How I Again Found Joy from Running

No matter where we are in our running journey, sometimes we go through phases where we don’t enjoy it.

In early to mid-2016, I went through a phase where I didn’t enjoy running. Leading up to early 2016, I loved running more than anything. I was running one personal best after another and became addicted to winning my age group in almost every local race I entered.

I broke 20 minutes for the 5k, 41 minutes for the 10k, 1:30 for the half marathon, and 3:20 for the marathon. I was hooked on the feelings of constantly getting faster — until I could no longer improve my times at the rate at which I was improving before.

I also got an unnecessary lower back adjustment (which I was told I needed) that left me with an injured knee in early 2016. This is because the back adjustment changed the angle of my hips, which did much more harm than good. My stride was negatively impacted. Sometimes, my leg would give out when I first tried to restart running. At that point, I had to take a few months off running while I figured out my new “reality.” That new reality was I would no longer be chasing a sub 40-minute 10k nor a sub-3-hour marathon and instead would have to focus on other ways to find joy from running. I also had no idea if I could ever run again, let alone run fast. The thought of that made me feel even more upset.

Suddenly, the activity I loved so much became a chore. It was a chore because I felt I had to start from scratch and the recovery was not easy for me, neither mentally nor physically.

I started to dread running. Instead, I opted to watch TV and surf the internet. I’m not even sure what exactly I was looking for.

If you are a runner and you often opt to watch TV instead of running, or are looking for reasons not to run, then you may need to re-kindle your motivation.

Maybe you got injured and are having trouble getting back into it. Maybe you allowed some personal challenges in life to get in the way of running. Whatever it is, I hope that this will help you.

So, how did I re-kindle my love affair with running and get back out there?

1. I remembered why I started running.

Chances are, there is a reason why you started running, too. Ask yourself these questions:

“Why did I start?”

“Why did running make me happy before?”

If you can honestly answer those questions, then you will get motivated to run again and enjoy it. I started running in university when I was at my worst. I was going through a hard time emotionally, physically, and financially. I had no aspirations to chase a sub 40-minute 10k because all I wanted was to run continuously for half an hour. I wanted to feel good and get my life on track. I wanted to build a healthy habit because it was time to stop over-eating, stop overspending, and stop feeling sorry for myself for the relentless bullying I experienced in high school. Running allowed me the opportunity to clear my head and to come up with solutions to the problems I was facing in university.

2. I changed how I trained.

Although I was running a lot of personal bests, I was feeling like I was over-training and burning out. I also felt I needed to keep running longer and harder when I should have been recovering. Sometimes, it’s important to slow down and take it easy.

At the same time, if you are not training enough, then you will also not see as much improvement in your running, which may also lead you to hate running. If you are constantly starting over because you are inconsistent, then it will be hard to learn to love it.

Whatever the issue, look at what you’ve been doing over the past few months and assess if your training is optimized to give you the best results. This will definitely help you figure out what you need to do to start enjoying your runs again and making progress as a runner.

3. I started running with my friends.

Running with friends allowed me to spend quality time socializing, and I could get my training run in. Having to keep a conversation going forced me to run slower than I normally would by myself, which prevented me from pushing harder than I needed to.

You definitely can’t lose when you run with a friend. Your buddy will keep you accountable. It’s always harder to stay at home in front of the TV when you have your friend waiting for you to go for a run.

4. I started running for great causes.

Running for a great cause allowed me to take my eyes off myself and focus on something I was passionate about. I could take part in events that have a deeper meaning to me and help amazing local charities.

As a result, I connected with more like-minded people who share my passion for helping others through running. I realized just because I wasn’t running as fast, doesn’t mean I’m not making a positive impact on the community.

5. I set a new goal that I could achieve.

Instead of trying to run a sub 40-minute 10k or a sub-3-hour marathon, I set new goals I knew I was more likely to achieve while coming off an injury. My first goal was to break 43 minutes in the 10k, which I was able to do. I also wanted to run around 3:30 for the marathon, which I also did (3:34 in New York and 3:33 in Berlin). I realized my pace now is not much slower compared to when I was running one personal best after another, and I’m also not burning myself out in the process anymore.

I was also able to complete a 24-hr ultramarathon twice, run 12 marathons in 12 days, complete a 6-day ultramarathon, as well as do 30 marathons in 30 days after recovering from my injury. I don’t think I would have taken these risks of going farther than I ever thought was possible if I was still stuck chasing a sub 40-minute 10k, and getting frustrated each time I couldn’t keep that pace.

Eventually, I will attempt to run a personal best, but until then, I will focus on finding joy through other aspects of running, and through connecting with communities of like-minded runners who support each other.

How do you find joy through running?