I have been running quite a bit over the last few years and I wanted to share some tips for how I keep it at least somewhat fresh and interesting. I mostly run locally around residential and some commercial and park areas in a large metro city area. Here are 6 ideas for bringing some fun back into your running!
Run down each different street nearby your area.
There are many different streets near my house and I think about which ones I have ran down before and try to run down streets that either I haven’t or haven’t for a while. Of course, it won’t be as familiar as the usual street you run on, but that can be a good thing.
Run in each direction of the street and on each side
If you do find your self running on the same street over and over, at least mix up the direction on that street and the North/South East/West of the street. For example, there is a street I often run on (lets just call it Orange St.). Orange St. is an East/West street. If I find that I usually run it East to West, I will change my route to run it West to East. And if I am usually running it on the South side of the street, I will change to run it on the North side. Especially when you run several street on your route, you can see where this can create a lot of differences even if you cover basically the same area.
Run at different times of day and/or night.
Personally, I like to run in the heat and humidity! It can be a real challenge and you can really feel like you did yourself some good when you are done. However, it is better to mix it up a bit as well. I often see people who only run in the early morning and I really think they are missing out on some experiences. Think about when you usually run and try a different time of day every now and then.
Run with different music and/or no music at all.
I have known some people who always run with the same music. Also, always running with no music, or if you usually do that, then try some music. It can be better to at least mix it up a bit. You don’t have to change every time, but if you are listening to the same music every time, you should probably at least consider changing or trying no music at least every few runs.
Run less distance but at a faster, more intense pace.
Some people may insist on always running their 5K each time or some other pattern or distance they have, but I have found it to be good to sometimes run a shorter distance while attempting to run that distance at a faster rate then my usual jogging speed. So you can run 10K – how fast can you run 2K at your absolute max? It might be a fun thing to find out anyway.
Try a run immediately after a workout.
I’m not talking about after an intense leg-workout, but maybe a reasonable upper body workout. You are already pumped up and sweaty, so why not consider a reasonable run at this point? You might also still be pumped from any pre-workout mix you take, so you try and run off some of that. I would advise however, if you normally drink a protein shake after your workouts to wait until after the run to drink that. Compare how well you ran this time with how well you usually run.
In summary, these are some ideas to help you keep your running fun and not so routine. It is much better to make some changes and not get bored to where you find yourself quitting at some point in any event. Happy running!