Trail Fit

Click here for the Lead Stories

Bored with your trail running route? The solution may be simpler than you think …

Posted September 3, 2007 at 03:37 PM by Bart Moylan

Section: Motivation, Training

So you’ve just blown through one of your regular trail routes and you are feeling like it’s become too routine, as if you’ve just done your regular 3-mile loop in your neighborhood. As you think to yourself how mundane that loop was the thought hits you in the side of head like a wild right hook from Chuck Liddell, the trails I’m running have become just like the pavement, uninspiring and ridiculously repetitive!

One of the reasons you left the pavement for the woods was the different surroundings but somehow that does not seem to be the case. Lost is that sense of adventure, excitement or what lurks up ahead. Logic would dictate that you should change trails, routes, hills or mountains. However, what if that’s not possible, or you have already tried that, but can’t shake the monotony?

Well, you should start by considering your attitude towards your training runs and workouts, as well as how your routine generally unfolds. Does this sound like you? ...

You arrive at the trailhead, do a few stretches, throw in the headphones and set out with the goal of trying to finish the run as soon as possible so you can get back and take care of the seemingly endless to-do lists for work, school, the kids, etc?

altitude training canada If so, then try to remember those feelings you experienced when you first began trail running. What did you truly enjoy? Getting your heart rate up as you cruise by the wonders of nature? The incredible views? The diversity or other characteristics of the trail itself? The break from all of the noise and commotion of city?

Or, when you stop and think about it, you now realize that you have been so caught up with lingering thoughts from your days stresses that you have been essentially oblivious to all of that natural beauty and those wonderful benefits?

You need to clear your mind once you arrive at the trailhead. This is your personal time, intend on making it the best as possible. This will allow you to take in the surroundings without being preoccupied. Next create some mental notes of what you want to see on this run. A few examples might be some seasonal flowers that are in bloom, a view of the surroundings towns, or a view of the hill you just sprinted up.

Now once you arrive at one of these predetermined sites, stop! Yes that’s right; stop running. Even if you are shooting for Beijing, a small break here and there, especially on your cross training days, will not be detrimental, but will rather help you to really enjoy yourself and motivate you to keep pushing forward.

Those few moments of reveling in your accomplishment, thinking about how you simply dominated that hill, or even staring off into the horizon and seeing the incredible view is what it’s really all about. Whether you are a recreational trail runner, competitive track star doing some cross training, just trying to stay in shape or even on a quest to finish that first marathon; allowing yourself these brief moments to appreciate your surroundings and your achievements can reinvigorate that inner fire and be essential to your long-term success.

9 comments, add yours |

Permalink |

Share this article

Tags: accomplishment, achievement, appreciation, bored, boredom, break, confidence, enjoy, experience, fun, hill, horizon, invigorate, long-term-success, monotonous, motivation, nature, pause, reinvigorate, relax, route, routine, scenery, surroudnings, trail, trailhead

Like what you see? Subscribe to our feed!

9 Responses to “Bored with your trail running route? The solution may be simpler than you think …” (Leave a reply)

vedete nemachiate said:

While some film and theatre directors, producers, fashion designers, artists, authors, trial lawyers and journalists have achieved celebrity status, in general they are less famous than actors of equal professional importance to the business.
March 14, 2008 at 11:04 AM
scarpe da lavoro said:

Coaches recommend trying to maintain as steady a pace as possible when running a marathon. Some advise novice runners to start out slower than their average goal pace to save energy for the second half of the race.
March 24, 2008 at 12:12 PM
water damage restoration from around said:

This past weekend was the second weekend I had gone running and been out for over an hour. It’s the first time though that I had actually gotten a little bored on my run. At the half way point, I actually thought, OMG, I still have over 30 min left! I tried focusing on the nature around me, listening to my iPod, or even just letting my thoughts wander. That helped, but it still got me a little concerned. I mean, if I am starting to get bored on a 70 minute run, what’ll happpen once I had 90 minutes?
April 10, 2008 at 08:02 AM
canadian business buy said:

I’m having a problem where I’ll be running in bursts, rather than keeping a steady pace. I think its mental - but I’m not sure how to stop it.
April 12, 2008 at 01:57 AM
utilitati terenuri said:

Traditionally, those who achieve “star” status in the movie industry are given special treatment, perks and high salaries. Some have become extremely wealthy, such as Marilyn Monroe who is said to have been one of the biggest movie stars in history.
April 13, 2008 at 02:52 AM
paruresis said:

I think running the same track can have a benefit in your performance. The reason that you run that track 100 times before can motivate to just be faster this time.
May 8, 2008 at 03:25 PM
consultanta it bucuresti from around said:

You get bored with your running route to work, so you decide to try something new. Instead of turning right on Avenue Street, you turn left on Lois Lane, because you’re pretty sure it joins up with Boulevard Way eventually. After jogging along for a mile, you wind up in a cow pasture with a surly rancher pointing a shotgun at your face.
May 18, 2008 at 04:14 AM
outsource sales from around said:

The regular route is more like “high-altitude hiking” than climbing, in the sense that general mountaineering skills are more important, the climbing itself being technically quite easy. The time it takes for you to be ready starting from scratch all depends whether you will learn by yourself, with experienced friends, or guides. It varies between 1 year and 1 week.
July 4, 2008 at 07:37 AM
Navision 5 from USA said:

Unfortunately there not so many place to run in my area
July 9, 2008 at 02:30 AM