Top excuses for missing a run

♠ Posted by Paul Naylor at 11:55 AM

Every runner at some point in their training faces excuses to not run. This evening happens to very seasoned runners. So by finding yourself trying to think of a reason not to run, is completely normal. It happens to most of us, I mean; the thought of voluntarily putting yourself through pain for any amount of time is not a pleasant one. But does it happen too often? Do people not reach their running goals because they give in to excuses? I have heard one running say that he believes that half the runners in the world could qualify for Boston. But they find a reason not to workout, and then miss out on goals.

First off, running is not an easy at any level. It is hard, plain and simple. And when its not hard physically, its hard mentally. And that is when these'excuses' sound much, much better than running. But it is hard for all runners. I have talked with several friends of mine that are elite runners, and they tell me all the time, that they have wanted to quite either during a race, or during a workout. It happens.

But running is about overcoming these challenges. Its about making a goal, and working hard to achieve it, including overcoming the hurdles to that goal. And sometimes those hurdles are getting over our own excuses. There may be other hurdles, such as injuries, serious weather, race cancellations, etc.. But that is for a different day.

Excuses are a part of running, it comes with the territory. It usually doesn't work to pretend they don't occur, because they do. And if any runner states that they don't have excuses, they are LYING. There are ways to deal with running excuses, and I have listed them below, first it to acknowledge that they exist. Then, instead of given in, you learn to either deal or tolerate it, or come up with ways to handle it.

Below are some of the excuses runners come up with, click on the ones in light blue to read more;

Boredom

Sweating too much

Weather

I'm too tired/slept in

Aches

Working too much

No time for running today

Things got in the way

Race is a few weeks away, and I need to rest

Running is at same time as TV show

I'm too old for this

I'm afraid I'll get injured

Running partner did not show

I'm on vacation/traveling

Can't find shoes/haven't washed workout clothes

I'm just not motivated to run

I'll make up tomorrow for what I don't do today.