Tips on improving your running experience and some alternates to running

The pandemic created a huge need for the very well known, but under-experienced “runners high”.  Whether it made people run out and do 3 miles around their neighborhood to those who finally decided to sign up to that marathon they had been thinking about for the last couple years. I have been a runner for over five years. I started out doing a marathon right before my masters and have become an amateur runner since. That means I am the type of person that usually will not go out on a Friday night to get some good sleep before a long run on Saturday. 

Today I am going to give you some tips I have learned throughout my running years that will hopefully help your running experience be better. 

1. Getting a good night's sleep is way more important than you think: Sleeping at least 9 hours is the key to avoiding injuries and having great performance. According to experts, sleep replenishing, repairs and regenerates damaged muscle and tissue from the day before. 
2. Love your easy runs: When I started running I was all about trying to go as fast as I could. This never gave me enough time to recover and take advantage of the faster training. Now I am in love with my easy runs. 
3. Make sure to not skip rest days: Take a full day off from running or working out at least once a week. 
4. Do not spend time thinking about bad training/races: When you start running more competitively it is easy to get upset over bad races/ training which is totally fine, but make sure to analyze them and then let them go so you can focus on your goals. 
5. The mind is more powerful than you think: No matter at what point you are with training, or how much you run, what you tell yourself during runs is extremely important. When a run starts feeling hard, remind yourself of great training you have had in the past, take a deep breath and keep going. Proving strength during running will help you feel strong in everything else. 
6. You don't need anything fancy to track your run: There many different apps out there you can download to track your run 
7. Find a running buddy: Having someone to do your runs with and have similar goals will make the experience more fun and keep you motivated. 

Running is not really what you are interested in, here are some other great options: 

1. Cycling: This will get your heart rate up and can be done indoors or outdoors. 
2. Jump Rope: This work out is great and very trendy right now. You can even create little dance routines if you put time into it. 
3. Boxing: A great way to release some tension and burn some calories 
4. Swimming: Looking to lose yourself in your thoughts? Swimming is definitely for you, it is very meditative, relaxing and a great work out. 
5. Dancing: Look for some fun TikTok trends or simply play some music and get dancing. 

So if you want to stay healthy there are so many options out there for you.