10 Ways to Build a Running Habit
To build a running habit you need to understand the ‘habit loop’.
Habit formation isn’t always easy. A lot of us have our own day-to-day routines that we are comfortable with. This can make changes or additions a challenge. Creating new habits can be done however and if you want to create a habit of running, we are here to help.
To start, we need to explain what the neurological process of habit formation involves. Researchers call this the ‘habit loop’. The ‘habit loop’, consists of three parts: A cue, a routine and a reward. A cue is any trigger that tells your mind it is time to act out a certain behaviour; a routine is the actual behaviour that is acted out; and a reward is something that your brain likes and associates with the behaviour.
For our running habit to effectively form, we need to keep these elements in mind so that we can identify the cues that will trigger the behaviour of running, and the rewards that our brains can associate with this behaviour.
Now that you understand what makes up a habit, here are 10 cues and rewards that will help you to build a running habit and make that habit stick:
Cues:
1. Find space in your routine
This is important. We all have routines - things we need to do, things we want to do, and things we just well…. do. Amongst all of these things, we need to find space for our running. Without space, there won’t be a behaviour to cue.
Have a look at your daily routine and see where there could be space for running. Maybe it is in the morning before work, maybe it is at lunch, or maybe it is at the end of the day. You might have to make little changes for this to work - wake earlier, bring running clothes to work, miss a tv episode - whatever it may be, when you do find a space in your routine that can be filled with running, then register that in your mind and start to set up your cues around this space.
Setting up cues that initiate your running behaviour is critical to habit formation.
2. Utilise your calendar
When you have a training plan, take the time to book the dates, times, and session details into your work or personal calendar. In habit building, it is effective to have a pattern for your running behaviour, where you train at similar times of the day or days of the week. In the British Journal of General Practice article, ‘Making Health Habitual’, Dr. Benjamin Gardner highlights the importance of consistency in creating a lasting habit. That is something your calendar can help you with.
By finding a pattern for your training that works for you, you can plan ahead, put dates in your calendar, and set up reminders the day before or an hour before you run to cue your running behaviour and imbed your habit.
Book your sessions in and get them done.
3. Get your running clothes ready
What better way to cue your running than by having your running trainers, shorts and top beside you when you wake up or waiting for you when you get home from work?
Some of us connect with visible cues the most and by having your running gear ready ahead of a run you provide yourself with both a visual cue and a time hack that can encourage you to start moving more. If you can add setting out or packing your running clothes into your nighttime routine, then you will give yourself a great chance of running the next day.
Get it ready and get yourself moving.
4. Find an accountability buddy
This is something we can't recommend enough. If you have someone to check in with your training (preferably do it with you) and keep you accountable, then you have a powerful asset in running and habit formation.
An ideal candidate for this role is someone who is in the habit of running themselves. That way, they know when to check-in and how to help you to imbed running into your routine. An accountability buddy can cue your behaviour by calling, texting, checking in, or physically bringing you out for a run. You can even share your training calendar with them so they know when you are due to do your sessions!
No one wants to let down their buddy, so in this case, we run.
5. Get social
Getting social online is a great way to set up regular cues and reminders to start running.
Join some online running communities, follow some cool pages, and start to use social media to be inspired to achieve your running goals. It means that when you are having a casual scroll on Twitter, TikTok, or Instagram, that you will see content that reminds you of your training and encourages you to go for your runs.
Let social media work in your favour and help you to build your running habit.
Rewards:
6. Define your ‘why’
Our first tip for building a running habit is for you to think about your ‘why’. We all have a reason for running. It is the thing that gets us started, keeps us going, pushes us on the tough days, and brings a smile to our face on the good days. We recommend that you take some time to think about it, write it down somewhere, and define it.
Your running is the behaviour, and your ‘why’ can be your constant reward. Every time you leave your house for a run you are rewarding your ‘why’. That is what makes it the ultimate reward in habit formation.
7. Set a goal
Having something to aim for helps us to stay motivated and give training our all. Working towards and achieving a goal can be hugely rewarding and is something that can play a significant role in the formation of our habits.
Think about some running goals that you would like to work towards. Maybe it is to run your first 5k or to run for 30 minutes without stopping. Whatever it is, define your reason, set a timeline, and create a plan.
With your goal set, you can continue to reward yourself with progression towards it and eventually with achieving it.
Running with friends is a great way of building a running habit.
8. Run with friends
If you have friends who also run, why not use running as your catch up time?
We talked before about some of the benefits of running with groups and how it can help you to enjoy running that bit more. The cool thing is that when we enjoy running in certain environments, like running with a friend, our brain builds connections between those environments, that behaviour, and that rewarding feeling of connection. This can help you to build a healthy habit for you and your friends.
9. Run time is content time
If you enjoy listening to music, podcasts, or audiobooks, then maybe you can designate your runs as the time you consume them.
As we said at the beginning, a large part of building a habit is rewards. That is because rewards give us an incentive to repeat an action. If you look forward to your content, and have combined content and running time, you will start to feel incentivised to run and begin to enjoy it more.
Something like this can help you to build a strong habit loop and run more regularly than ever before!
10. Have a post-run treat
Sometimes your rewards can be simple things. It can be your way of ‘earning’ or just enjoying little treats more, whether it be a square or two or chocolate, an episode of something, or a nice drink. Maybe that is what you use to reward yourself after good runs and your mind will make a connection between your treat craving and running
If you could have desire for a treat as a cue, running as the behaviour, and that treat as your reward, then your habit will have a pretty good chance of sticking!
Habit formation isn’t always easy. A lot of us have our own day-to-day routines that we are comfortable with. That can make changes or additions a challenge. Creating new habits can be done however and by understanding the ‘habit loop’ and by finding cues and rewards that work for you, you can make a habit of running and make that habit stick.
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