8 Creative Ways To Make Running Fun
Running can get boring – there’s no two ways about it. While some people love the rhythm and repetition, others find it downright dull, and that’s fair enough! The good news? There are ways to make it fun!
Whether you’re just getting started or looking for ways to stay motivated about running, injecting fun into your runs is easier than you might think.
In this guide, we’ll share eight creative ways to make running more enjoyable – because at FunRun, that’s what we do best!
Turn every run into an adventure
A lot of the boredom associated with running is often down to running the same old route over and over. Shake things up by adding a sense of adventure to your runs.
Here are some ideas:
- Explore new routes – Try a different neighborhood, a scenic trail, or a park you've never run in before. Even slight detours can make familiar paths feel fresh.
- Follow a mystery path – Instead of planning your route, make spontaneous decisions along the way. Turn left at the next tree, follow the person in front of you for a while, or take a different path than usual and see where it leads.
- Try a destination run – Rather than running in a loop, run one way and take public transport, cycle, or walk back. You could even take public transport both ways to run somewhere entirely new.
- Change the time of day – Running at sunrise, sunset, or even under city lights at night can completely transform how your route feels.
Treating your runs like an adventure makes them more exciting – and maybe even something you look forward to!
Gamify your runs
If you find yourself clock-watching mid-run, turn your focus away from running and onto something playful. Adding mini games and challenges keeps your mind engaged and makes time fly by.
Here are a few fun ways to gamify your runs:
- Alphabet challenge – Spot something that starts with each letter of the alphabet.
- Color hunt – Pick a color before your run and see how many objects you can spot in that color along the way.
- Beat the bus – Try to stay ahead of a slow-moving vehicle or cyclist for as long as possible.
- Use FunRun – Take on playful challenges, like chasing pizza slices or donuts, or racking up miles toward a virtual marathon.
Challenges like these are a great way to take your mind off running, making the time pass much faster.
Run to the beat
One of the best ways to take your mind off running is to create a high-energy playlist full of your favorite songs, and match your pace to the beat.
The key is to pick songs with a BPM (beats per minute) that matches your cadence (how many steps you take per minute).
Here’s a quick guide:
- Slow jog or warm-up – 120–140 BPM
- Steady running pace – 150–170 BPM
- Fast-paced or speed runs – 170–190 BPM
Many music streaming services have BPM-specific playlists tailored for different paces, or why not create your own? Start with lower BPM tracks for your warm-up, then gradually increase the tempo to keep your energy high throughout your run.
Pair running with something you love
Make running more enjoyable by combining it with something you already love. That could mean listening to your favorite podcast or audiobook, running to a coffee shop as a post-run treat, or taking photos of scenic spots or street art along the way.
If you have a dog, take them along for some company or a change of pace! Or if you need to drop off a letter or pick up something small from the store, why not run there instead of driving or walking?
Run with a friend or group
There’s nothing like running with others to make running more fun! Whether it’s a friend, a group, or even a dog, running with others can provide motivation and a welcome distraction when the miles start to feel tough.
Joining a running club can also make your runs more fun and varied, as they often involve new routes, fun challenges, and post-run coffee meetups that turn running into a social event – rather than just a workout.
Discover the other benefits of running with a group.
Mix up your pace with fun workouts
Running at the same…steady…pace…over…and…over can get incredibly monotonous. Adding variety is an easy way to keep things interesting. And as a bonus, it helps improve your fitness too!
Try alternative forms of interval training to keep your mind engaged:
- Landmark sprints – Pick a landmark, like the next lamppost, bench, or tree, and sprint to it before easing back into a jog.
- Invisible race – Imagine you're racing an invisible rival, and pick up the pace for short bursts to outrun them.
- Music intervals – Speed up during the chorus of a song and then jog through the verses.
- Color challenge – Every time you see a red car or a blue house, pick up the pace for 10-20 seconds.
These fun mini-intervals break up your run, making it feel less like structured training and more like a fun challenge. And you’ll still reap the same rewards of interval training – boosting your endurance, improving your speed, and keeping every run fresh and exciting.
Sign up for (or create) a running challenge
A little competition – whether that’s against yourself or others – can add some necessary excitement to your running routine. One way to do this is by signing up for a running event – like a 5k, 10k, or half marathon. This gives you a clear goal to work towards, and tracking your progress along the way keeps things motivating.
If a race isn’t your sort of thing and you prefer something more personal, try setting a unique challenge for yourself instead. That could be running every street in your neighborhood, hitting a certain number of miles in a month, or maintaining a run streak for a set number of days. Having some form of challenge to focus on keeps running fresh, fun, and something to look forward to.
Track progress in alternative ways
The most common way to track your running progress is to monitor your distance and pace. And while these are, of course, useful metrics, there are alternative ways to track your progress that make it all a bit more fun!
With FunRun, you can track creative metrics alongside conventional ones, including:
- CALCOST – How cost-effective your calorie burn is compared to expensive gym memberships or personal trainers – a great money-saving motivator!
- POWER BANK – Converts the calories you've burned into potential energy so you can see how many light bulbs your runs could power.
- HAPPY DOSE – This is a fun index of all the good vibes experienced along the way. Think of it as your very own happiness tracker!
Ready to make running more enjoyable?
At FunRun, our main goal is to make running more enjoyable, whether you’re just starting out or trying to stay motivated. As well as fun metrics for tracking your runs, you can also embark on exciting challenges, like chasing pizza slices to earn your favorite treat, or gradually accumulating miles until you’ve run the equivalent of a full marathon.
