Becoming a runner isn’t the easiest thing to do. It requires inspiration, dedication and perspiration — things that can be difficult to drum up every single day. In an ideal world, you would only need yourself as motivation, but we don’t live in an ideal world, and that’s easier said than done. There will be days when you might kind of want to go running, but your heart isn’t fully in it. For those days when you need a little boost to get going, try these tools that to make running easier than ever.
Couch to 5K
Amazing for beginning runners and people who might want to start running but aren’t sure how. This app gradually introduces you to running by alternating running with walking on timed intervals, adding a little distance each week until you’ve reached 5K. It’s so easy, you have to try it!
Half-marathon Trainer
Like ‘Couch to 5K’ on steroids. It’s the same concept, as you alternate running with walking on timed intervals. But this program bumps up the challenge, increasing distance and the time you spend running at a much faster rate. It’s great for runners looking for new goals.
SELF Magazine’s #6WeekstoSummer Challenge
You’ll burn calories and build strength with this fitness challenge. Sign up and you’ll receive tons of workouts and a calendar that tells you when to do them all. No planning or scheduling necessary, because they’ve done it all for you!
MapMyRun
Much like its title describes, this website and app is great for mapping out your running routes ahead of time to help with planning your workout. If you’re not really the planning type, use the app with GPS and it’ll track your route as you run. It also has a number of additional features to help with goal-setting and food tracking if you want to eat healthier.
My Fitness Pal
People love this app for making it easy to keep track of their diet. But you can also use it for logging workouts! It’s great for helping you figure out how much pizza you can eat after you run.
The Weather Channel app
The 15-minute updates and the hourly function on ‘The Weather Channel’ app will help you figure out whether you have enough time to cram in a quick jog before that thunderstorm hits.
Health (for iPhone users)
Track your fitness level, nutrition, reproductive health, sleep and more with this surprisingly useful app. It also provides a pedometer to track your steps (your daily goal should be about 10,000 steps) and can sync with the Nike+ Running app to track your health holistically.
Nike+ Running
Use this app to create challenges amongst your friends or join challenges, which adds a little competitive edge that’ll motivate you to do your best. iPhone users can also sync Nike+ with the Health app to track how their running is impacting their body. Orange is the New Black’s Danielle Brooks seems to like it!
With these tools and some motivating music, running will be easy as pie. You’ll never have an excuse for not going on a run again.