If It’s Not Fun, Then Why Do it?
To continue the theme of finding joy in the sport of running, I decided to do a “hot take” on running and training: “if it’s not fun, why do it?”
When I do my check-in calls with running clients, one of the biggest things I like to reiterate is that none of us are (fortunately/unfortunately) professional runners, and we are choosing to run and train for fun. In a running world flooded with information overload about run coaching programs, marathon qualifying times, shoes that make you “faster”, and influencers’ highlight reels showing them running sub 2:45 hour marathons in jeans...it becomes more important than ever to take stock of how you are feeling as a runner, recognize signs of burnout, and adjust goals and plans as needed.
Are you having fun?
So, first things first, how do you know when you aren’t having fun running? This is the first, and somewhat loaded question, that runners who are struggling to find the joy in running need to ask themselves. Typically, from my own experience as a coach and as a runner myself, I notice that this is a phenomenon that doesn’t happen with novice runners as much as it does with more experienced or seasoned runners.
Newer runners tend to find the sport to be exciting because there are big goals to set and personal records are more attainable. For instance, when just starting out, there are so many ways to track real progress: maybe you started working on your speed, and you shaved five minutes off your previous 5k time. Maybe you signed up for your longest distance yet, and every one of your long runs is now a distance PR. Or maybe you have never run a mile before, and you are celebrating running for ten minutes straight without stopping. These are all new and amazing milestones that should be recognized and celebrated, but what happens to runners who have hit their peak and are struggling to find ways to celebrate themselves?
Once a runner starts to experience setbacks—slower times, difficulty squeezing miles or training into a busy schedule, or every runner’s worst nightmare, injury, the burnout can start to set in. Additionally, runners who overtrain, meaning they are running too much, too fast, or not giving themselves enough recovery time, can also experience burnout. According to the Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, athlete burnout, or overtraining syndrome, “is a condition in which an athlete experiences fatigue and declining performance in his/her sport despite continuing or increased training. Overtraining can result in mood changes, decreased motivation, frequent injuries, and infection.”
Feeling unmotivated
One of the most frequent emails I get from my runners is that they are feeling unmotivated—they don’t want to do long runs on the weekend, they’re struggling to hit their goal splits in workouts, they aren’t able to get their miles in before work, etc. This is when I usually encourage them to take a few days, or in some cases, a full week off of running—not only to prevent injury and fatigue, but to make them miss running a little bit. Let’s be real, running is not always the most fun thing to do, especially when you’re training in extreme temperatures or trying to fit running into an already busy schedule. But how do you know when you are crossing the line from normal fatigue from training to overtraining and burnout?
When training is going well or you are first starting out, it’s easy to think that more is better or that recovery isn’t needed. However, in order to train successfully, you need to give your mind (and body!) time to recover.
Coming off my PR in Chicago in 2016 and a bunch of failed attempts to break the three hour barrier again, I prioritized running over everything. I ran 100+ mile weeks without rest days, ditched some of my strength training in favor of more miles, limited my food intake in order to be “lighter and faster,” and overall just was not taking care of myself. And in 2019, it all caught up to me. I ended up with a stress fracture in my foot and was unable to run for six weeks, but more than that, was dreading every mile during my training leading up to injury. Oftentimes I was running in both the morning and at night to rack up my mileage, and felt like every run was a chore. The burnout signs were all there, and I chose to ignore them, and ended up injured.
What are the signs of burnout?
According to the Regenerative Orthopedic Center, common signs of burnout include: persistent fatigue (you feel tired no matter how much you sleep and runs that used to feel easy now feel heavy and slow), muscle soreness that doesn’t go away, elevated resting heart rate (this can signal that your nervous system is under stress), trouble sleeping (restless sleep or waking up tired no matter how much sleep you get can be a stress response), decreased performance (slower paces, poor race results or difficulty finishing previously manageable workouts), mood changes and loss of motivation (training/running starts to feel like a burden instead of a goal, or irritability, anxiety, or apathy toward running).
If you’re feeling any of the above symptoms, your body is telling you something! While not running is not necessarily the answer, adjusting goals and taking some time off may help you reset, restore, and find the joy in running again. Some common ways to reset that I suggest to my runners include pulling back mileage, building in a mandatory “down week” (cutting mileage by 30-50%) every four weeks in a training plan, prioritizing nutrition, hydration, and sleep, and building in self care, such as a massage or extra stretching at home.
If you are still not finding the joy in running after pulling back, perhaps it is time to re-assess your relationship with the sport. Are you finding marathon training to be too much of a chore during this season of your life? Drop to a half marathon or 10k! Maybe long runs and slower paces are feeling boring to you. Try working some shorter speed and sign up for a 5k! Is running not working for you and your body right now? Take a break from the road, and hit up the gym or a track for some speed work and prioritize strength. Feeling frustrated because your paces seem to be getting slower? Maybe it’s time to focus on longer distances and slower paces (hello, ultramarathons!)
A New Goal and Challenge
I can personally attest to the power of checking in with yourself both mentally and physically. Last year, I was feeling incredibly burned out and bored with marathon training, so I decided to prioritize strength and longer distances and signed up for a trail ultramarathon in Vermont, which gave me a new goal and challenged my body in different ways. The beauty of running is that it is so adaptable to your lifestyle and changes in goals. Keep showing up for yourself—whether that means adjusting your goals or being honest about your relationship with running.
Here’s to happy, healthy movement :)
Xo