Running is fun! At least running is supposed to fun… Every now and then, you should expect a run that doesn’t go your way, but what if you aren’t enjoying any of your runs? What if you have even stopped running already? How do you get back into running in a way that makes your fall in love it again? How do you get out of a running slump?
- What is a running slump?
- What causes a running slump?
- How to get out of a running slump
- How to avoid running slump in future
What is a running slump?
Almost all runners find that, given enough time, they love running. This sometimes happens very quickly after starting running. For others, it can take ages, but eventually, with consistent training and improvement, the joy of running is discovered.
This feeling of an urge to go running can go on for months or years. However, it doesn’t always last forever, and when that urge goes away, it can be quite a shock to a long term runner. A running slump happens when you are no longer excited to get out running each day that your plan suggests.
Typically, a running slump is when you feel like you should and could go for a run, but don’t actually want to. And if you do push yourself out of the door, it’s like you are just putting one foot in front of the other, rather than getting any joy, either during the run or after you finish. The first step to getting out of your running slump is to figure out what caused it in the first place.
What causes a running slump?
There are several reasons you might have fallen out of love with running. The biggest cause of a running slump is from doing too much running without a break. Ask yourself when was the last time you had a couple of weeks off from regular running. If the answer is “I don’t recall!”, then the slump is your body’s way of telling you that you’ve been running consistently for a long time and you need some recovery.
On a similar theme, even if you’ve recently had some time off from running, running slumps can still come from overtraining and under-recovery. Perhaps you’ve ramped up your training for a couple of months, but haven’t had quite enough enough sleep or rest days. In this case the body is saying “Well done, but let’s be sensible now”.
The same feeling can happen after a race, but it’s more of a loss of mental focus. You ramp up your training for weeks on end, then smash it round a half marathon, achieving a goal you’ve had in your head for a really long time and then find you aren’t interested in going for a run any more.
Another reason for a running slump might include Life Stress. Running can be stressful, especially if you are training for something in particular, but what if a relative dies, or you move house, or change jobs? These sort of life events are stressful, not just on the mind, but also on the body, with the shock sometimes altering hormone output along with other changes to bodily processes. This combination of extra stress might be making you want to skip your runs, even when normally you might think going for a run would be good for the mind.
Finally, a running slump might occur when you return to running after an injury. You’d expect to be all excited about your runs again, but you’ve lost fitness, everything feels wrong and you are down when you should be up. You might be worrying about how long it will take to get fit again, and wondering if the injury is fully repaired.
Comment below if there’s a cause for your running slump that’s different.
So how do you get out of a running slump once you are in it?
How to get out of a running slump
The first thing to consider is whether or not you should actually be trying to get out of the slump. As you have seen above, it might be time to take a break from running, so let’s think about that first.
I like to take a couple of weeks off from running every six months. I also mountain bike, so I avoid that too during the rest weeks. I might go for some easy walks, but I won’t hike up any hills. Give that a go; you’ll find that you’ll come back refreshed in both body and mind. The body is ready to go, having had a chance to repair properly and the mind will have changed from “not bothered about running” to “actually really looking forward to running again”!
If you are tired during all your runs and the legs don’t feel like they are responding properly, or your heart rate is too high for the normal pace (or pace is too slow for your normal heart rate), and you aren’t looking forward to any of the runs, it’s certainly time for some more recovery. Either less intense training, less days per week or a full week off.
If you feel down about your running after a race, perhaps you need to set another goal. Ideally, you should have already set a longer term goal, before the race arrived, so that you bounce on to the next training bloc with vigour and excitement. However, if you are in the slump, just setting a new goal, perhaps booking another race, might be all that’s needed to kick-start your love of running again – solved in minutes.
If life is stressing you out, it’s often not something that can be solved immediately. If you normally use running as a way to de-stress, but you aren’t enjoying your runs, the only option is to make the runs easier, shorter or even skip some. In some cases ditching running for a couple of weeks might be the best option.
If you’ve been injured and are struggling to find your love of running again when returning to training, you may just have to trust in the process and that, given enough time, your fitness will return; you’ll feel like you are having fun again!
If you are in normal training and your body feels like it’s having enough recovery / rest, but you are still in a running slump, then this is where you “just” need discipline, because discipline beats motivation. Get your running kit on and get out there and tick off the days of the plan. The slump will pass! However, there are things you can do to mix it up and make the runs more fresh and interesting. If you have an interval session booked in your plan that you always do, then think about going for a run up and down a hill instead. Go to new places, see new things, and still get a great workout.
If you have tried these ideas, and your general health and nutrition is sorted, perhaps it’s time to have a longer break from running. You could try cycling or another sport instead for a while and come back to running later. Activating the muscles in different ways might also make you a better overall athlete when you start running training again, even if it takes a while to get back on form.
If it’s not fun, change something.
How to avoid running slump in future
To avoid a running slump, run for the love of running. Many people take up running for reasons like losing weight or to tackle anxiety. Whilst those goals are admirable and aspects of life that running can genuinely help with, they can become all encompassing. If you can find a way to enjoy “going for a run”, you are less likely to get bored of doing it every day.
Other things you can do are to keep a close eye on your training. Ideally training would be include a variety of types of runs that change over time to keep you interested. Training would include enough to challenge you so you feel like you are benefitting, but also give you enough rest and recovery time so that the body can repair and thrive, rather than struggle till it breaks.
With these tips you can either get out of your running slump or avoid getting into one!
