Running should be fun, right? Lacing up and heading out, doing the same routine, and pounding the treadmill or pavement can get boring after a while. Even people who love running sometimes feel that it gets dull and mundane. This is inevitable. So, how to make running more enjoyable?
In this article, we will look at various ways to ‘spice up’ your training sessions and make running more enjoyable. It is important to keep your training challenging and fun so that you stick with it. Many people feel like giving up because the activity becomes dull and no longer fun.
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Listen to music
Running to music is one of the best ways to stay motivated and give your best performance. While it’s best not to not become dependent on music, when you’re not in the mood, some heart-pumping music with a strong beat will get you running like a speed monster. Remember though, that safety is vital when out running, so if you are on the roads, and listening to music, stay alert and pay attention to your surroundings. Especially when it is dark. Read our article on running safely in the dark
Use a stopwatch or GPS device
Constantly challenging yourself by trying to improve on your earlier records is a great way to make your training more interesting. By using a stopwatch or other GPS device, even if you’re doing sprints or long-distance runs, you can work towards beating previous times, or even running a longer distance in a given time.
When running long distances, it can be interesting to try and beat your earlier record by closely monitoring the stopwatch and the seconds ticking by as you run your best. Challenging yourself will not only keep your workouts interesting but will improve your endurance and performance.
Most GPS devices come with workout features, where you can plan sessions. This way, you can plan your own schedule – 1-day could be intervals, another day recovery and another could be a tempo run. All this can be stored on your watch and phone app, so you can track your progress over time and keep things interesting.
Run with a friend
Sometimes when you are not in the mood, having a running partner to motivate you can be a huge help. You can talk and have a laugh before you start running and carry on the conversation when you are done. There can also be some friendly competition between the two of you. of you.
Having someone running by your side will feel better than running alone. Therefore, making running more enjoyable Another thing to consider is joining a running club or group. There are so many running groups all over the world that cater for all levels of ability. You don’t need to compete, but having people around you, to motivate you, will help with any running boredom and add to your social circle.
Use a mirror
If you are running indoors, either in a gym or at home, try to have the treadmill in front of a full-length mirror. This will allow you to monitor your form and technique. For some people, looking at themselves running, motivates them to do even better.
Watch TV
Technology is so advanced these days that many of the treadmills you find in gyms have a wide variety of features from television to the internet. You can watch TV on the treadmill console or surf the net. You can play YouTube videos too. If you’re running at a moderate pace, or for a fixed duration of 45 minutes or so, watching TV while running will not only take your mind off the exhausting activity, but will occupy your mind and before you know it, the session is over.
There are also several Apps available, where you can run along some famous running routes around the world and run against other people. You simply connect to the Wi-Fi and set the App and treadmill to the same pace and away you go.
Change your route
If you run indoors all the time, change things up by running outdoors. If you run outdoors all the time, change things up by changing the running route. Variety is the spice of life. You may even wish to cycle to a spot that you have been to before. Run a couple of miles there and return to your bicycle and cycle all the way back. Not only are you training using two different activities, but you have kept things interesting.
Change your speeds
Varying your speeds while running can certainly help keep your sessions interesting and can also make the time go faster. Sprint for a few hundred meters, drop to a slow jog after that, pick up the pace for a while and sprint again. This is a ‘lite’ version of interval training, but it keeps things interesting. Instead of running at a fixed pace, where your legs move mindlessly, and you feel like a zombie who runs, changing up the speed and pace of your runs will make things more exciting and challenging.
Adopt these tips whenever you feel like you are starting to dread your runs. By incorporating variety and some entertainment in your training, you will be more likely to stay on course and progress in your running and fitness journey.
