9. Try cross training
If running is losing its appeal, try cycling, rowing, hiking, swimming, aqua running or join a circuit class. Doing other activities works your muscles in different ways, targets muscles that running might not, can improve strength and are generally lower-impact than running. Cross-training can help improve your fitness and running performance, and reduce the risk of injury. Of course, runners must run but that doesn’t mean that other exercise modalities should fall to the wayside. Consider swapping one or two runs a week for an alternative type of exercise.
10. Drop down and give me 20!
Just because you are out for a run, doesn’t mean you can’t shake things up and add a few bodyweight exercises into the mix. For example, every half-mile, drop down and bang out 20-pushups or some other simple body weight exercises. Not only will this break an otherwise long run into shorter, more manageable chunks, it also gives you the opportunity to work muscles not normally involved in running. Pushups, sit-ups, lunges, squats, dorsal raises, hip bridges and pull-ups are all great equipment-free exercises that can easily be slotted into a run.
