As we know, consistency is key to improving. Doing things well, time and time again will yield results but by doing the same thing over and over again, training can get a bit monotonous - so below are some of my tops tips in order to keep training exciting.
1. Set yourself a goal or race distance that you wouldn’t usually target.
Often, for example, if you’re a marathon runner, you tend to get caught in the trap of doing marathon block after marathon block. Try target something completely different to what you would usually do. I know in my case, I haven’t done a lot of track races, so personally, I want to target some 3000m races. It’s not my strength or what I’m good at, but ultimately it will shift the focus from the norm, snap me out of my comfort zone and do me some good in the long run, by ramping up that speedwork. Ask yourself the question: what would your younger self want to target? And go for it! You’re never too old!
2. Alternate running sessions between time and distance.
Running the same sorts of distances, day in and day out, can get a bit monotonous but by simply switching distance to time, you’re tricking the brain and looking at it from a completely different perspective. I often find that in shorter intervals, I prefer training to distance. But in longer, structured runs, I prefer training to time. Keep alternating it and don’t let the brain get too comfortable by doing the same thing day in and day out.
3. Go to Strava segment hunting.
Have a look on Strava at to the usual routes you’d run and see what segments there are. Lace up one day and go and chase them. No one wants to receive the dreaded email, when someone has stolen your Strava crown. Absolutely nothing wrong with segment chasing and a great way to keep training spicy. These days you can also hunt that local legend status too.
4. Find a new workout loop, even if that means you need to travel a bit for it.
If you find that the workouts you do are on the same loop and you don’t have many other options around you, then it’s worth considering alternative good workout routes, in and around where you live, even if it means you have to travel a bit to get there. Ideally, what you’re looking for is a flat, fast stretch of road or loop where there is little to no traffic and as few interruptions as possible.
5. Treat yourself to a new piece of kit.
Sacrifice a little bit in other areas, to reward yourself with a new piece of running merchandise. It doesn’t need to be excessive, but as we know new kit is always exciting, no matter how much you have.
Whether it’s a small piece of merchandise like funky socks, or an epic new running watch, keep rewarding yourself along your journey. We invest a lot of time and effort into running and we should be rewarding ourselves for good achievements along the way. Throw in bits and pieces here and there to keep things exciting.
6. Listen to an epic playlist.
Sometimes it’s nice to get completely lost in your own world. Take your mind off running and allow yourself to almost fall into some form of meditation. A good playlist can do this with songs that hit the spot. We all have a different taste in music, but have a favourite playlist that you listen to on a fairly regular basis.
7. Join a club or community.
Meeting new runners who are similar-minded to you can often instantly put an extra spring in your step and add a new bit of freshness within your own journey. I see it happen often when someone joins my running club, Best Athletics. Straight away, they are encouraged by the support of a team around them and are motivated to work hard and relay the support back. It turns out to be one giant synergy where we feed off each other’s motivation. Connect with others, share your experiences and you’ll find there’s a lot of relatable fellow runners out there.
8. Get a coach.
If it’s within your budget, I highly encourage you to get a coach. Once again, that just adds more spice in your journey. It’s someone to freshen up your training and hold you accountable. It’s also exciting to get a coach - someone who will help you and perhaps give you a completely different perspective on training. Even coaches need coaches and I have recently reached out and I’m incredibly excited to get a coach myself.
9. Jump in the deep end and enter a race.
You often hear stories about someone losing a bet and that’s how they ended up running the marathon or entering a race. That doesn’t always need to be the case. Sometimes you just need to throw yourself completely in the deep end and enter that race, even if you don’t know you’re capable of it. Trust me - once that race is in the diary, you will have a purpose to train and something that will get you out the door on those days you don’t feel like it. Nothing is more motivating than when you know you have a race coming up and you want to give yourself the best possible chance come race day.
10. Try repeat one of your previous workouts but do it better.
I quite like this one. You’ve done the workout before so you know what it takes. We learn from each race we do but we also learn from each workout we do too. Try and think back to what you executed well within this workout and what you didn’t. Attempt to rectify it and execute it better. If you do - amazing. If not, don’t you worry, you’ll get to attempt this session again, trust me.
Keep training fun!
Keep trying exciting!
Let’s go get it!
Boom Shakalaka!
