Photo Credit: Doug Felts on Flickr.com
If your runs are feeling longer or more difficult than usual – even if you aren’t running any further – it’s time to recharge your runs. There are a few things you can do to upgrade your process to ensure each miles feels fresh and fun.
Organize Your Playlist: Music is a great way to stay motivated while running. Pick your power songs, the ones that get you revved up, and strategically place them in your play list. That way when you start to fade, ACDC can give you an emotional pick me up.
Visualization: Imagine a magnet pulling you forward or someone chasing you from behind. Anything to take your mind off of how tired you are will work.
Buy Some new Shoes: It might sound silly, but dropping $100 on a new pair of running shoes can guilt you into getting out of bed in the morning. It’s not a permanent solution, but every little bit helps.
Pick a Partner: Having a dedicated partner is a great idea for any workout program. If you can’t find someone to run with everyday, just pick someone to keep pace with every time you go for a run. The friendly competition will keep you from thinking about how far you are running, and will end in a faster and more enjoyable run.
Keep a Training Log: Keeping a daily log will allow you to more accurately keep tabs on your progress. Some days your run is going to be a little tough, but keeping a training log will help keep your mind focused on the long term goal and prevent you from dwelling on a single poor performance.
Run Somewhere Else: Hitting the treadmill, a new trail, park or neighborhood can dramatically affect your go-go juice.
Run Downhill: Yep. This is easier, but on the days when you don’t feel like running at all – running downhill is better than nothing. To get back UP that hill … walk, crawl or catch a bus. We’re not asking for perfection here.
Switch your Schedule: If you always run at night, switch it up and run first thing in the morning – or at lunch – or before dinner! Any change can do you good!
