Running is not a punishment
Before you start running, you should take a moment to reflect on your attitude and motivation – why are you interested in this activity? The most important thing is that you don’t consider exercise in general and running in particular as a form of punishment. Instead, exercise can be a physical and mental reward, a hobby that will be very good for you in the long term. Framing things positively always boosts your motivation.
There is no single perfect time to run
I personally like to run after work because it helps me feel good and clear my head after a stressful day. But everyone has to find their own rhythm and best time for running. Whenever you just feel like running – that’s the right time. If you notice that your body isn’t physically ready for exercise first thing in the morning, then you should probably run in the evenings instead. There’s no point in dragging yourself out of bed and into your running shoes and forcing yourself to do a few laps. Your motivation will evaporate before you even make it out the door.
Variety can be motivating
Every now and then it’s good to vary your normal route, take a detour to the right or left, or even try a completely new path. That will make your run much more interesting, because you don’t know what’s coming around the next corner. On the other hand, many runners like sticking to the same route because they always know exactly where they are at each point, and can check to see how much time they needed and if they’ve gotten any faster. This form of competing against yourself is also very motivating for many people.