Going out for a run?
Now that we are starting to get a semblance of the old normal, with more and more people getting vaccinated, a lot of us now have more confidence to go out again and to resume with our normal outdoor activities prior to the pandemic—such as running along our favorite tracks and neighborhood.
The feeling of the wind blowing on our face as we run, our heartbeat getting faster and our bodies warming up as blood gets flowing, and just the feeling of being outdoors with all that space and freedom—don’t we miss all these?
And for regular runners, I’m sure you know that a run is not just a run. It’s also a time to be with ourselves—a self-date or a self-treat, if you may. But how do we get the most out of our regular run? Most of us just run and follow the tracks. Or sometimes we put on our headphones and get lost in the music.
In this article, I share additional ways to enjoy running while getting more value and fun out of it. Check out some ideas below:
Just be in the moment.
This one appears like a no-brainer, but how many of us actually run with the intent to just enjoy the experience and be present—to be fully aware of our surroundings and the people we’re running with, to hear our breathing, and to listen to the voices that we have in our heads?
Every once in a while, I invite you to leave the music home and just run with yourself and nothing else. Who knows, you might just encounter a eureka moment or just might discover something new about yourself along the tracks.
Listen to audio books.
This is one thing I discovered during the pandemic—that I can ‘read’ a lot more books if I listen to them. If you love reading books but can’t seem to find the time to do it, then you know the dilemma. Why not try audio books? They’re easy to find these days, and you can ‘read’ them even as you do other activities—while driving or, yes, while running.
Try to substitute your usual music with an audio copy of a book that you have always wanted to read, or explore a new book. By the end of your run, you have nourished not only your body but also your mind, and even your spirit.
Do a gratitude run.
Like the name implies, this is a run where you make the intention to recall all of the things you are grateful for in your life as you run. You simply make a list in your mind, and that list can contain everything—from the big things, like that recent promotion you received at work, to the smallest things, such as the weather that’s perfect for your run during that moment.
This is also a good exercise in noticing—being thankful for the open space, the grasses and trees that grow along the tracks you are running in, or that other runner who smiled at you and made small talk. Being grateful gives you a good feeling, and it helps you clearly see the blessings that are in your life.
Normally, people make actual gratitude lists in their journal, and that’s something that’s easy to do. But if your mornings are too busy or you’re too tired at night to do anything else, then one activity you can include the gratitude list in is in your run. Healthy body, healthy mind and spirit!
Worship.
Running can be a perfect time to worship, a perfect time to quiet our minds and our hearts so that we can be with our God.
So how do we worship as we run? It can be as simple as having the intention to be with God in this moment, to feel His presence. It can be by having a running conversation in our mind with God as we run. Or, worship music is also helpful. Try a different playlist in your next run and, instead of your usual high-energy music, try a worship playlist for some soul energy.
Happy running!
Photo by Fitsum Admasu on Unsplash