15 Ways To Make Running Fun
How To Overcome Your Dread of Running
How To Overcome Your Dread of Running and then finding ways to make running fun will help you push through the hard parts and transform running from a chore into a hobby. Do you hear your friends talk about running and feel a guilty, terrified surge of dread in your gut?
Here’s why. Anytime you’ve considered weight loss, getting in shape, or following your dream to run a marathon someday, you knew it all started with running consistently.
But no matter how many couches to 5K plans you’ve downloaded, no matter how many new running shoes you’ve bought, and no matter how many New Year’s resolutions you’ve promised, you just hate running. You know you need to run, but you can’t get into it.
Why You Hate Running And How To Get Over It
The fact is, running is never fun when you first start. But your red, sweaty face and feeling of defeat already told you that. Here are the main reasons most people hate running in the beginning.
It’s Hard to Get Motivated
If you’ve already tried running and didn’t enjoy it, that negative association will pop into your head every time you think about hitting the pavement. The devil on your shoulder will convince you that you’ll be miserable. But getting started is half the battle.
You Feel Self-Conscious
You’re embarrassed when you have to stop for a walk break. Even seasoned marathon runners stop for walk breaks. The Jeff Galloway run-walk method claims you can run faster and healthier when you rest.
You Don’t Have a Running Buddy
You can still keep your friends accountable by tracking your runs online and posting them to social media. Besides, without a running partner, you can move at your own pace and run without coordinating schedules. Learn to entertain yourself and enjoy the run on your own.
How? Take it one step at a time. Try out new ideas and see what works. That’s why this guide suggests 10 ways to make running fun.
Why Consistency Is The First Step To Love Running
Before you do anything else, understand the importance of consistency when it comes to running. Running is not a short-term game. You won’t reap the benefits unless you follow through. If you’ve started running and stopped running in the past, you never gave your body the chance to get used to it.
You only allowed yourself the negative experiences without pushing for the positive effects of running. When you don’t run consistently, you never get good at it, which means you’ll never grow to love it.
You know that running could change your life for the better. You want to taste the glory of finishing a race. You want to bask in that runner’s high. But if you don’t stick with it, you’ll never feel those sweet victories.
Running makes other workouts more effective. You always need a cardio element in your weekly routine. Even if running isn’t your main goal, it will help you succeed in other exercises like weightlifting.
Any weightlifting trainers recommend that their clients only lift 3 days of the week while running or cycling for the other two. Once you’re a runner, you can build community with other runners.
After you get better at running, you can join other runners. Having people to run with on the weekends, and having friends to discuss running techniques are both invaluable.
Passion is contagious. When you start making friends who run, you’ll pick up on their enthusiasm. And you’ll be less likely to quit halfway through.
Remarkably simple ways to become a Stronger Runner while enjoying it
1. Find a goal that really inspires you
You can call this one fluffy if you want, but it’s crucial. Running, for its own sake, just isn’t that much fun at first. Once your body learns to do it well, it can be relaxing, meditative, invigorating, and yes, fun. But not at first.
How do you know what goal to choose? Personally, I’m most inspired by goals that seem unrealistic at first. Not everyone’s that way, do not shy away from a goal just because it’s a reach. A lot of times, that’s the one that will motivate you the most.
2. Slow down
Gym class taught us that running should be fast. You’ll be timed, and if you’re slow, the other kids will snicker at you. That’s why so many people hate running. They think they have to run fast.
Slow down by a minute, or even two, per mile from what you normally run. This will free your mind to focus on things other than “damn, this hurts,” and you might experience a little of that runner’s high you hear about.
Finish your run feeling not tired, but energized. If you’re so inspired, run a little further than you could before. And when it’s time to do it again, you’ll be excited instead of dreading it.
3. Take 180 steps every minute (90 per leg)
Concentrating on a higher step rate should fix the majority of other issues. Sprint in such a way that your feet hit the ground three times per second. If you hadn’t contemplated it, 180 revolutions of your legs per minute is likely a much faster tempo than you normally keep.
It may be a little awkward to start with since you will have to reduce your stride length and work muscles that are not accustomed to being used. It may take a while to get used to, but eventually walking with smaller, lighter steps will become routine, and the effects of this gait on your longevity will be evident.
And if you normally experience pain when you run, you might even notice an improvement from the very first run like this. Lots of people tell me that’s what happens when they try it.
4. Run trails
Real ones. In the woods, unpaved, with rocks, roots, streams, and mud. Every step is different. You have to move laterally, so you strengthen supporting muscles.
You can’t open up the long, careless stride that comes crashing down on your heel (causing injury over time) like you can on roads. Instead, you’ve got to keep your feet under your body and take small, quick steps.
