SparkPeople Slideshows

10 Ways to Add Variety to Your Runs

  • 1. Get Hilly With It

    If you’re normally a track or treadmill runner, take it outside with some hills. Find a hilly trail or create your own hill-filled route with an online tool that tracks elevation, such as mapmyrun.com. The hills will challenge your body in new ways and help to increase your cardio fitness.

    If you’re really looking for a challenge, find the biggest hill you can in your area and run up and down it as many times as you can with proper running form. Add this hilly workout to your weekly running schedule and watch your running power grow!

  • 2. Turn the Beat Around

    Nothing is worse than hearing the same song or playlist over and over during a run. If you feel like you have music déjà vu every time you run, it’s time to switch up those tunes. Whether it’s swapping your running tunes for a new batch of favorites or downloading an entirely new album or couple of tracks, new music can reignite your running spark. These ideas from your fellow Sparkers and Coach Nicole will get you started.

  • 3. Intervals Are Your Friend

    If you find yourself wanting to turn and run home because of boredom after just a few minutes of jogging, then you may want to try intervals. Perfect for those with short exercise attention spans (I'm guilty of this), intervals give you something to focus on. To improve speed--and make the time fly--try running fast for 30 seconds followed by 1 minute of easy jogging or fast walking. Do this for 20 minutes and your previously boring run will fly by. Plus, intervals burn more calories and improve your fitness faster than slower, steady state runs. Bonus!

  • 4. Grab a Bud

    Finding a friend to run with is the easiest way to turn a drab run into something fun. Especially good for long runs, grab your most gossipy bud and get those legs and mouths moving (this "talk test" can help measure intensity). Before you know it, you'll have your run done, and you'll know all the dirt on the new neighbors.

    If you don't have a friend to run with, don't forget about your dog! Furry friends can be fun and entertaining running companions. (And if your dog likes to chase squirrels like mine does, then you can get quite the interval and resistance workout, too!)

  • 5. Take the Road Less Traveled

    If you always run along with the same river, around the same block or even on the same treadmill, change it up! Be it a park, off-road trail, sandy beach or even a treadmill in a new area of the gym, get creative and take your run to a new spot. The variation will give you something new to look at and the varied terrain will challenge your muscles in new ways!

  • 6. Find Your Purpose

    Jogging doesn't just have to be about running laps around a track or getting fit (although the fitness part is awesome). Change how you see your run by repurposing it. Instead of running to burn calories, run the few blocks over to see a friend, jog to the post office to drop off a letter, or run to the video rental store to drop off that movie before it's overdue. Your body--and Mother Earth--will thank you!

  • 7. Perfect Your Gait

    Whether you're new to running or have a few marathons under your belt, you can always improve your form. If you’re finding your runs boring, then really pay attention and focus on your form. Nothing will make the time pass by faster than forgetting about how far you have to go and instead focusing on how you're running. Need pointers on the correct way to run? Check out these tips!

  • 8. Learn and Burn

    If music no longer speaks to your running soul, then try a book on tape, CD or download. From fiction to nonfiction, find something that really interests you and begin looking at your running time as a way to burn calories and learn something new! And if you don't want to spend the money on a book download, try listening to a few podcasts. Many of them are free and range in topics from fitness to cooking to news to humor to technology. No matter what subject matter you choose, just make sure you enjoy it--and that it isn’t so entertaining that you slow down!

  • 9. Train Your Brain

    Especially for those who run a lot and for long distances, sometimes your brain just gets bored. No matter how many hills you run or intervals you do, your brain just keeps saying, "Go home." But you don't want to go home! You want to run! So, to prevent brain boredom, give the noggin a task. Not sure what to bring to that housewarming party this weekend? Decide during your run. Have a big project coming up at work and aren't sure how to present it creatively? Brainstorm while you run. Can't figure out how to squeeze your workout into next week’s crazy schedule? Organize your time during your run. Make that mind run with those legs!

  • 10. Go for the Goal

    If all else fails, focus on your goal. Whether you're training for a half marathon, a 5K or just trying to complete your first mile, reacquaint yourself with why you started running in the first place. Is it because you feel fantastic after running? Is it because you love the accomplishment of running longer and faster? Is it because it's helping you drop unwanted pounds? No matter your reason, chances are that once you remind yourself of goal, you'll feel motivated to lace up those running shoes yet again.

    Now get out there and run! (And if running isn't your speed, try these great walking tips!)

    Written by Jennipher Walters
    Jennipher is a certified personal trainer, group exercise instructor, and lifestyle and weight management consultant. She also blogs regularly about her own fitness adventures at www.fitbottomedgirls.com.     See more fitness slideshows

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10 Ways to Add Variety to Your Runs

By Jennipher Walters, Certified Personal Trainer and Fitness Instructor

We all know the benefits of running-- strong heart, muscular legs, huge calorie burn, the runner's high--the list goes on and on. But even the most dedicated runners can get bored or lose motivation to lace up their sneakers every now and again. So how do you take your usual boring run and make it interesting, challenging or exciting again? You change it up, that's how!

Spice up your next run with these 10 tips!
Start Slideshow

1. Get Hilly With It

If you’re normally a track or treadmill runner, take it outside with some hills. Find a hilly trail or create your own hill-filled route with an online tool that tracks elevation, such as mapmyrun.com. The hills will challenge your body in new ways and help to increase your cardio fitness.

If you’re really looking for a challenge, find the biggest hill you can in your area and run up and down it as many times as you can with proper running form. Add this hilly workout to your weekly running schedule and watch your running power grow!