Welcome to another great Wild Workout Wednesday Link Up where Annmarie from The Fit Foodie Mama, Jen from Pretty Little Grub, Michelle at Fruition Fitness and I bring you workout ideas, motivation, inspiration and recipes to try. Join us each week by reading along, linking up and grab the button to proudly display on your blog/in your posts!
It's Sunday morning. You're up at the crack of dawn, so that you can fit in 3+ hours of running for that race you signed up for in the midst of runner's high. Ugh. Why did you sign up for this again? You begrudgingly pull on your sneaks as you promise yourself never to sign up for another one of these again.
Trust me, I am all too familiar with that feeling, but this past training cycle was different for me. Instead of dreading my long run days, I really looked forward to them. Long run time became one of my favorite times of the week.
Today, I want to share all my little secrets with you all. Start incorporating a few of these tips and you'll be loving the long run before you can say, "Marathon!"
1. Run With Friends
Running with friends is one of the best ways to make a long run fly by. I had an awesome crew of ladies to run with in New York City that kept me company for many a mile. Keep in mind that not everyone needs to be training for a marathon! I had one 14 miler where I ran 2 on my own to pick up a friend who was doing 10 and another who was coming from a different direction. We then ran 5 miles to pick up another friend for another 5. I finished with a solo 2 miles home. It takes some coordinating, but it's all worth it to have company and good conversation. Those 14 miles went by in a jiffy!
2. Add On A Race
If you run a half marathon distance or more, you totally deserve a medal, which is why I like incorporating races into my long runs. Not only does the thrill of the race make the run more fun, but you'll also get to explore a new course, enjoy crowd support, and add some new bling to your collection. I ran the Brooklyn Rock'n'Roll Half as part of an 18 miler and the Brooklyn Greenway Half as part of my 20 miler. Those were my two longest runs, but they seemed to fly by! I would suggest doing the extra miles before the race. That way, you can practice finishing a race on tired legs, and you won't have to run with a hefty new medal weighing you down.
3. Take A Scenic Route
You're bound to get bored if you run the same route day in and day out. Switch things up and find a pretty new route to explore. Stop and take pictures if you like (check out my tips on how to capture the perfect action shot). Allow yourself to enjoy the run by soaking in the scenery. When you explore a new route and aren't anticipating the next known mile marker, each mile will feel a lot more enjoyable.
4. Listen To An Audio Book
I tend to just tune out to music (which has it's benefits, as well), but an audio book gives me something to pay attention to. The right one can be really entertaining and makes the time fly by. I also start to look forward to my long runs because I know I'll be able to listen to more chapters.
Comedies are my favorite so far. They make me laugh out loud and look like a crazy person while I'm running, but oh well! Two of my favorites are Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson and Amy Schumer's The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo.
5. End At A Food Spot
I have yet to meet a runner that doesn't love food. Map out your route so that it ends at your favorite food spot, and plan to meet some friends. Nothing will make a long run go by faster than the promise of food at the finish. Plus, you deserve a solid post long-run feast!
Ok, so now you have a few days to figure out your plan of attack for making this weekend's long run more fun. Go forth, run, and have fun!
Got any good fit tips? Share them in this week's Wild Workout Wednesday Link Up!
Let's Chat:
Do you look forward to or dread your long runs?
How do you make your long runs more fun?
