Do you do anything to make life easier for yourself? A great pair of headphones? A phone holder? A phrase you repeat to yourself to give yourself encouragement?
For me, I utilise the magic of double or even triple breathing.
And also smiling when things get tough out on a run - I think this was a trick of Eliud Kipchoge?!
I was looking for a way of carrying my phone and car keys etc. I looked at armbands but they seemed bulky. Waist belts like the FlipBelt are popular but not for me. I plumbed for the Running Buddy Pouch and it works a treat.
Oooh I’ve had a Google and it looks great. I don’t have anything to take my phone in at the moment but will definitely invest in something for longer runs.
Saying "Good Morning/Afternoon" to absolutely everyone.
I will have to try this - sometimes I feel silly talking to people as I’m usually red and dishevelled
Me too, thankfully i live in a fairly friendly place so most people respond
I've got bone conducting headphones and a Garmin Forerunner 45. I've never before bought techie stuff without my husband's advice but since I started running...😂A belt is really useful. My first was a cheapie from Amazon, one pocket but enough for my phone, Parkrun barcode, a tissue and a key. Treated myself to a bigger one from Decathlon with more pockets. Apparently it will hold a couple of water bottles and some sweeties for longer runs but I haven't tried those yet.
Smiling is a great help. Also, try saying things like 'I'm really enjoying this!' and 'I'm really good at this' when you are having doubts that either of those statements is true. Smile at the same time. I can almost guarantee it will help put a spring in your step 
Do you find the belt jiggles at all? I will try the positive phrases, I haven’t got further than telling myself ‘I can do this’ yet!
No problems with the belt moving, I think this is the one I've got, I bought a few bits at Decathlon and didn't realise I'd paid nearly twenty quid for it!! It says Kiprun Marathon Belt inside (closest to a marathon I'm likely to get 😂) decathlon.co.uk/p/hydration...
Singing 🎶🎶🎧🎶🎶 I'm notorious for it in the gym 😂 I use the excuse that I'm checking my breathing, but really it's just for the feel good factor 😁
Love it- I’ll give it a go one day!
Hi dreamrun , in all honesty the best thing I do to make life easier for myself is run how I want, not how others think I should. So if I feel like pushing myself hard or taking it easy, adding in extra vertical or distance, singing, doing airplane arms or YMCA, or talking to animals/myself/trees, then I do. It doesn't hurt anyone, so why not?
Like nowster I always greet people, regardless of how muddy, scruffy, beetroot-faced and sticky I am. They can always ignore me if they want. Though most of the people I see when I'm out are neighbours, so it would be very rude to fail to say hello.
Treat every run as a gift
This is a wonderful thing to think, I will endeavour to do so, thank you Birdlady64
Thats a good question and I will be very interested in all the answers! I can use some to make my runs/jogs happy too 😁
Just run, i did treat myself to a pair of leggings with pockets in the thigh part, phone one side, keys and a peppermint in the other one
A good pair of leggings can make all the difference!
Hi what is double or even triple breathing? I do deep belly breathing (through nose pushing out abdomen so lungs fill up and controlled out breath through mouth whilst running which means recovering whilst running as maximise availability of oxygen. My mantra is ‘you got this girl’ especially at the halfway point and smile to myself, it’s a phycological booster
I smile at everyone and repeat 'I love running' to match my strides! I find that a playlist with a good beat really helps me.
Definitely bone conducting headphones with a good podcast especially funny! Plus smiling and waving at random strangers it makes you feel connected.
A good (audio) book. Helps the miles tick by and sometimes it is the desire to hear a bit more of my story, that gets me out of the door.
If I'm not enjoying a run I slow down and take stock - check my posture, relax my shoulders, monitor my stride for a few steps to make sure I'm not overstriding. Then refocus on my surroundings - any birds, flowers, views, interesting patterns, cute dogs or kids? Basically not focusing on myself. It's like a mini reboot.
I have three one and a half hour song selections taped. All jave an "energising' best and/or personal meaning. Each one starts with Hall and Oates "Maneater" as I found that to set the perfect pace for starting a run :)I "zone out" pretty much after a while, especially after four or five years, but they kock in again and help me keep to the mark on my regular routes - I know if I am going 'fast' or "slower" by what is playing at what landmark. It's a real help in "away" runs too - I can relate a strange route to my regular one, figure the distance and where I would be at back home and that takes away any anxiety about "how am I doing?" when in an event on unfamiliar territory, in my mind I am at x point in the Park or some other well run place
The main thing though is to slow down when it gets tough. Relax those tense muscles, remind myself why I am running - for fun ultimately, not because I "have to" - and not let Lizard Brain talk me out of continuing when physically I can continue. And my "slow as molasses" running is still running so that is just fine with me
Because I have compromised lungs, breathing can be a bit of a chore - so I match my breathing to my pace by imagining a "fuel line" filling up my lungs as needed but with a limit to how fast it will flow. That puts my focus where needed - not going too fast but getting to a comfortably sustainable pace. If I focus on how fast my legs are going and how "difficult" it is it just sucks the fun put of running and I can either get into a vicious circle of "must do better" which leads to more breathlessness and more trouble. If I keep in mind that 'Happy lungs, happy legs" it works out far better
Anyway, hope these help and wishing you many happy miles in your future
Thank you for the bountiful tips!
I actually like running the same route, as I know where all the KM markers are, so it stops me worry about distance / pace etc on every run.
What music do you run to?
What is the real distance you are running?
What do you wear running?
What do you carry when you run?
What do you listen to when you run?
