How to Get the Running Habit Building a sustainable running practice presents us with a fascinating paradox. Research reveals that approximately 25% of recreational runners develop symptoms of exercise addiction, a psychological dependency where running shifts from a health-promoting behaviour into a compulsion that damages physical wellbeing and quality of life [6] [15]. Yet the very commitment and consistency we seek in establishing a running routine mirrors this same inten

When we think about our habits in sport, we might feel that they are routine behaviours we do without thinking or paying much attention to what we are doing, but goals always seem so purposive. For example, if we were going to clean the kitchen, we might say that we are going to clean the kitchen for two hours and then have lunch. What if I cleaned the kitchen thoroughly every Saturday as a habit? Would I still consider it a goal? What if I were working on Saturdays for three