How to Make Running More Enjoyable

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If you want to start hitting the pavement but aren’t finding the fun in it, I’m sharing my easy ways to make running more enjoyable so you can reach your goals.

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How to Make Running More Enjoyable

I’ve never run a marathon, though I do have goals to do a half someday, but I love to run. Whenever the weather is right, I log about 12 miles a week. This is also done while pushing our amazing, but monster of a jogging stroller with Blake inside, so I kinda feel like a badass. Whenever the weather sucks or it’s winter, (I do have all the winter stroller gear, but feel bad about taking Blake out into the cold) I alternate between weight training and HIIT workouts, which are awesome for moms with limited workout time. Running, however, is my true fitness love and my therapy and something that I yearn to do at this point in my life.

But…I didn’t always love to run.

In fact, I have the worst memories of struggling to run “the mile” in middle school and high school during gym class. I never wanted to get sweaty and was afraid to push myself back then, so I almost always came in last and it was a big embarrassing situation. It’s actually pretty invigorating to think back to those times, knowing that I can do more with my body being 32 and having 2 children than I could back then. Our bodies can do amazing things, you just have to believe in yourself.

As an adult, whenever people see me out running by myself or pushing the jogging stroller up these big Pittsburgh hills, I get stopped a lot by people giving me praise or asking for tips because they “hate running.” The truth is that I’m not doing anything amazing or anything that you can’t do, you just have to get out there and do it. But if you find running hard or boring or something you just don’t feel passionate about, I challenge you to give it a few weeks with these tips and see how much your outlook can really change.

How to enjoy your runs

Ok, here we go! I’m not promising miracles, but I think if you get into the right headspace, you will love running, too.

1. Make an epic playlist.

I know this is one that everyone recommends, but I can’t have a list of ways to enjoy running without it. Music seriously makes all the difference. You will find yourself getting excited and more energized when your favorite songs are played and even run to the beat.

2. Meditate on it.

I recently started meditating and am loving everything about it. I use the Meditation Studio app which offers both guided and unguided meditations at varying lengths of time and have started using the motivation ones before I run. It honestly helps to put me in the right mind frame and ready to take on the run with vigor. Seriously.

3. Make a schedule and stick to it.

Once you make a running schedule and stick with it, you will establish a healthy habit. This habit will then become a part of your day or week and turn into something you look forward to instead of wish you didn’t have to do. But you need to make yourself do it regularly and as often as possible.

4. Buy all the gear.

I always get more excited about starting anything new whenever I have bought all the gear. For running, I love a great new pair of kicks, some running leggings and running socks (so necessary!) and then I feel like since I’ve invested money in that, that I need to get my money worth. Plus, it’s always fun to show off your new stuff!

5. Slow yourself down.

Yup. Running isn’t always about speed. In fact, it’s really about finding your stride with a pace that works for you. So many people start running with intense speed and then feel really let down whenever they aren’t able to sustain that during their run. No one ever trained for a marathon in a day and no one ever sprinted an entire course on their first try. Start slow, take your pace down a notch and find your stride.

6. Focus on your mind.

Running is so mental. Our bodies are capable of doing it, we just have to convince our mind that we can. So instead of focusing on how you are feeling, how slow you might be going, try to shift your mindset to focus on what’s happening in your mind. Use this as a time to work through things bothering you, think about the things exciting you or just daydream about reaching big goals. I love to daydream the most while I run and it truly makes it a different experience.

7. When you’re ready, start tracking.

Whenever you are ready to stop being hard on yourself, I suggest to go ahead and start tracking your mileage and pace. I use Runkeeper and love it! Whenever you are able to tangibly see your runs mapped out with all the data behind it, you can then get competitive and compete with yourself. Nothing wrong with a little healthy competition!

8. If all else fails, focus on your end game.

I always tell people how I feel naturally high after my runs. There’s nothing like feeling proud of yourself for getting out of bed and making it happen. Whenever you’re running, it can be super enjoyable to focus on those feelings and use them to channel you through your run. And there’s nothing better than jumping into a hot shower after you’ve logged some major mileage!