The first Wednesday of each month, the Deb from Deb Runs will be providing a word about which to blog. Kind of like a nice little blog prompt. Posts can be fitness or health related, but don’t have to be, so really anyone can play along. Just be sure to link up with InLinkz on Deb’s main post, and share the love by reading and commenting on other’s participant’s posts.

This week’s word is DERAIL.

So what does the word mean?

 to cause to be deflected from a purpose or direction, permanently or temporarily

What can derail your running?

• Weather

Especially if you live in an area where there is ice and snow all winter or in an area where it is too hot or humid to run all summer.

• Health

It’s no fun running with a cold, the flu or a fever.

• Time Commitments

Work, family and other important things can get in the way of you getting out there to run. Sometimes it may even be impossible to run under these conditions.

• Overuse Injuries

These are the aches and pains that you caused by too many or too frequent runs and they keep you out of commission for several days or weeks.

• Serious Injuries

These are broken bones or surgeries that could possibly end your running.

The things mentioned above are out of your control. You have to accept them and move on.

But there are many excuses that derail a runner but should NOT:

• Too busy.

Prioritize things.  Make a schedule. Be creative. Fit it in anytime of day.  You know, before work, at lunch, after work, etc.

• Too tired.

Getting out there is the hardest part.  You’d be surprised that after a run, you have more energy than before.

• No place to run.

Again be creative.  Look for bike paths.  Ask other runners.  Use a treadmill in a gym.

• No running partner.

Try social networking venues to find someone to run with.  Sign up for races.  You may find a partner there.  Join a local running group.

• Not enough money to race often.

Be selective about the races you do run.  Look for race entry give-aways.  And not every runner has to run a lot of races. Do a “virtual” race.

• Too slow.

As they say “you are lapping those on the couch.”  No one is too slow to be a runner.  Your pace is your pace.

• A bad race.

Everyone has them.  Quickly sign up for another race and another after that.  You will soon forget about that bad one.

• You are not getting any PRs.

Not every race can be a PR.

If you haven’t been running a long time, you may need to train differently or even get a coach.

Eventually as we age, we will slow down.  Our running goals will no longer be PRs.

Happy Running.  Have you had to deal with any of the above running derailments?