Many conversations. One common theme: Runners Guilt.
Yep, it’s a real thing. People of all shapes and sizes feel guilty for running. Whether you are a busy executive, a shift worker, a student, a stay at home parent or all of the above, runners guilt can stop you getting your running off the ground or keeping up your training routine.
“Why do I feel so guilty when I go for a run?”
It seems ridiculous saying this as a running coach and avid exerciser, but this is definitely something that I can relate to. I have noticed myself regularly feeling guilty just before a run. I keep delaying, telling myself that I don’t have time and that I should be working instead.
I have had to remind myself on more than one occasion that I’m a running coach so it is part of my job to experience running! But if I experience this guilt, how does the working parent – with two children – who is just starting their running journey, feel when they try to go for a run?
Guilty, as it turns out.
Gen is a former colleague of mine and when we met for coffee, we chatted about her running. She explained how she struggles to find time to run but also, that when she does have the time, she feels horrendously guilty. She is a mum of two young boys and works part time for a health charity. She doesn’t want to leave the kids and feels that she should be taking care of them, entertaining them, doing some work or one of a million other things that are on her mind. The end result? She bought a treadmill for the house, so she didn’t have to leave!
Parents are particularly susceptible to this type of guilt over exercise, however, they are not alone. Imagine the executive who feels guilty for taking one hour to get a sports massage every 6 months on her weary running legs, instead of being accessible on her phone, emails and to work pressures during that time.
Huge sections of society are experiencing this awful guilt related to their own running and there is one common word that we all say when describing that guilt:
“should"
You can insert any number of activities after this word:
…I should be working
…I should be playing with the kids
…I should be checking my emails
…I should be sorting out the house
…I should be saving money
The list goes on.
I don’t know about you, but I can always find something that I should be doing instead of exercising. In reality however, it comes back to what I personally prioritise each day. As a running coach, running is pretty high up on my list of priorities but it is certainly not always at the top. Some days it slips, when I decide to prioritise working, cleaning the kitchen, watching House of Cards and dealing with the dog. All the while I am thinking, “I should be running!” Oh the irony!
So how do I personally get over this?
For me, it is primarily about shifting my priorities slightly and making it feel ok to go for a run. I find that the single biggest help in achieving those is to plan my exercise, in the same way that I might plan a shopping list for the week or a to-do list for work. If you put it on the list, more often than not, it gets done with less guilt attached.
I have written previously about the value that I see in training plans that cater to your life and how they should work with your circumstances rather than against them. A well thought out training plan can also address the biggest excuse that we all use, lack of time.
“I should eat a decent breakfast…but I don’t have time.”
“I should go for a run…..but I don’t have time.”
Do me a favour and don’t let the “I should.” factor beat you!
Get planning your week to fit in a little guilt-free running time, even if it takes the help of a coach to plan your sessions or your week. Even just removing a couple of those barriers and adding a little extra accountability to a friend or coach can tip the balance in your favour. I certainly feel better even if I only do a 10 minute jog around the block with the dog. As an added bonus, I find that by adding in my run, I also get more done on my to-do list! That way I can feel less guilty about my work too! ;-)