Train before work then when you get home from work you can take it easy. Just get to bed a little earlier than usual. So what if you feel less than 100 % towards the end of the day at work, just remind yourself the running is done so when you get off you can be a couch potato because you earned it by running before work.

Music as mentioned also helps. Break that routine and get out there!

I know exactly how you feel, I still struggle sometimes when I'm hit with things that throw me off my game (new work schedule, holidays, illness, etc.) 

It can be tough to take that first step to get rolling, the way I get around it is to not think or plan it too much and just go do it.  It seems to be easiest if I just stop at the gym or go out for my run right after work, music really helps me keep going once I get going too.

As far as what keeps me motivated, there are a few things:  If I'm pissed-off about something, I've noticed I run at a good pace for a good distance and don't even realize it!   I'll think about the work that I've put in already and how it'll be for not if I don't get going.  I think about the reason I got back into running in the first place.  I think about running my 5K and what it's gonna take to reach the goals I've set for the race. 

There are 2 things, above all else, that motivate me when I really need it, maybe you can relate or find your own...I had a track coach/mentor that died awhile ago and when it gets really tough I can still hear him cheering me on.  The other is my favorite quote "Without struggle, there can be no progress" -Frederick Douglass

I hope you stick with it and I hope you find your own reasons to get out there...GO GET IT!!   

As most of the posts have pointed out, your roadblock is mostly psychological. When I couldn't seem to get off my butt, I realized it was partially because I was intimidated by running and the changing some really-ingrained behaviors. I started off by just setting a time to workout every day and starting off by just waking up at the preset time for the workout and then easing into just going out and walking or just running for 5 minutes or so. After only a day or so I felt infinitely more motivated since I didn't feel like I was going from cold-turkey to full on exercise routine!

Thanks for starting this thread, ZenWarrior and a big thanks to all who have offered advice.

I have the same problem with motivation.  It seems like every Sunday night I print out a blank calendar-I plan out my runs for the week down to the minute and I am motivated-ready to run and can't wait for Monday morning so I can hit the road. I am GOING to start running again this week! I put my clothes out, I make the perfect playlist and load it onto my iPod, I charge my GPS watch and my iPod.

Monday morning the alarm goes off-time to run.  My bed is warm. It's cold outside. My bed is soft. My bed is comfortable. I can run after work.  I reset the alarm for another hour. I come home from work on Monday-my legs ache, my feet hurt.  I have a headache, I'm tired.  I only scheduled three runs this week, I can skip Monday and make it up on Tuesday.

Tuesday morning rolls around-my bed is still warm and soft and cozy.  Work was crazy.  I can run Wed, Thurs and Friday.

Wednesday morning.  Did my bed get even more comfortable?  It's snowing outside, it's not safe to run in the snow-I could go to the gym but then I'd have to pack a bag to take-I don't have time.  I go to work, I have a mama in labor-I won't be home until late.  It's OK, I still have Thurs, Fri and Sat.  I'll just have to be sure to not skip any more workouts.

Thursday morning-I was at the hospital late, I need sleep. Sleep is a very important part of a healthy lifestyle-I better sleep and run later.  Maybe on my lunch hour I can get a run in.  Oh, my husband is off work early today and wants to go to lunch...I can't pass that up, it never happens, I'll run after work.  Everything aches!  If I run now I'm sure I'll get injured.  I can run on Friday and Saturday-missing one workout won't make any difference in the big scheme of things will it?

Friday morning-oops, I forgot to set my alarm early. The office is a little less crazy on Fridays-there's a meeting at lunch so I'll run after work.  Oh, baby on the way...she'll be born by early evening, I can still run.  Ah, finally a run....oh, the kids want to watch a movie together-I haven't really had a chance to spend much time with them-family is more important.  No work tomorrow, I'll get at least one run in-maybe I'll run in the morning and the evening.

Saturday morning-morning rounds at the hosptial-I could take my clothes and run on the treadmill at the gym there.  Oh, I forgot my running shoes-I'll go home and get them and run at home.  Well, I better get the grocery shopping done first.....BTW-am I suicidal?  The grocery store on a Saturday?????  There's three hours of my life I'll never get back.  Well, time to start cooking dinner-I should still be able to get one run in.  I'll just go and start some laundry then I'll be out the door.....uh-oh, it's dark already-I can't run in the dark-I could go to the gym but that's such a waste of fuel to drive there and back....besides, will one work out in a week really help that much??  I should really plan better.  Tomorrow is Sunday, I think I'll take a few minutes to write out a plan and put my running clothes out, charge my iPod and my GPS...oh, I should make a motivational playlist too...that should do it-OK, I'm motivated. I'm GOING to start running this week!!!

Baby Catcher,

I get it.  I have a wife, three kids, and a family business.   Our most precious commodity is time.  Although I am a morning person, I usually stay up late (11:00-12:00) to squeeze in some time with my wife after the house is quite.  Needing to be up by 6:30 am makes a morning workout unrealistic.  Once I accepted that, things got infinitely more clear.  I had to workout after work before I got home.  I would not go back out to the gym and I would not work out in our home gym..  I simply had to get out of work on time and get home 1 hour later than I would have.  I missed family dinners, I missed homework help, I missed baseball practices, etc.  

As I said I got my wife on my team.  That was the key.  For a while you simply need to make your work out a top priority.  Work out needs to come before, time with the family, before cleaning the house, before everything else.  After 4 weeks of working out 4-5 times a week you will feel so great, motivation wont be a problem and you can once again balance your workouts with the normal chaos that is life.  At least that is what worked for me.  Good luck.

I don't know if this will help, but it certainly did for me... I think the biggest challenge for anyone that starts running, is getting over the initial "bump." That bump is where you go out for a run and realize that your fitness has improved-a noticable change has occurred and you can tell that you're better/stronger  then when you first started... It is getting to that point that is the hard part for most of us....To me, consistency and committment is the only way get there-I once was read (somewhere) that whether you want to break a bad habit or start a new (good) habit, it takes (40) days... Looking back to when I started running again (after several years of not running) remember that it indeed took about 4 1/2 weeks of consistent running to where I felt I had reached the "bump." I can't tell you how good that felt!  And that for me, was the single most motivator to keep going... That was (6) years ago...I don't normally consider myself a "morning person," but do agree with some of others who suggested running in morning before heading off to work-It seems like if I wait, there is always something that seems to get in the way. I have to run in early morning out of necessity for the most part, as living in Phoenix the summer temps. are brutal. The other benefits from running in the early morning is the air is cleaner and I don't have to compete with the traffic. I'ts peaceful and quiet. And another plus is, most weekend races are held in the morning so your body is used to running at that time of the day... Good luck-you will get there!