Ep #374 Rediscovering the Joy of Running

 Hey there, runner. I am your coach and your running BFF, Jill Angie, and I am here to get you running safely and confidently no matter your size. And on today’s warmup, we are talking about something that we can all use more of, and that is joy. So when was the last time that running felt fun for you? Like truly enjoyable.

And for many of us, Yes, running can start to feel like a chore or another item on our to do list. I know you can relate to this, um, especially maybe after a tough, uh, training season or a busy holiday period, or I don’t know, just life in general. So here’s the thing. Running does not have to be serious all the time.

In fact, the very best way to stay consistent is to make it something that you look forward to. So today we’re diving into how to rediscover the joy of running and fall in love with it all over again. So, first things first, let’s talk about why the joy of running might fade. And it is important, before we dive into that, to recognize that losing the spark, losing that joyful feeling you have about running, does not mean you’re doing anything wrong.

It’s totally normal and it happens for a variety of reasons. I’m going to give you four right now. The first is maybe it’s just some burnout, right? Maybe you have been pushing yourself too hard. You’re following a strict plan. Uh, you’re aiming for a goal that feels more stressful than exciting. And overtraining is, it’s a fast track to losing the joy of running.

And so it is important to make sure that you are balancing your training with other types of self care. Now, the second reason that you might have lost the joy is that whole, that comparison, right? Comparison is the thief of joy. So when you are hearing about other people’s results and thinking, Oh, I can’t do that.

Or maybe you’re even comparing where you are now, your stats right now to where you were a year ago or five years ago. And you’re feeling like, Oh, I can’t do what I used to be able to do. It can make you feel like you’re failing, like you’re not making progress, all, you can have all the things. And again, that is a joy destroyer.

Now, another thing that is super common with people is, you know, life happens. We have work, we have family responsibilities, we have illness, injuries, life can throw curveballs at you that take the focus off of running and make it feel really stressful to find the time for it. And then it just becomes a source of anxiety instead of joy.

You’re like, Oh my gosh, one more thing I have to get in here. I got to get my run in and. But I have all these other things to do and we could just get so stressed out over it. So totally normal. And then the fourth kind of common reason that people lose the joy of running is that it starts to feel like a chore.

And this happens a lot to people who are training for longer distances, like a half marathon or a full marathon or ultra marathon, right? Um, running starts to feel like an obligation, especially if you are a slower runner and it takes you. longer to complete your training runs. You’re like, Oh, great. Now my whole Saturday is going to be spent getting ready to run and then running for three hours and then coming home and, you know, stretching and foam rolling and all the things.

And well, there’s half my day. So sometimes, you know, it can start to feel like an obligation rather than a choice because. It’s, you know, when it starts to feel like it’s something that you have to do instead of something that you get to do, the joy is just, just goes right down the tubes. So if you can relate to any of this, please don’t worry.

You are not alone. It is 100 percent fixable. I promise. We’re going to talk about it right now. So the first step to recapturing that joy is not to change your circumstances. It’s not like, Oh, if I could magically get faster. I would be Much more happy about my job. Feel joyful, right? The first step to recapturing the joy is to shift your mindset.

All right. And fortunately, this is something you have 100 percent control over. So the truth bomb is running does not have to look a certain way to be real. It doesn’t have to be fast or far or fancy. It just has to feel good and work for you. So give yourself permission to release those expectations. Uh, if you’ve been stuck in the mindset that every run has to be a good workout or you have to improve your pace or do better somehow on every workout, let that go.

It’s never going to happen, right? Like there’s no way you can get better every single time. And sometimes your runs are not going to be a hard workout and that’s okay. All right. Instead, I want you to start asking yourself, what would make running feel good today? What would make running feel fun today?

And sometimes that might mean slowing down, running for shorter periods, uh, changing up your intervals so that you’re walking more. And guess what? It still counts. Okay. It still counts. So bringing the fun back into your runs is important as well. And it doesn’t have to be all like, okay. Serious training plans and checking things off a list and doing races, right?

You don’t ever have to do a race if you don’t want to. Here are a few ideas to bring that fun back into your training. So the first is try scavenger hunt. Go out with the intention of spotting as many interesting things as you can, like cool houses, funny signs, flowers, cute dogs, whatever you want. I actually did a whole episode on this a few weeks back, so make sure you check that out.

You could run to music or podcasts that you love. So if you are, maybe your playlist is getting stale, let’s switch it up or let’s try something new, try a podcast, a comedy podcast, an audio book, um, try running without anything in your ears at all and see what happens, like mix up what is, what, what content you are consuming while you are running to see if that like engages you a little bit differently and makes it feel more fun.

Exploring new routes. This is always a great way to mix it up because if you like me, I almost always run the same loop in my neighborhood. I’ve got my one mile route, my two mile loop, my three mile loop, right? But sometimes when I’m like, uh, I just don’t feel like doing that, I’ll be like, okay, I’m going to drive to the park.

I’m going to drive to a different park and I’m going to run there just to shake it up. So try that. Try a new trail, a park, even a different time of day to see your surroundings in a fresh light and bring some, like, bring a little bit of spark back to your run. And this last one is super important because Running with other people can turn a solo activity into a social experience.

And if you are sitting there thinking, yes, but everybody I know is faster than me. Okay, fine. Make your own running group, put a post up in a local Facebook group, pick a time to meet in a, you know, a public area. Um, you will be surprised. First of all, if you put a post up and say, Hey, I’m starting a slow runners group.

