Most iron lovers can’t say they feel the same way about running.

Come to think of it, many people who partake in higher intensity training, be it with bodyweight exercises, odd objects gymnastics, martial arts, etc, feel that way.

I think it has to do with the way we’re wired. Running tends to be a more moderate to low intensity, longer duration activity. And to many, that translates into BO-RING. But it doesn’t have to.

I’ve found part of my love for training had to do with achieving goals and conquering challenges.

It feels darn good to set your mind on something, then go about achieving it. It’s also a very effective way to add fuel to the fire, i.e. boost motivation.

So I’ve combine goals and challenges to make running more fun. (I know, some find it hard to believe)

Probably one of the blandest forms of running is the kind you do on a track. Now if you’re in a foot race with others, it’s a different story.

But when you’re all by your lonesome, going round, and round, and round, and round can get mind numbing.

What I’ve found to be a great way to spice things up, is to set up ’stations’ at various points on the track. I.e. each corner, or each straightaway, etc.

As you run the track and approach a station, you atop and perform a certain exercise. You can do bodyweight movements, striking combinations, or you can bring certain implements with you.

For example, kettlebells, dumbbells, sandbags, Indian clubs, sledgehammers, even dumbells and barbells. Once you finish, you get back to running until you hit your next station.

Depending on the length of the run, or how intense you want it to be, you can have 1, 2, 4, etc stations per lap. (most school tracks are a 1/4 mile)

Another way to bump up the ‘fun’ factor when running is to do trail running. If you don’t have trails, you could simply run through the woods. Obviously you need a forest nearby, and ideally you don’t want it to be densely wooded. Otherwise you’ll be walking or crawling more than running.

This usually means softwood forests are avoided in favor of mainly hardwood areas. Just be careful of your footing.

The forest is a boring flat track. The elevations usually change quite often. You’ll more than like have more than one obstacle to find your way around or over. This and the change of scenery helps break the boredom of running circles around a track.

Doing your running in the ‘roadwork’ or trail running style will make those miles much more challenging, and a lot more fun.

You’ll also develop some functional strength and strength endurance at the same time. And when you go back to regular road or track running, you’ll find things much easier.

Now get out there and have some fun…

Train Smart, Train Hard

Ray Toulany

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