How to enjoy running

By Pete Cooper, Co-Founder of Coopah

Great, you have entered a race and now you’re ready to go.  The question is though, do you enjoy running?  After years of failure in Jan, I wanted to share with you what made me have the best Q1 of running ever.  See my tips below:

Tip one - Leave the timer at home!

For the first few runs, whilst you are trying to get back to it, leave your watch or Strava at home and lace up your shoes and head out to enjoy your run.  Run to an easy pace, listen to the birds, or the cars if you’re in a city and just enjoy the run.  Start to think about your favourite races, what made them your favourite race or run and remember why you love running.

Tip two - Take in the surroundings

One of the huge positives of running is that it gets you outside and helps to see what a wonderful world we live in. Take it all in, explore mother nature and enjoy your feet hitting the ground - whether that’s in an urban jungle or a rural trial.

Tip three - Finish your run wanting more

You're only going to run again if you enjoy it so ensure you don’t run too far or too fast that it puts you off running.  Try to finish each run wanting to go out again.

Tip four - Have a target

Once you’ve got your love for running back, it is good to have a target to aim for.  One of my pet hates is that everyone thinks you need to enter a marathon to set yourself a challenge but this isn’t right for everyone.  I recommend trialing a range of distances and finding what works for you.

If you want to set yourself a more manageable challenge, Run For All has a great range of races - from 5 miles, 10Ks, half marathons through to marathons. To find out more, head to the Run For All events page here > https://www.runforall.com/events/

Tip five - Let someone else plan your runs for you

One of the main reasons people stop running is because they get bored of the same runs. Coopah’s new tech plans a personalised plan for you and to your pace ensuring you’ll love every run.

Let 2022 be the year you smash your goals!