As a result of my unrealistic desire to turn everyone into a runner, I’ve decided to share some tips about what helps me keep running. While I’m no expert, I’ve been running for seven years now, which, at the age of 29, is 25% of my life. Thus, I’ve accumulated a few ideas for how to go from running-is-miserable-torture to running-is-freedom.
These tips are in no particular order of helpfulness, and may not work for everyone. But I hope they inspire you just a little bit!
Tip #3: Go trail running.
The words “trail” and “running” together sound really hard core, like going for a run will turn into navigating crevasses and avoiding rogue rattlesnakes.
In the midwest, however, trail running is often just another way of saying “run somewhere besides the sidewalk.” I have two sidewalk routes in my neighborhood that are my regular routes. They’re great during the week when I don’t want to put any effort into deciding where to run. (Even the smallest of barriers to running, like having to decide where to go, often become insurmountable during the school year.)
But on the weekends, those routes become really, well, routine, and I start to dread running past the same old scenery. As you probably figured out, I do everything I can to look FORWARD to running, instead of dreading it. So now I use trail running to find new places to go.
I’m lucky to live in an area full of hiking and biking trails, so finding trails hasn’t been difficult. I purchased one of those 60 Hikes Within Wherever You Live books, and use that as a sort of checklist to decide where to go. I usually find a trail that can take me 3 to 6 miles, and I make sure to bring a water bottle in the car for when I return.
Even if you don’t live near an extensive network of trails, find a river or park in your city where you could go. Switching locations will hopefully keep you motivated to go for a run. Your body will appreciate the break from pounding on sidewalk. (A lush carpeted forest is so much better for the knees.) And prairie flowers are much prettier to look at than old apartment buildings.
Happy running!