This week, I will be posting a YouTube video covering in-depth why some runners might get bored on their runs. And, for me, while I am never bored once I’m out there, sometimes motivation is a real struggle for me to get going. That being said, the reason why I never get bored boils down to a few key things:
training your mind to be comfortable in the silence of runs
After almost twenty years of running, most of my runs are easy-effort at this point (you need to have about 80-90% of your total running volume to be easy in order to not get injured. And I also just love running easy!). However, when I was younger and first started running, there was a long period of time where every single run felt so HARD because I simply wasn’t used to the physical and mental effort that running requires. I wasn’t used to spending time alone with my thoughts, focusing in on something so hard with nothing to distract my mind. But after a few months, this quickly changed, and I fell in love with going out in nature to be alone with my thoughts for long periods of time with easy-running effort.
So if you are a new runner who finds running really boring – ask yourself – is it boring, or is it just so difficult and you don’t have anything to distract your mind from the difficulty? Running is both a physical and mental exercise, and if you are used to constant stimulation around you 24/7 (phone, work, emails, kids, etc.), the feeling of being alone with your thoughts (while doing something hard!) is a new and difficult challenge! Focus on trying to keep your effort so painfully easy so that you can work on building the mental muscle of distraction-free running, which is my favorite method of running – no treadmill Netflix show to distract me, no music, no audiobook, no podcast, just my thoughts.
That said, one of the reasons I never really get bored on my runs is because I love it so much, but I also significantly switch things up with my training so I’m not going out and doing the same exact thing every single day. Here’s exactly what I do to bring excitement to my runs.
varying your runs & finding purpose
Signing up for a race gives me purpose for my runs and a schedule to stick to. Training plans also have the added benefit of varying up your runs, so that you aren’t just running easy every single day (though if you are newer to running, a beginner training plan might start you off with running easy for most days before adding in light speed work).
If you don’t want to sign up for a race (even a local 5K can bring some spark back to your runs and provide some purpose!), switching up your running from mostly easy runs at the same pace/distance can help keep things interesting! My favorite way to do this is by adding in strides a few times a week, by simply doing 6 x 30 seconds of accelerated pick-ups over the last mile or so of my easy run. Another way is to try to increase the length of your run once a week to incorporate an easy long run. Giving some light structure to a running routine if you’ve felt like you’ve been in a rut can do wonders to give excitement to your running – even if you aren’t doing a race!
quick fixes to get out of a running rut
Most days, I wake up at 5 AM to run in 80 degrees and 77 degree dew point weather in the Florida summer here, so even though I deeply love running – even I need some extra motivation most days to stick to my training plan and have something to look forward to! Here are my favorite tips to keep things exciting so that I always am entertained on my runs, and never ever bored.
run with other people
I love running with others! If you don’t have any other runners that you know, I highly recommend finding a local running group. I know it can seem intimidating, but runners are truly some of the nicest groups of people on the planet and my experience has been that they are usually fairly welcoming and excited to have a new runner in their pack!
run somewhere new
It can be hard to make the time to run to a new location during the week, but if you find you are incredibly bored of your current running routes, try to make an effort to head to a new location to run during the weekend!
switch up what you’re listening to!
I find that listening to music every day, or an audiobook every day, or a podcast every day can get boring really quickly, so here’s what I do personally so that I can find the perfect balance between being motivated by what’s in my ears and taming the beast between my ears!
- Music – I listen to music when I need extra motivation on specific days, i.e., when I’m insanely exhausted and not looking forward to my run, when I’m doing a speed workout and need some extra power to get me through the workout and help push myself
- Podcasts – I very intentionally listen to podcasts (usually running/science-based podcasts!) if there is a topic I’m really interested in. I also, personally, save these for medium long/long runs so I can be entertained throughout my run by an engaging topic! If you have any podcast recommendations, please let me know down below!
- Audiobooks – I love listening to audiobooks throughout my day as an incredibly avid reader and fledgling writer. I usually listen to audiobooks on medium long/long runs, but sometimes I listen to them on my easy runs too if there’s a book I can’t wait to keep listening to! Here are my favorites that I’ve listened to in the past 6 months:
- Endure — Alex Hutchinson
- 26 Marathons — Meb Keflezighi
- Finding Ultra — Rich Roll
- The Comfort Crisis — Michael Easter
- Let Them — Mel Robbins
- Don’t Call it a Comeback
- Strangers — Belle Burden
- There Is No Place for Us — (a hard, important read about homelessness in America)
- Silence/being with my thoughts – usually on my easy runs, I like to just run in silence and think about what I need to accomplish for the day/brainstorm a whole variety of things! I definitely need to post a short on Instagram about all of the crazy things that pop into my head while I run… if you’re a runner, you know!!
Hopefully these tips are helpful to keep your runs exciting and never boring, but make sure to check out the full YouTube video to learn more in-depth about all of these different methods, and to subscribe to the newsletter here if you are not already!
I will be posting more regularly here, to my YouTube channel, and on my Instagram – especially to provide opportunities for product testing and feedback for Juju’s Foods, so make sure you stay up to date on all the latest news!
Juju Runs It 
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