No time, busted gear, Cleveland weather, BLAH BLAH BLAH — Stop the excuses and improve your runs

  I’m sure you’ve already made your 2010 resolutions, but I’d like to urge you to add one more: Make 2010 the year of no excuses. As Nike says, “Just do it!”

I could use this advice myself. I woke up this morning to a cold and rainy day. I don’t mind the cold or the rain, but mix them together and I lose my motivation.

I managed to get out the door, and wouldn’t you know it, it was a wonderful run. I didn’t notice the rain or the cold. I did, however, noticed the lack of Saturday-morning traffic, my relaxed breath, the freedom from my hectic full-time mom gig, some kindred squirrels and the beautiful, shiny pavement along the way.

That’s always how it goes. No matter what the excuse, if I make it out the door, I am never disappointed.

I asked several runners for their top excuses for missing a run. Just like me, many cited the weather. Other excuses included the track was closed or the GPS wouldn’t start up. The top excuse: not having enough time. Below are common excuses that keep us from getting in a scheduled run and tactics for erasing those excuses.

Weather

It’s too cold. It’s too rainy. It’s too hot. For weather-related excuses, realize the only weather occurrences that should keep you indoors are lightning storms, dangerously high winds and significant ice accumulation on the roads. If personal safety is an issue, don’t go.

If it’s simply a matter of comfort, weather should never be an excuse. You’ll likely find that rain, mugginess or even blizzards provide backdrops to some of your most enjoyable runs.

The key is dressing appropriately. If it’s raining (or snowing hard), wear a cap with a brim to keep the precipitation out of your eyes. If it’s cold and raining, wear knee- or capri-length tights. If it’s cold, layer the wicking fabrics and invest in a pair of mittens as they’re much warmer than gloves.

When it’s hot, wear as little clothing as possible, stay out of the sun, hydrate regularly and expect to be slower than usual. Always remember that once you get out there, you probably will be pleasantly surprised.

Closed track

This happens to every runner at some point. You’re psyched for a killer track workout, but when you pull into the high school parking lot, you find adolescent tuba players marching all over the lanes. You mutter profanities as you head back to the car, giving up and hoping to try again tomorrow.

If you don’t have a track, change your intervals to a fartlek. You will not have the precise data of a track workout, but you will get the work in.

If you’re workout was 8 x 800 at 5K pace with 400 jogged recovery and you’re 5K pace is a 7-minute mile, then the corresponding fartlek would be 8 x 3:30 at 5K effort with 2:30 jogged recoveries in between.

Broken watch

Another common mishap, you hit the park for a tempo run, strap on your GPS and hit power, only for the screen to stare blankly back at you. “I swear I charged this thing,” you proclaim, exasperated.

If you’re GPS or your watch is on the fritz, you can run by feel. If you have a course that you know is roughly the length of your tempo run, run it at what feels like tempo effort.

If you really need the data, be resourceful. Once I used my cell phone to time my tempo. I looked like an idiot running with an open flip-phone, but it worked.

When it comes to each run, it’s the work put in that matters. The data is there for our egos and will be there next time. Never let the closed track or the broken watch be an excuse again.

Not enough time

Between work, home, family and friends, it’s amazing we get as much done as we do. Add in training, and one has to wonder when there is time to sleep?

A quick fix for many professionals is to squeeze in a run during lunchtime. If you don’t have access to a shower (or can’t be resourceful in doing without one), try splitting your runs. If you’re scheduled for 10 miles, it may be more feasible to run 6 miles in the morning and 4 miles after work.

If you’re concerned about time away from your children, there are several options to alleviate stress. For little children, jogging strollers are a godsend. I ran about half my mileage during my last marathon training cycle with my son in tow. He relaxed in the fresh air while I logged my miles.

For two kids, try a double stroller. Weather shields can help you run with your tots even in early and late winter. Older kids may be able to ride a bike along with you or even join in the running.

Laura Pizmoht began running in 2004 and has since made a name for herself in the Cleveland-area racing circuit, most recently winning the Towpath Marathon. She is taking a break from her career as a tax attorney to raise her 1-year old and  is anticipating the birth of her second child.

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