And there are more hills, which serve as built-in strength training, and sometimes, welcome walk breaks. Oh yeah, and you get dirty.
5. For runs over 45 minutes or an hour, you need to take in some nutrition
You crashed because your muscles ran out of fuel. The body can only store enough for an hour and a half or so of running, and when it runs low, your brain shuts your body down to save what’s left so that it can continue to function.
So get yourself a handheld bottle and carry along a sports drink when your runs start to get long. Solid food or gel works too — and we created our own whole food approach to workout fuel — but don’t forget you still need water.
6. Alternate hard workouts with easy ones
People seem to grasp the idea that your muscles need time to recover after you lift weights. For some reason, they think that rule doesn’t apply to running.
It takes time to recover from a hard workout. When you do a speed workout, a hill workout, a tempo run, or a long run, your legs and your heart (a muscle) need time to rebuild. That’s how you get stronger.
So the day after a workout like this, you can still run if you want, but make it very easy. If you’re worried people will make fun of you because you’re barely moving, that’s probably about the right pace. Otherwise, all those hard workouts go to waste.
7. Keep at it
If there’s a secret ninja tactic to getting drastically more efficient as a runner — and as a result, faster — then it’s a pretty lame one. Run. Run some more. Run some more.
Do you ever notice how experienced runners, even those who aren’t in great shape, can just pick up and run 10 miles or a marathon when they want to?
With every step you take, your body is learning to run. This is why when in other sports athletes usually peak in their mid-20s, it’s not uncommon to see 30-something, 40-something, and 50-something runners winning long-distance races.
Each time you run, your brain becomes better at recruiting just the right muscle fibres, to keep you moving forward with as little effort as possible.
Your body becomes more efficient at burning its stored fat for fuel, instead of relying on dirty-burning sugar which needs to be constantly replenished.
And as these adaptations happen, running gets easier. You can run longer and faster with the same amount of effort as before. And then one day, you realize that this thing you used to hate has somehow become fun.
8. Tap Into Your Inner Competitive Monster
Now’s the time to let loose. Don’t hold back. Let it all out. Find satisfaction in each landmark. When you hit a mile, pat yourself on the back. When you reach a 5K, applaud it.
When you run your first 10K, don’t be afraid to brag about it. Celebrate every success, you can’t wait to get started on each small goal on the way to ultimate achievement.
9. People-Watch
If you’re not a competitive person, enjoy the people around you. Bring yourself to the present moment, spectating the behaviours of families and other athletes. Take note of the techniques other runners are using. You might pick up a thing or two.
10. Make a Killer Playlist
It’s easy to go on Spotify and search for “running playlists,” but don’t do that. Take the time to tailor your own playlist with music that will motivate and inspire you. Reach back to your early 2000’s pop-loving teenager. Jam out to guilty pleasures like Avril Lavigne or Brittany Spears.
If that doesn’t do it for you, let a quick, steady beat guide you into running faster. Run the Jewels, Princess Nokia, and Kari Fox has given me some of my fastest running times.
11. Listen to Audiobooks or Podcasts
Some people find music too abstract and feel more engaged with a definite storyline to follow. If you pick a captivating plot, it will motivate you to run every day so you can find out how the story ends.
12. Do a Mud Run
If you find running boring, join a mud run, a colour race, or run an obstacle course. All of these are group contests that involve lots of mud, paint, and big objects to jump over.
You can’t escape without getting dirty and taking a selfie for your social media. These events are so exciting you’ll forget about discomfort or sore muscles and just focus on enjoying yourself.
13. Treat Running Like Your “Me Time”
Try shifting your focus during the run. Instead of telling yourself, “I hate this,” and, “I have to do this,” think of it as a chance to give your body the health it deserves. If you live with family or roommates, it’s an opportunity to be alone, reflect on your day, or even zone out.
Your thoughts have no obligations during a run. They can pass through with no importance or significance. Just say, “Right now I’m running and I don’t have to worry about anything else.”
14. Reward Your Achievements With New Gear
Instead of buying new sneakers or workout clothes before you get into running, wait until you’ve reached your first goal, and then reward yourself.
This way, you’ll train your body to expect an exciting new gadget when you reach a target. This tactic removes the guilt that many feel after spending money on an unused object.
15. Train For A Race
Now that you’ve learned tips and techniques to get over your running dislikes, use your new ways to make running fun, and sign up for a race.
Setting a date and reserving a spot is a powerful motivator to stick with your training plan. Start with a distance you find challenging but can still see yourself completing. After you reach that goal, sign up for another until you reach the marathon.
Download one of our customizable training plans for all race distances. Choose the one that motivates you the best and then implement your new-found running hacks.
