So I’ve been consistently running for about three years now, and over those years, I’ve been changing my approach to running a few times. Initially changing my approach to running to help increase my distances and keep my speeds high, I’ve become increasingly burned out over the last few months. Exercise has been very effective for getting me out of bed every morning, but I believe that not changing my approach to running might have a bad effect on my wellbeing in a little while.
So, allow me to get right into the 5 ways I’m changing my approach to running, and why I’m doing them.
1. Explore some new paths
Einstein said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting something to change. Now, I can’t speak for what actions Einstein was exactly thinking of when he said this, but I think that not changing my approach to running may result in some mild insanity.
For the last few months, I’ve had several paths that I use for running, and while that diversity is great, I realised that there are several possible routes around where I live that I haven’t yet explored. I think that exploring new paths will make changing my approach to running more explorative and feel less like a chore.
2. Braving the weather differently
Similar to Einstein’s definition of insanity, there’s also something to be said for the idiom of braving the elements. Now, changing my approach to running in the elements won’t exactly entail my running into the middle of a snowstorm – because I’ll probably freeze to death – but it’ll mean that I’m going to try going into these situations with a different mindset.
I’ll often loathe going out into the rain, and I’ll come back from the rain not feeling great and in a bad mood. So, with that in mind, I’m going to be changing my approach to running by heading out into all kinds of weather with a more optimistic mindset.
3. Go off the beaten track
Similar to my decision to explore some new paths, I really want to try running on more trails and fewer pavements. Changing my approach to running through more trails is apparently good for balance among other things – and anybody who knows me is aware of how bad my balance is.
I also think that pushing myself deeper into nature will really help my mental wellbeing, which hasn’t been fantastic as of late. I’ll likely have to buy a pair of trail running shoes and start of slow, but I’m looking forward to sharing this journey and looking at how changing my approach to running this way improves my overall performance.
4. Focus less on my stats
I realise how – in the last few weeks especially – I’ve been obsessing over my running stats, especially for my speed and distance. I don’t think that it’s great for anybody to be analysing their results for their sport so intricately that they feel bad when their time is slower than usual a couple of days in a row.
This won’t just be me changing my approach to running, but also my approach to data analysis. What I imagine I’ll have to do is allow myself to look at my pace and distance without getting too overanalytical about it.
5. Signing on for a half-marathon
I’m already able to comfortably run a half-marathon, but I think that signing on for an official event will help me. By appealing to my more competitive side, I think that I may end up running better than ever before.
I’ve mentioned my plan to do a half-marathon before, but don’t think that I explained it very much. Though I’m not sure that changing my approach to running this way will be a mindset that I keep for all my sessions, but I’m excited to see how it’ll turn out.
This list of UK half-marathons should be helpful in getting me to find one.
6. Remembering why I’m doing it in the first place
The most important thing I’ll plan to do when changing my approach to running this year is remember why I’m doing it in the first place. Of course, I’m running for exercise and to keep myself fit, but the number one reason I’m running is for my mental wellbeing.
I think that I’ve become too focused on running for the wrong reasons these last few months, and I hope that changing my approach and keeping my number one goal at the forefront of my mind will help my mental health a lot. By remembering that I’m running for my own personal enjoyment, I hope I can put my mental wellbeing in a much better place.
These are the ways I’m going to be changing my approach to running, but are there any ways you’ll be changing your approach to anything this year? This could be sports, life, cooking, anything at all! Let me know in the comments below!
Until next time,
Conrad 🙂
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