And. I run about an 18 minute mile and I’m looking for other people that want to do intervals and, and jog at that pace with me. You will be surprised at just how many people there are that are like, Oh, actually that’s me. I want to do that too. And all of the other running groups are too fast for me. So join a group, make your own group, bring a friend with you.

Like maybe you just have a buddy that wants to get into running or a friend that is already running. Maybe she lives. farther away and you only get together once a week or once a month, but like bring that social aspect into it, uh, once in a while to mix it up. Okay. And then finally focus on the little wins that you’ve got going on.

So We tend to think that the goal, you know, like running the race or doing the super long distance or hitting a certain pace is what brings us joy, but really it’s the little wins. Okay. So when running feels hard and you want to focus on what’s not going well, I want you to flip that script and celebrate the small stuff.

Did you lace your shoes up today? Boom. That’s a win. Did you run for five minutes when you didn’t feel like going at all? Boom. Another win. All right. Did you notice how amazing the breeze felt or how good you felt afterwards? Right? That’s joy. That’s a win. That’s a win. So keep a running journal, snap a post run selfie, like capture these moments so that you can start to notice It’s the joy that is there that you just needed to pay attention to.

Okay. Now I want to talk about reconnecting with why you started running in the first place because this is, you know, one of the best ways to recapture that original joy when you were a new runner and you were so excited about it. So understand, like, was it to feel strong? Did you do it to clear your mind?

When did you? Do it to be an example for your kids, to prove to yourself that you could do it. Like, take a moment to reflect on what running gives you, okay? Maybe it’s the alone time, right? Maybe it’s the confidence boost when you finish. Whatever your why is, I want you to keep it front and center. So that, you know, you’re always able to fall back on that just in case like none of the other tricks work.

You’re just like, Oh, I just don’t want to do it. Like, Oh wait, I always feel so good after I’m done. That’s my reason. Okay, let’s go. Right. And you know, if your reason for running has changed over time, that’s okay too. So give yourself permission to redefine your why if you need to, and let that guide you forward.

Okay. Okay. Bye. So I’m going to give you three action steps to take right here and now to help you bring the joy back into your running. And the first is set a fun goal. Okay? We’re going to forget about pace and distance. Instead, I want you to set a goal like running a certain number of new routes this month or taking a picture of something beautiful on every single run or taking, you know, just celebrating that you stopped.

To, to like smell the roses or something. So set a fun goal that is not related to pace or distance or number of days you went running or any of that. Okay. I also want you to create a joy list and this is simple. You’re going to write down five things that make you happy about running. Okay. It could be how you feel afterwards.

It could be the fresh air. It could be. You know getting to I don’t know one of my favorite things is to see dogs when I’m out running and sometimes I’ll count how Many dogs I saw and stuff so create create a list of five things that make you happy about running Write it on a post it stick it to the wall by your front door Or if you run on your treadmill in your your gym your own home gym Put it on your treadmill, right?

Put it someplace that you’re going to notice it every time you go to run. Read it. Say it out loud. Read it out loud yourself. I know you might feel silly. Do it anyway. And then the third action item is to play with your minimum baseline. So if running is feeling overwhelming right now, I want you to shrink Your minimum baseline goal to the smallest possible amount and maybe it is One interval maybe it is five minutes, whatever it is.

I want you to shrink it way down Make sure you listen to the episode I did on what the minimum baseline is if you’re unfamiliar with this term But shrink it down so that You know, there’s no way there’s that it’s as good as done, right, that it is inevitable that you’ll do it because that that minimum baseline is so small that it is almost impossible for you not to do it.

Okay. And what happens, you know, when you, when you check off your minimum baseline, maybe your goal again was like a five minute, uh, five minute interval run or something like that. Boom. You checked it off. You did your thing. You got like a little tiny piece of joy out of it. Hopefully, maybe the joy was simply, Hey, I did it.

Yay. Yay me. Um, but that minimum baseline is your ticket. It’s like the magic, the, the secret sauce to, uh, really kind of reconnecting and becoming that consistent runner again, that you, that you, you know, used to be and that you want to be. So. One of the absolute best ways to rediscover the joy of running, I’m going to do a shameless plug here, is by surrounding yourself with people who get you.

Okay. People who cheer you on, who celebrate your wins, who remind you that running is supposed to be fun for fuck’s sake. And that is exactly what we do in the Run Your Best Life program. It is a coaching membership and community. We’re runners of all levels come together to support and inspire each other.

So inside this, this group, you will find programs for every stage of your running journey from beginners to marathoners. You will get weekly group coaching calls to keep you motivated, a Facebook group to keep you connected and an amazing, amazing group of women who are going to celebrate you every step of your journey.

All right. So if you’re ready to join that group, um, check out the link in the show notes or simply go to runyourbestlife. com and I would love to have you be a part of it. Let’s go. Let’s do this. All right. Um, my friends, that is it for today. So I want you to remember running doesn’t have to be serious or perfect.

It is okay to take a step back, try something new, focus on having fun. All right. I hope this inspired you to fall back in love with your running or at least gave you some ideas to try Running is your journey, right? It does not have to look like anyone else’s the most important thing is that it makes you happy All right So it is time now for you to start that interval timer and get going And by the way, after you’re done with your run today, if this episode helped you get in the right mindset for today’s run, please don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and I’ll talk to you next week, my friend.