The following was written by Karly Borden:
When I was in the midst of my 1-mile-a-day running streak several years after the start of my ED recovery, people couldn’t believe that I was using Intuitive Eating principles to help me show up each day.
(Intuitive Eating is a self-care eating framework, which integrates instinct, emotion, and rational thought. It’s super trendy right now, which is great when it’s conveyed in its entirety and intersectionality, and not so-great when it’s co-opted by noom-like players in diet industry. But I digress.)
Welp, here’s the truth: At the time, I was super sheepish about that streak. Historically, I had such a rigid relationship with exercise, and on paper a “run-every-day” sort of streak looks harsh. I was afraid of being perceived as severe, when actually my relationship with running had never been healthier. In fact, more than anything else, I realized that what I was practicing everyday was advocating for myself, my time, my energy, and my rest.
Right before I started the streak, I was constantly signing up for new races or running programs in an attempt to help me prioritize a daily practice of running, when what I actually wanted to do was to justprioritize a daily practice of running. And one that felt really good.
The thing that always got in the way: mostly me, displacing my desire to run in fear of being perceived as prioritizing exercise over everything (which I had done for years).
At first, a running streak sounded like a fun challenge, but I’ll be honest, I was terrified. My biggest fear was becoming obsessive, meticulous, and rigid, and becoming frustrated at the presence of those obsessive, meticulous, and rigid thoughts. How would I get myself to show up to a run on days I was unmotivated?
Do you think about that, too? That running requires 100% motivation and pure just-do-it energy, so if you don’t have that, then you’re not running?
TBH, this just sounds exhausting to me now. What I’ve learned is that it's impossible to will yourself into a feeling of motivation. Motivation isn't a feeling. Motivation is fleeting— and is often especially high at the beginning of a season.
But the real magic is learning how to kindly coach yourself into a workout or rest on any given day, without disembodying or relying on your Inner Critic to get you out of the door. (Seriously, you don’t have to pep yourself into becoming a golden retriever bouncing off the walls when they hear the leash every time you have a scheduled run that you “don’t feel motivated about.” Take a deep breath. You can let it be easy.)
So, I know it’s totally possible to run consistently in a kind way (and no, you don’t have to commit to a running streak.)
The way to do it? Prioritize your enjoyment, aka Training Principle #1, “Make your training funsize.”
Because conjuring up more discipline for every single
workout doesn’t actually work.
Because making a workout small enough helps you
to actually show up to it.
And because we want to repeat things that we enjoy.
I promise: a consistent running practice you enjoy is not as far away from you as you think.
*For more info on The Public Run Club, check out what Karly is doing in her online community. It isn’t just for runners or even aspiring runners. Karly shows us how to use intuitive exercise (whether running, ice-skating, dancing cha-cha or whatever), she re-frames how we think about REST, and she shows us how to re-establish what we thought we knew about exercise and caring for our bodies. If you’ve ever hoped to feel better about exercise, take a look at The Public Run Club website.