Ep #389: 5 Ways to Break Out of a Running Rut

Welcome to the Not Your Average Runner podcast. I’m Jill Angie, a certified running coach, and your running BFF here to help you start running. Feel confident and love the journey no matter your size. Now, if you’ve ever felt like you just weren’t meant to be a runner, think again. I believe that running is for all bodies, even yours.

This podcast is your warmup buddy, giving you tips, motivation, and the support you need to lace up and get moving. I’ve helped thousands of women become runners, and now I wanna help you. Let’s go.

Hey runner, welcome back to not your average runner, the podcast that is here to make running feel less like punishment and more like play. So let’s be real for a second, because sometimes running does get boring. I know, I get it. You do the same route, the same pace, the same playlist, and suddenly what?

Started out as a fun, empowering activity becomes just another chore. Right. And you know, let’s be honest, again, when you’re in a bigger body, sometimes it feels like your options are already limited. So it’s easy to fall into that like, oh God, not this again, sort of mindset. So that’s why it’s important to mix things up, not just to stay entertained, but to stay motivated and excited and engaged with running, to keep it from turning into just one more thing that you resent.

Now adding a little variety, even if it’s something goofy or lighthearted actually, especially if it’s like that can change everything, right? It reactivates your curiosity. It gives your brain something to focus on besides how much time is left, and it makes the whole experience feel more joyful and alive.

So today I have five fun challenges for you, to help you shake things up. There are no time goals, no pace pressure. It is literally just some creative ways to get your body moving and keep your mind engaged. Let’s do it now. The first one is the run on every street challenge, and this is like a little urban or suburban adventure.

And honestly, you could even do this in rural areas if you’re training for a marathon. Here’s how it works. You’re gonna pick a section of your neighborhood. It can be any size. Um, if you wanna do it in just one run, maybe it’s just a few blocks. Uh, if you wanna do this as a project, it might be a larger area, but you’re gonna make it your mission to run every single street in that section.

Okay, now I am actually planning to do exactly this in my own neighborhood this summer. Uh, one day Andy and I were walking home from a coffee shop. We passed a tiny little street that neither of us had noticed before. And so we’re like, Hey, let’s take a walk down this street. And if you’re familiar with Philadelphia, you know exactly the kind of street that I’m talking about, right?

It is cobblestone. It’s not quite big enough for a car, although sometimes people try, um, and it’s lined with cute little row houses, and that gave me an idea. What if I ran on every street in Fishtown? So that’s gonna be my summer project. I’m gonna print out a map of the neighborhood. It’s a good size neighborhood, and I’m gonna plan roots to cover every single street.

And I’m gonna document it on Instagram. So if you’re not following me over on Instagram, make sure you are, because I’m gonna be updating it all summer with my progress anyway. The beauty of this challenge is that it forces you to break out of your comfort. Loop, right? Your comfort zone. You know the one, the path that you could run blindfolded because you have done it so many times.

When you start checking out unfamiliar streets, you might discover new parks, weird lawn ornaments, even your new favorite running route. And it makes every run feel like you’re sort of unlocking a secret level in a video game. And again, you don’t have to live in a city to do this. You can literally do it anywhere, make it a project.

Keep me posted on how it goes. I would love to know. Okay, challenge number two is the Corgi Chase challenge. And this is not chasing corgis, it’s just kind of a clever name I came up with. Um, it’s just fun, right? Your goal is to spot as many dogs as possible during your run. Any dog counts. Corgis are the holy grail bonus points if they’re in a sweater or rain boots.

Um, but this turns your run into a scavenger hunt, right? It gives your brain something to scan for besides how many minutes are left. It adds a little joy every time you see a wagging tail or a little like. Panting tongue. Um, you can keep a total on your phone. You could make a weekly leaderboard with your running friends.

I actually love this idea, right? Like you don’t even have to be in person with your running friends, right? Like you can just do it online and yes, I get it. We are adult women chasing imaginary points for seeing dogs. Alright, let’s go. That’s where we are in the world right now. And you know, let’s be honest, dog watching is really a valid form of therapy.

There are, there is a reason that dogs are chosen as therapy animals because they are calming and they make us happy. Every time I see a dog on a run, I smile and sometimes it is a great excuse to take a little break to stop, say hi to the doggo. Just make sure that you ask permission before putting your hand near a dog that you don’t know.

Always do that. Now, if you are not a dog person. I get it. There are, I think there’s two or three people on the planet that don’t love dogs. Um, you just pick another animal, right? Squirrels, deer, cows, horses, cats.

Now, if you’re not a dog person, you can just pick another animal. All right. Squirrels, deer, cows. Oh shit.

Now, if you’re not a dog person, you can just pick another animal. That’s fine. Squirrels, deer, cows, horses, cats, whatever it is. I love when I run by somebody’s house and their cat is in the window, just, it always makes me smile. So just pick an animal and have fun with it. Alright, challenge number three is the gratitude challenge.

And this is not as woowoo as it sounds, I promise. Um, it’s about tuning in and not zoning out because sometimes. We forget that being able to go for a run is a privilege. It is something that we get to do. And if you sometimes feel like running is an obligation and not a joy, I want you to give this a try.

