It’s Time For A New Running Route When…
...your social media stalker calls you guilty of #9.
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
When you find the perfect running route, you want to stick with it. Maybe it’s an exact 5-mile loop, or maybe it has the just the right hill-to-flat ratio, but once you’ve found it, it’s easy to get comfy and never stray. However, it’s important to mix it up, not only to challenge your body, but to also keep yourself from getting bored. If you suspect you’re in a running rut, here’s a handy list of signs it’s time to find a new running route:
Related: Falling In And Out Of Love With Running
- The neighborhood kids have set up a permanent aid station for you at the 3-mile mark.
- You notice when the leaves on the trees change colors. As in, you notice when each individual leaf changes color.
- The package delivery guy has started to leave the boxes for your neighborhood outside your door since you’re going that way anyway.
- The hill that used to feel like Mount Everest now feels like a speed bump.
- Only one side of your body has tan lines because you always run with the sun facing the same way.
- You associate your neighbors with certain music because you always pass their houses at the exact same time on your running playlist.
- The dog that used to bark like crazy when you passed his yard doesn’t even bother to wag his tail anymore.
- You used to feel sore for days after your run. Now you sometimes forget you worked out at all.
- The last 20 running selfies you posted have the exact same background.
- Someone could mistake you for Bigfoot because you’ve worn footprints three inches deep into the trail from your strides hitting the same place every single day.