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My first run of 2025 was comically bad.
It started with my decision to go to the gym and run on the treadmill instead of braving the cold and running outside. I just didn't feel like bundling up and starting out too cold then getting too hot then getting cold again from my dried sweat, etc. A rant for another time, but I just hate all the gear that comes with winter sports. So I went to the gym, even though I know running on the treadmill is physically and mentally harder than running outside. I was just in the mood to be in shorts and a t-shirt in a climate-controlled room and watch The Sex Lives of College Girls. You know? Then I got there and realized I had forgotten my headphones. !!!!! Buzzkill !!!!!!
My original plan was to run five miles. I considered if I had the mental fortitude to do that on a treadmill without personal entertainment. Maybe! As soon as I started running though, it became clear that I probably didn’t. Then my stomach started cramping and my sports bra felt too tight and I kind of couldn’t breathe. I slowed down to, like, a 15-minute mile pace, and that kind of helped, but I couldn't fathom running five miles at that speed. I won't give you the whole play by play, but just know that in the end, I persevered enough to hit 3.6 miles, which felt like a win. I didn't run all of it at a 15-minute mile pace, but it was pretty close.
I'm telling you this mundane story because as we all embark on a new year with fitness goals and whatnot, it's important to remember that running, quite often, sucks! Most of the runs I've been on in the last few months have really, truly sucked. And yet, I'm too wrapped up in my identity of being "a runner" to not run as long as I’m physically able, so 5-6 days a week, I put one foot in front of the other and play mind games with myself until I've hit at least two miles, and then I go home and log it in a little spreadsheet.
Even though running sucks, there are ways to make it suck less. I think
, who writes a newsletter aptly titled Running Sucks, summed up the crux of it in a recent newsletter: “My one piece of advice if you’re starting your running journey today? Find a way to make running easier. Take the lowest hanging fruit, and once you’ve done that, think about the next thing you can make less difficult.” That’s the general idea of making running more palatable; below are some specific ones that have come to mind lately:Join a running group. You’ll think about the discomfort of running less if a) you’re surrounded by other people doing the same thing, b) you’re distracted by talking to other people, and c) you’re surrounded by strangers/acquaintances and are too embarrassed to pull over and just go home. Social pressure is powerful!
If you find running groups intimidating or they don’t work with your schedule, run with at least one other person. Plan a time and place to meet. You will feel VERY BAD if you cancel on them. When I’m in the thick of training, I often meet a friend at 6:30 am to do weekly speed workouts. I always think about ways of cancelling but the guilt of making him go to the track alone/derailing his workout always gets me. Once again, social pressure is powerful!
Run as volunteer work. Running will automatically become more fulfilling if your run is also a time when you help others, like through Achilles International.
Or pace a friend. Less altruistic than Achilles but still makes the purpose of your run about someone else. I paced my husband for part of a recent 15k race he ran and it was one of the more enjoyable long runs I’ve been on in the last few months because I wasn’t focused on myself and my own discomfort.
Slow down. Running sucks because it is physically demanding, so make it less so by slowing down. No one cares about your pace. Don’t look at your watch!
Plan your walk breaks. I sometimes feel like a run is a “fail” when I have to stop to walk. I find that if I plan to walk for a minute every seven minutes or so, I feel more accomplished than just walking at random times throughout.
Do intervals. Running is quite nice when you get into a flow state and don’t even notice the miles go by, but not everyone gets into that meditative mindset. I haven’t lately, so instead, I’ve been breaking up my runs into intervals. The intervals vary, for example, I’ll do five sets of half mile repeats with a quarter mile recovery between, or two minutes “fast” running followed by two minutes “slow” running. I usually make up the intervals as I go. It breaks up the run, making five miles go by a lot quicker than just running them at a steady pace.
End your run at a bakery. Or a coffee shop, or a bar. Whatever motivates you. Just run there.
Buy new running clothes. Once again, whatever motivates you. I usually run in garbage but every so often I treat myself to some overpriced Tracksmith gear that makes me feel like a runner girlie.
Run in carbon plated shoes. It’s actually crazy how much easier running is when you’re wearing carbon plated shoes. I don’t wear them for every run, but when I need an extra boost or want to run at a faster-than-easy pace, I wear an old pair of Nike Alphaflys. It takes a lot less effort to go fast wearing them. Suss!!
Those are all the not-so-hot, painfully basic tips I have for you today. Be back in a few weeks with more tales of running when it sucks and the January baked good of the month.
Elaheh
When running outside you can decide if you want to dress for the first mile or the last mile. Sometimes when I don’t like the idea of being cold I put on extra clothes knowing I’ll be a sweaty mess the last mile. Some times when I’m motivated to charge I dress for the last mile and freeze the first mile.
No idea what carbon-plated shoes are but I loved this edition.