21 days later...

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the psychological theory that it takes 21 days to affect behavior change. So I decided to put it to the test. For the last 21 days I attempted to "change my running behavior" to get up in the morning and run before work, instead of trying to get my run in during the evening.

Running in the am would help me reduce my procrastination and undoubtedly help me be more consistent in my training. Thus eliminating the huge, gaping holes in my training during the week which gets met closer to my next Half or Marathon event goals. Sounds easy, right?

Here's where I netted out.....



During the tracking of my 21 days of running, I of course had lots of conflicts.
Work. Soccer practice. Kid's birthday parties. Soccer games. Football games. Kid's first day of school (x2). Back to school nite. And just life in general.

If I tracked a different 21 day period - would that make a difference? Probably not.

So I compared this time to my last marathon training and surprisingly, found I DID get out more consistently in the am for a run. What was the difference?

First, my treadmill was no longer an option for me - as it sputters and doesn't work so great anymore. So, gone was the option to run a few miles in the am or even late in the evening on the treadmill.
Second, the weather, while it was hot and humid, has cooperated recently and has provided a nice, fall running morning - mostly in the 40's and 50's.
Lastly, I knew I had to stick to the routine in order to make a difference.

So while I found some limited success, I still have not totally adapted the morning run -- but I think I'm on my way to some positive changes.

We'll see what the next 21 days brings and how I integrate the next 'running behavior change'

Keep running!