Use the timeless principles of habit to finally make running stick.

The summer goal commercials start in February whether the message is to “get a bikini body” or the more enticing “get a burrito body.”

They overpromise: “this drug is far too powerful for someone with only ten lbs to lose” or frame as an opportunity “we have spots for six people who want to get in the best shape of their life.”

These offers prey on desire for a quick fix or some sort of inside knowledge to get ahead.

What happens next?

It happens to all of us. We start all in, racing towards our giant goal, then peter out when we can’t maintain that level of effort.

Everyone has heard the old adage “the secret is there is no secret.”

While it’s certainly not glamorous advice, it does tend to be true for most things whether you’re looking to improve your writing or athletic performance.

In terms of running, going all in by signing up for a marathon (from the couch) can do more harm than good.

The Power of Habit

The most important step you can take towards that pie in the sky goal is to change a habit and focus on outcomes you can control.

Bikini (and burrito) bodies don’t happen overnight. So instead of resolving to get your best bikini body ever or win the local 5k the thought instead would be to reframe your goal towards habits that support long term health. We’ve all heard the adage “it’s not a diet it’s a lifestyle change” so much that it that it sounds perfunctory and token. But what does that advice mean practically ?

Preserve and train your willpower

Studies have shown that we as individuals only have so much willpower. When you spend it, it’s gone.

So the answer is not to make constantly hard choices more times but to make the hard choice easier.

Talking about diet that means step one is to eliminate junk food in the house or avoid the break room at work. Personally, I know if I have my personal food weakness, cookie cake, at home, I will eat it all.

Habit is a muscle

This almost seems like it contradicts the first principle, but in fact, it is a simple reminder that what at first can seem like a hard choice will become easier.

Young children who were able to delay gratification by holding out for two marshmellows (versus the instant reward of one) turned into more successful disciplined adults.

For example, let’s say your goal is to train first thing in the morning. Every week you accomplish this goal it makes it easier to continue the following week. And every week you give in to snooze you are backsliding, not only on keeping up with your routine but on your habit muscle in general.

Keep it sustainable

The problem with crazy strict diets, cleanses or other programs that allow no margin of error is that it only takes one thing to upset the whole regimen. Who can ever enjoy going out to dinner if the rule is to never eat any carbs? Who will ever stick to a training plan if the plan is so rigid it doesn’t allow for the occasional group training opportunity or casual session? If your goal is to be fit, fast, and strong for longer just one singular moment in time, then you can’t be so rigid that it’s game over when you occasionally slip as all humans will.

Call in reinforcements

People often tell me how training doesn’t fit into their lifestyle and their friends think they’re weird for choosing an early morning bike ride over a late night out. I’m not going to say the answer is to get new friends or never go out because I think part of principle three, sustainability, is to include a little bit of everything in life. However, you will have a much easier time if you actually like the people you are planning to meet up with for that early morning ride. You will be more likely to show up to swim if you have a group that will ask where you were when you don’t show up. And you will be more likely to get in those long runs if you at least have an occasional buddy to meet.

Now, let’s talk more specifically about how to make training, particularly running, a habit.

How to make running a habit

Get in the habit of swimming, biking, and running regularly over a long period of time, is the best way to build up aerobic fitness prior to specific training before the event. If you have a coach individually or as part of a training group, they can best advise you on your “low hanging fruit” or best area of opportunity to pursue before your race-specific plan starts.

If you’re brand new to one of the sports, then start learning the skills needed to perform that sport. For running you will want to do some basic strength and flexibility training.

Above all, you will get in the habit of exercising most days of the week. That way you’ll be prepared to maximize the time when your official training plan starts.

How Much Time Do I Need to Train Weekly?

If you allot 30 to 45 minutes per workout, five days a week, you should be able to train for and complete a sprint triathlon.

Get in the habit of swimming, biking, and running regularly to build up aerobic fitness prior to specific training before the event. If you have a coach individually or as part of a training group, they can best advise you on your “low hanging fruit” or best area of opportunity to pursue before your race-specific plan starts.

If you’re brand new to one of the sports, then start learning the skills needed to perform that sport, especially if it’s swimming. Above all, you will get in the habit of training in at least one of the sports most days of the week. That way you’ll be prepared to maximize the time when your official training plan starts.

See: Nail your 5k training plan

Short Runs are Everything

High frequency leads to increased durability, which makes you more resistant to injury and better able to hold pace and form at the end of the race. A triathlete only running a few times per week can reap benefits by gradually increasing to 5–6 runs.

One benefit of upping the frequency of your runs is that it helps you build muscular endurance while allowing you to take some of the emphasis off of very long runs (like those 20-milers before an Ironman). Avoiding the steep recovery cost of lots of super-long weekend runs will allow you to focus on adding in more quality down the road while avoiding injuries.

One potential downside to frequency is the transition time (driving, showering) required by adding in additional workouts, but this can be alleviated by making many of your workouts bricks. Also, you still need to find the balance between quality and quantity. If you’ve fallen into the trap of doing all your workouts hard, then running daily will force you to nix that habit.

How to: Start by dividing your current volume into more runs before adding in additional time. For triathletes running 20-plus miles per week already, increasing frequency can simply mean dividing your current weekly mileage into five or six runs instead of 2–3 runs. This may mean you have a lot of 20–30 minute runs, but the focus is on frequency—the small stuff adds up.

See: How to improve your running

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Need a beginner 5k training plan to get started? Be sure to grab a copy. Just click below and tell me where to send it.

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Now it’s your turn

What are your best tips for making running a habit? How do you get and stay motivated to run? I’d love to hear! Please leave me a comment below.

Your roadmap to training in running and beyond…

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More help for your running journey:

• Ultimate Guide: How to start cycling
• Find your runner personality [ to go faster]
• Top 4 worst new runner mistakes
• How does Garmin race predictor work?
• The real deal on getting back in shape after baby
• How to [really] improve your running

Need inspo?

Here are a few more ideas on making running a habit: