An antidote for the running blues

When you make an effort to mix things up, your runs will never be dull

The other day, a friend of mine asked if I ever got bored running. While I often zone out and occasionally lose track of where I am, I can honestly say that boredom is not an issue I encounter during my runs. 

He was a bit incredulous by my response, but when I asked him about his routines he mentioned that he runs the same route pretty much every time out. I can relate. Back when I was self training, I’d often find myself at the mercy of the running blahs. Symptoms include stagnation, burnout, and yes, boredom. 

Like my friend, and I suspect many runners, I tended to do the same thing over and over. Routes rarely varied and neither did pace. It was only a matter of time before motivation began to wane. Simply adding variety to my runs did wonders for revitalizing my practice. 

That can mean exerting contrasting amounts of effort from day to day, adjusting goals to make each outing unique, or exploring different mindsets depending on the nature of my runs. Anyone can get up for a workout. Can you chill out on a recovery run and still find fulfillment? 

While I’m proud of the work I did on my own, it wasn’t until I hooked up with a coach and got out of the one-speed-fits-all mentality that running became more interesting. Now, every run feels like a slightly different experience than the day before.

Here’s a look at a somewhat typical running week that included easy efforts mixed with challenging workouts in a variety of settings.