Alright? What? What harm could it do? Give it a try. Nobody’s even gonna know. So what you’ll do is you’ll set a timer on your phone or your watch. Whatever you want to just ding every five minutes during your run, and when it buzzes, you’re going to name something you’re grateful for and you can name it out loud if you want to.

You can name it in your head. If you’re more of a. Stealth gratitude ninja. Um, but the idea is to gently shift your attention from discomfort or self-criticism to what is good. All right. Maybe you are grateful that your legs are working today. Maybe you love the way the breeze feels on your skin. Maybe you went out for a run and you’re like me.

And you actually like running in a gentle rain and it is a gentle rain, and you’re like, this is awesome. Uh, maybe you are just grateful that you got the f out the door even though you really didn’t want to, and maybe you just have an awesome book to listen to while you run. It does not matter how small it is because what this practice does is it, it starts rewiring your brain to associate running with positive feelings, with things that you like.

Okay with things that make you feel good, and this means you’re more likely to want to go again on your next running day. All right? It’s kind of like you’re turning your workout into a little mini pep talk. And yes, I get it. You’ve got me for pep talks, but we only do this once a week, and there’s other running days that you need.

So this gratitude, again, it’s not woo, it’s not, this is not. Silliness. This is actual science. The more you think about what’s good, the more you will associate it with running. It’ll rewire your brain and you will be able to, um, you know, feel a little bit more excited about running. Okay, give it a try. Let me know how it goes.

Number four is run. Bingo. This one is ridiculously fun. You just, it’s simple. You create a bingo card filled with everyday running moments, and then you check them off, right? And it’s things like you ran, even though you didn’t want to. You saw a dog with boots on. You tried a new route, you got rained on, uh, you wore your favorite leggings.

You smiled at a stranger. You ran in new shoes, you found money on the ground, right? Whatever it is. Make your, you’ll for a bingo card, you need 25 things, okay? And then every time you experience one of those things, you check it off and your goal is to get five in a row, vertically, horizontally, or diagonally.

Fill the whole board if you’re feeling ambitious. But this challenge helps you notice the little things. Right, the stuff that would normally get overlooked, uh, you know, it helps you notice the little wins that you wouldn’t, that you would normally dismiss as not real progress. But honestly, this is the real stuff.

The grit, the joy, the weird little moments that make running yours. Now you can create your own Bingo card. I actually made one for you. It’s over on my, not your average runner Instagram today. So you can actually go over there and screenshot it and make sure you follow me while you’re there. Um, and then.

Play Play Runner Bingo. And again, you can do this with your friends. Who’s the first one to get a bingo on the runner Bingo card. Okay. Alright, last one. And this is a long haul challenge. 26 runs to be specific, um, or I guess more or less runs depending on which alphabet you use. But if you use the A, B, C, D, E, alphabet.

It’ll be 26 runs on each run. Your mission is to spot as many things starting with the same letter. Now, if you are, if you’re like me, you’ll do it in alphabetical order. If you’re a chaos monster, maybe you will pick a a RU letter at random. But basically you’re going to say you start with the letter A and maybe you see an abandoned armchair.

Okay? I think that counts for two because it’s abandoned and it’s an armchair, and that both of those start with the letter A. But basically you’re gonna look for as many things starting with the letter A. And keep score. Work your way all the way to Z one letter per run and see which letter gets the most points.

It’s silly. I get it. But if you do this, you will be amazed at what you start noticing. It pulls you out of your head and into your environment. So you know, on F day you might spot a flamingo lawn ornament. You might spot a fence that is falling down. Um, you might spot a fuck the patriarchy sign. I hope you spot that.

Um. It. It doesn’t really matter like what the things are, just that you are connecting your brain with, like looking at things, spotting them, naming them, and having fun with it. Okay? It makes every run a little treasure hunt, and I recommend that you take pictures to document your fines. Put this up on Instagram.

Okay? Have some fun with it. Let other people know this is the letter I’m looking for today and see where it goes. I, this is a super, super fun challenge, I promise you. So there you have it. Five running challenges to spice things up, keep you engaged and remind you that running doesn’t have to be serious to count.

All right, and hey, speaking of trying new things. If you liked these ideas, you’ll probably love my new author Instagram account. Okay, so I am writing my first mystery novel murder mystery. It is super fun. Um, and I am over there sharing behind the scenes book recommendations, plot twists, important opinions about coffee and snacks.

And sometimes you’ll even see my cats. So. This is a different Instagram account than my running one. It is called Jill Writes Mysteries. Again, I’m gonna put a link over in the show notes for you, and I would love to see you there because I’m writing this book. Hopefully it’ll be done by the end of the year and out published in the world next year.

I’d love to have you come along for the ride, and I am a compulsive reader. I read constantly, so I will be sending, um, putting up my favorite books that I am reading. What I love about them, and again, we will be talking about snacks over there as well. So Jill writes, mysteries is the Instagram, come hang out.

I would love to see you there. Until next time, go pet a dog. Say something nice to yourself and keep running your own damn way. All right, I will be back next week with more tips to help you run strong, happy, and again, run your way. Because remember, you are a runner no matter your pace or your body size, and I’ll talk to you next week.

Real quick before you go, I’ve got a fun challenge for you. Take my exerciser personality quiz to find out exactly what kind of exerciser you are and how to make running feel easier and more enjoyable.

Just head over to not your average runner.com/quiz to take it and get your results. That’s not your average runner.com/quiz.