I Used Stickers to Motivate Myself to Run, Then Running Became Its Own Reward
At first, in 2023, when I started to train more seriously, I hated running. Hate is a strong word, I know. In fact, reluctant and anxious are more appropriate terms for how I felt. My reluctant anxiety was, I think, born from self-consciousness. I’m slow. I don’t “look like a runner,” and I lost my breath as soon as I ran just a few feet.
Nevertheless, even when I only ran 30-second intervals in between walks, the high-intensity movement always paid off. I felt happy and hopeful, and never regretted getting out on the road. In the beginning, though, I had to play some mind games with myself to overcome my self-doubt. My mind told me *not* to run because of my age and self-judgment, so I had to trick myself to get out there anyway.
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“Rewarding yourself for running is a big aspect of success,” says Alysha Whitney, a Saint Paul, Minnesota, RRCA- and UESCA-certified run coach, cohost of the Rise and Run podcast, and runner training for her 10th marathon. Whitney, for example, has rewarded herself in numerous ways for long runs, including a doughnut, a special meal, or even shoes if it’s time for a new pair. Cat Bowen, senior commerce editor for Runner’s World, rewards herself with froyo after a long run. “It’s delicious and if I do it eight times, the ninth is free,” Bowen says. “It’s like a double reward!”
For me, the cheapest and most immediately gratifying reward was all sorts of stickers. I bought runDisney training and race stickers on eBay to put in my planner and calendar-based stickers from Target to use on the training plans I stuck on my refrigerator.
Turns out, I’m not the only runner who needs visual affirmations to move toward success. Whitney encourages her clients to use stickers on their plans, and Pavlina Černá, senior features editor and RRCA-certified run coach, has found she “sticks to a training plan so much better when I can physically check off every workout,” Černá says. “I print it out for my fridge, and then immediately go and circle the workout when finished. It’s something that doesn’t work for me with the apps. If I don’t do a workout that’s on there, I somehow don’t care.”
Research supports our shared experience. According to the journal Learning and Instruction, “extrinsic rewards can help set in motion the positive feedback loop of internally rewarding learning processes, particularly for learners who are initially unmotivated.”
In fact, at some point those stickers didn’t matter so much anymore. I started to enjoy running more than the actual stickers because my long-buried intrinsic desire to run had kicked in.
Struck by this natural transformation, I dug into the science and learned that three things had likely boosted my intrinsic motivation to keep running: autonomy, relatedness, and competence.
While I probably don’t have to tell you what extrinsic reward would work for you, here are three ways to nurture your own intrinsic motivation:
1. Keep Your Training Plan Flexible
We are all going to miss or skip a few workouts on our plan, and, for perfectionists, that can lead to completely giving up a plan or goal, according to research. Remember, your training plan is a tool just like your running shoes and water bottle, so you can adjust it as you see fit.
“Runners should adjust their training schedules to meet their individual needs, as well as to make the run the most enjoyable that it can be,” Whitney says. “You have to reach specific mileage to reach certain goals, but what fun is the journey of running if you aren’t able to adjust a plan to your preferences?”
To make training plan adjustments successfully, don’t necessarily try to make up for the missed run. If you can get out and do a walk, some miles on your feet are better than none. You don’t want to end up with too many hard or long runs back-to-back, as that can lead to injury. Instead, try to cut yourself some slack about what you missed and hop right back aboard the train with the next scheduled run, says Whitney.
2. Find Your People
This was a real and true turning point for me. Even though I don’t have a Disney race in my near future, I have always loved the runDisney community, and through their various Facebook groups and Instagram posts, I found out about a run near where I live that other run/walkers like me will attend. Wanting to run in person with people I still only know virtually meant I had to find another training plan to reach a new goal.
“The running community becomes one of the top reasons we keep coming back time and time again to running,” says Whitney. “No matter if you are a novice runner or an elite runner, we can all relate to the struggles and wins that are unique to the sport of running.”
Finding my people gave me another reason to train. Rather than posting to the entire world, which is not always supportive, find a safe space, such as a Facebook group or local run group, that will support you.
Or, consider finding a coach with whom you can check in. “Consistent communication ultimately helps to get the run done,” says Whitney.
3. Notice Your Improvements!
At 62, I’m not going to get much faster or go much farther than I do today, but that doesn’t mean I’m not getting “better.” For example, over the last few months, my knee pain has eased significantly because of my consistent strength training and mobility work. All of this makes me a “better” runner even though, again, I’m not faster and I haven’t (yet) tackled a marathon.
“We can feel like a competent runner by immersing ourselves in the sport, because each run has the potential to teach us something new,” says Whitney. “Growing our knowledge base by listening to running podcasts, reading articles and books, and talking with other runners will help us notice the ways we are improving and the things we understand.”
Recognize That Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation Work Together
“Throughout our careers as runners, our use of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation will ebb and flow,” Whitney says. “We start out motivated by rewards and medals, but then have rewards for our intrinsic motivation, such as learning and growing, but sometimes we have to go back to the rewards when our inner desire fades. That’s not a bad thing and when it happens, it’s better to embrace it.”
This also turned out to be true.
I had a couple of good weeks of running, and then a heat wave interrupted my training. Worried I would lose my rhythm, I stuck my training plans back on the fridge and put a “hugs and kisses” sticker right on the first speed run I completed once the weather had cooled.
I had only missed a couple of runs and was back on the training plan that will get me ready for the upcoming race with my friends.
Donna Raskin has had a long career as a health and fitness writer and editor of books and magazine articles. A certified run coach who has practiced yoga for many years, she also loves to lift weights, dance, and go for long walks with her hound dog, Dolly.