“Run more” is a common New Year’s resolution, and popular running areas or treadmills at gyms will be a bit busier in the early weeks of January. However, as time goes on, many new runners find the body aches, stress fractures and plain-old dislike of running make it difficult to maintain.
If you have started and stopped the cycle of being a new runner, you can still find a way to love it in the long term.
CNN’s David G. Allan also hated running until he came up with ways to “hack” that feeling and learn to have fun with it. Here are his tips.
Deemphasize speed
Plans for new runners often focus on bringing up your running speed through slow increments over a long period of time.
Instead of focusing on speed, focus on how your body feels as you run. The more you run, the less you will feel out of breath and in pain during runs. The speed will come later.
Listen to something you love
The right sound in your headphones can make all the difference during a long run. Whether it’s a playlist you make, an audiobook or a long podcast, make sure to find something you love to listen to that you won’t have to fidget with during your run.
Allan recommends you find something to listen to that is “distracting from running itself.”
“As I trained for marathons, I started listening to the audio of my favorite movies,” Allan wrote in a CNN column. “Ones I know and love so well that I can ‘see’ the film in my head while listening and running.”
Run outside
The treadmill can be a great place to run if weather is bad or there is nowhere near that feels safe, however, running outside is best to maintain consistency in the practice, and according to Allan, more “joy-inducing.”
The nature and fresh air of running outside can add an different element to the meditative practice of running.
Find a running buddy, or buddies
You might enjoy running solo, however, running with others can make the activity easier to maintain consistently and makes running a new way to build community in your area.
Find an old friend or someone you don’t get to spend much time with and catch up with them over a long run. Or, join a local run club and find like-minded individuals who love to run and be social.
Running doesn’t have to be a chore, according to Allan, and with these hacks you can have a great time.
Find more stories like this one on our Pulse Facebook page.
About the Author
