Running is hard. Despite the physical challenges of running, oftentimes the worst part is the mental game. Trying to stay present while still not allowing your brain to overthink about running is difficult. Here are my tips and tricks for how I stay present but not bored while running.
- Music
This may seem like a given but the choice of music is so important for a run. For me, I like vibey, almost background type songs. I want to feel like I am in a movie where the main character goes on her morning job and has the time of her life. For me, that is simple class songs like “Cool Kids” by Echosmith, “Born to Die” by Lana Del Rey, and “I Bet My Life” by Imagine Dragons. Music that I can tune out but still be an absolute banger is the best for running, especially those longer distances.
- Math
I know how this sounds. Who would willingly do math while running? But doing some complicated but doable math in your head is an easy way to pass time. For me, I always try to calculate how much of a marathon (26.2 miles) I have run or how much of Mount Everest’s height (about 5.5 miles) I have run. This is an easy way to trick yourself into going a little bit farther. Plus it is very motivating to tell yourself that you have run half the height of Mount Everest at 2.25 miles!
- Give yourself a treat
One of the other ways I motivate myself to keep running is giving myself a reward. It is hard to run and even harder when you do not have anything to look forward to after running. My favorite way to treat myself after a run is with a delicious iced coffee, getting to read my book after, or even just giving myself a nap. Distracting myself with a reward is an easy way that I use to convince myself to keep running.
Running is hard, but it gets so much easier once you find that one motivation. Finding ways to distract your brain is going to look different for everybody. Join a run club if you want to have some buddies to run with! And always remember to take it one step at a time.