Do you remember those old cartoons with the devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other? Each one had a conflicting idea of what you should do next. My angel tells me “Go for a run”, while at the same time my little devil says “plop down on the couch and watch “Madmen,” on the DVR”. It’s at this point in the process that a goal comes into the picture. I’ve found that absent a goal, you can rationalize just about anything. My gear is in the wash, it’s raining, the phase of the moon is incorrect, or I’m just tired.

Pretty much every day since deciding to participate in the Nike+ Human Race 10K back in May, when the rumors started circling that there was going to be a race with a million people, I’ve gotten up each day looking for ways to fit a run into my schedule. What’s proved very helpful is the natural goal-seeking (or approval-seeking) behavior that is reinforced by Nike+ itself. Whether using the Nike+ SportBand or Nike+ iPod Sport Kit, one of the things that keeps me motivated is the process of tracking my progress against my goals and seeing it after each run. The next step is to be able to bring a group into this process and run, not just with your buddies at the office, but anyone, anywhere in the world.

At the end of the day, or even at the beginning, it’s really important to have a couple of voices in your head, reminding you that you can’t make progress toward your goals running the path between the couch and the refrigerator.

Gotta keep running…. 

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