce new challenges: Vary your training to ensure your running does not become repetitive or boring. Include hill training, interval training, fartlek and tempo runs into your workouts. This way you'll continue to see fitness improvements as you push your body beyond its comfort zones.
4. Try morning workouts: Exercising in the morning has extra benefits as it wakes you up and boosts your body to release the happy hormones which lift your mood and make you feel good. According to ASICS research, 66% of morning exercisers feel less stressed at work and 59% feel refreshed for the day ahead.
5. Use the S.M.A.R.T method: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-targeted. Break your overall goal down into smaller ones, as continually achieving milestones will keep you motivated and focused with your training.
6. Get a running buddy: Run with a friend so you can encourage and motivate each other. This is really good for helping you stick to your training and achieve your goals, as you can help each other through tough patches. It also provides a social side to your running.
Running motivation tips from Olympics hopeful Joey Duck
The health benefits of running should help get you back on the road
Boost your motivation with the 20 reasons why Zest readers love running
