Joy of Running

So, some people run just because it burns fat. Some run because they must for the military, and some run because they want to work on their heart strength... but not everyone enjoys it. It can become a chore. When it becomes a chore, you will find every excuse to avoid it, and then find yourself not running at all.

I know this feeling. It happened to me near the end of the summer of 2010. I was been running all summer, getting fit and fast, but barely biking or swimming. If I did either of those more it would have been cross training. Cross training is much less boring and better for the joints. Granted, that year (before I pulled my hammy) I was as fit as I ever was. I ran a 5:05 mile and a 10:35 two mile. I could barely bike 7 miles though. My sprinting times were also pretty bad. My 400m was around 59 seconds. I then got bored of running distance. So this past year my mile time got much worse, a 5:35. I really didn't want to run as much. I didn't enjoy it.

I enjoy track. I love the races. The training can be fun. It's nice to mix it up because I'm running with a team and working on sprinting. It's rough, but enjoyable.

Part of the fun in running is blaring some good music and letting lose my energy. Because all you people who know me, you know I have an abundance of energy. It's even more fun to run through the woods now.

I also just enjoy feeling the sheer power the human body can yield. It can throw it's self miles, or travel a short distance within a few seconds. All it runs on is food, water and air.

Another thing that can make running more enjoyable for me is imagining something like a climax of a game of frisbee game or soccer game that I'm in. It makes me run faster and get that final kick out of my run.

Well, running can just be plain out fun. No real reason. It just feels good to run! This is what I feel like during those one week summers when the only thing I was running on before that was a boring old treadmill.

Running can be fun and all, and you may have cabin fever, but that doesn't mean you should start out running 5-10 miles once it's nice enough to go run. You should start out slow. You don't want to start your summer/spring with an injured knee or shin. I injured my knee that way. First week of track wasn't fun.

A good rule is to increase mileage 5-15% weekly. Then have a recovery week once a month where you run 20-35% less. Try and keep a log of your runs. This way you know if you need to rest, increase speed, slow it down, increase mileage or some other thing, like work on form.

If you still hate running, try mixing it up. Maybe you'll enjoy sprinting workouts, or nice long runs, like those crazy people who run 30+ miles per week. Or you just need easier goals. Maybe lose a pound weekly or bi-weekly, run a 7 minute mile, run 5 miles without stopping, etc. You don't only need that one huge goal of losing 40 pounds, or running a 5 minute mile or to run a marathon (26.2 miles I believe) without stopping. Find a way to make running fun. That might mean run less, and mix in biking and/or swimming... or just find a sport you love and play that a lot and then if you can't play it for awhile, run because you want to improve your game.

Happy running!