You’ve decided to start running, so the next step is to learn how to enjoy it. Running is often considered to be an acquired taste. I sought the advice of ultra-marathon runner Megan Wotherspoon for this post. Megan didn’t always enjoy jogging, despite the fact that she does today.
Let’s get started and learn how to turn running into an enjoyable activity.
How to Have Fun Running
Focusing on enhancing your cardio and strength through activities other than running is one approach to increase how much you love running.
I can remember detesting jogging until I spent a month hiking in the mountains. I got faster at running up hills through speed walking. I tried out my newly acquired aerobic fitness one day, and I was able to run for 10 miles without stopping. I don’t think I had ever even run more than a mile before this.
Action Move
Prioritize working on your cardio initially. You may achieve this by breathing quickly enough that it would be difficult to carry on a conversation while walking on an incline treadmill, stepper, or stairmaster.
Increase the speed as your fitness level rises so that you can keep up without getting too out of breath to carry on a conversation. Without the uncomfortable joint jarring that comes with jogging, your cardio will improve. Additionally, you will strengthen your muscles, which will benefit your jogging.
Try out your improved running skills after a month of three weekly sessions of 30 minutes each. Given your improved aerobic fitness, don’t be shocked if you like your first run.
After building a solid cardio foundation, you might want to try high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to further your running.
High-intensity interval training, cycling, and even yoga, according to Megan Wotherspoon, are crucial strategies that have aided her in developing her cardio and strength as she prepares for her next long runs.
Wotherspoon claims that varying his training methods keeps him from becoming bored while yet advancing toward his fitness and running objectives.
How to Have Fun Running Even If You Hate It
Most of us detest activities that we see as being below average or in which we lack knowledge. Running is the same. If that voice in your head is always criticizing you when you’re running with ideas like this, it’s difficult to enjoy it.
They’re probably able to detect that I’m not a runner.
Why do I appear so unnatural when I run?
“Why am I getting so breathless?”
“Why can’t I move more quickly?”
I’d like to be in better shape.
If you become aware of these kinds of thoughts, you can also be visualizing unfavorable situations while running, such as people laughing at you or passing judgment on you.
Action Move
The next time you go for a run, be very aware of the kinds of ideas and images that are running through your head, as well as how those ideas make you feel.
Being conscious of your ideas might serve as a springboard for replacing them with more sane and uplifting ones. Journal the words, pictures, and other ideas that come to mind.
Megan Wotherspoon, an ultramarathon runner, claims that experimenting with various mindset techniques throughout her runs has helped her stay competitive. Using uplifting mantras, counting breaths, and concentrating on her strides are some of her favorite techniques for clearing her thoughts when running.
How to Increase Your Enjoyment of Running
Think for a moment about a task that, although being relatively simple for you, other people wish they were more adept at.
Perhaps you maintain order in your surroundings, set aside time to read, are able to overcome obstacles at work, or are a proficient musician.
When you are participating in the activities you enjoy, it’s likely that the voice in your head is speaking in more gentler terms.
Take those unfavorable ideas and pictures from the previous stage and put them through Byron Katie’s inquiry method when it comes to running.
Is this idea accurate?
Is there a method I can demonstrate that this idea or viewpoint is accurate?
What emotions does this idea or image evoke in me?
How would I feel if this notion weren’t going through my mind?
What other thoughts could I transform this one into to make it more empowering?
Let’s use Byron Katie’s method to the next unfavorable notion from the prior illustration.
Action Move
Print down or write the aforementioned inquiries on a cue card. Take them along on your next run and work through Byron Katie’s questions to release yourself from any unfavorable ideas that may occur.
Megan Wotherspoon, an ultrarunner, also advises thinking about something other than running. Meal preparation, problem-solving, and future planning are three tried-and-true strategies, according to Megan, for making her runs more enjoyable.
“Sometimes being more present helps me enjoy running, and other times it helps to think about pretty much anything other than running,” Megan claims.
How to Love to Run
You can start to enjoy jogging by working on your cardio and changing some of those unfavorable ideas. Endorphins, which provide a happy feeling, can make you love jogging after it has become a regular part of your routine. You might even start to feel the benefits of running.
For those who enjoy running, it also frequently fulfills several of the Six Human Needs Psychology, as outlined by therapist Cloe Madanes and peak performance and life coach Tony Robbins:
- Feeling significant, exceptional, different, or required
- Certainty – being aware that you can enjoy pleasure while avoiding misery
- The capacity to encounter novel circumstances, change, or various stimuli
- The yearning to feel connected or in love, or to have a sense of togetherness or kinship
- Development of one’s capacities, competencies, or knowledge
- Contribution is the act of assisting or aiding someone, something, or some cause other than oneself
Your six basic human needs can serve as a guide while you experiment with ways to love or even enjoy healthy activities that you want to do more often, like running.
Meaning: For instance, most people avoid running because they find it difficult. A person who can run regularly will probably experience a sense of significance and distinctiveness for having the courage to go for their key health and fitness goals.
Certainty: By increasing your odds of leading a long, healthy life, running can help you meet your need for certainty.
You might also want to consider combining running with another pastime you enjoy. You can train your brain to link jogging with a sense of assurance that you will love it by matching an activity with it, such as listening to an addictive audiobook while running.
Researchers discovered that participants who listened to an engaging audiobook exercised 51% more frequently than those in the control group in their randomized controlled study.
Diversity: You could want to mix up your jogging destinations, audiobooks, or music genre to satisfy your demand for variety. Even better, why not register for a race in a town or region you’ve always wanted to visit?
Why not go for a run with a friend or a running club? Joining running clubs is a terrific opportunity to meet other outdoor enthusiasts who share your passion for finding new ways to enjoy the great outdoors. You might also consider how running will enable you to take pleasure in the company of active friends and family members thanks to your increased energy and fitness levels.
Growth: You can experience unending growth through running. Why not try running five miles after the first mile? While pursuing your future goals, treadmills and running watches may help you keep track of your progress by providing you with hard data on your speed, times, and distances.
Contribution: By running, you may support a worthwhile charity.
After losing a loved one to cancer, Megan Wotherspoon participated in one of her first marathons to raise money for the Cancer Society.
The next step
Make a plan for how you might begin to love running by tapping into your six basic human wants in the next 5 to 10 minutes.
Running, according to Megan Wotherspoon, satisfies several of the aforementioned requirements, whether you’re trying to enjoy your friends’ company (connection/love), advance toward your goals (development), or simply realize that few others are prepared to run in the rain or snow (significance).
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