I love running; it is my favorite hobby, but I know some people do not enjoy running the way I do. I thought I would share some of my favorite things to do when I am running. These running activities help make running even more fun. I am confident running can be fun for all people if they use the right mindset and maybe even some of these tricks I have.

1.Trivia questions

One of my favorite things to do when I am doing a hard run is trivia questions. I buy small sets of simple trivia cards and I have someone bike next to me and read the questions to me. By doing this, I can conserve energy and only talk one or two words at a time. Also, doing trivia means not thinking about running or how tired I am. Trivia sets are pretty cheap and can be great fun as long as someone is willing to read the questions to you.

2. Running with friends

The most common distraction for running is music, but friends are equally as effective as distractions. Running as a team or just with friends in general is a great way to bond and stay fit. When you run with friends you get to talk and enjoy yourself just like any other time you are out with friends. Another thing you can do when you are running with friends is play word games. Word games can be simple and easy to play with small or large groups of runners. Some of my favorite games to play are scattergories, word association, and the alphabet game (you pick a category and go through the alphabet saying words in the category that start with the letter you are on in the alphabet).

3. Going on adventures

Sometimes the best part of running is where you run. Running in the same place over and over can become quite a doldrum. I like to find cool places to run where I have to cross weird bridges, climb high hills, go through streams, or pass abandon buildings or artifacts. Having something cool to look at or do makes the running part less emphasized and easier.

4. Reward treats at the end

In the Elm Grove area there are now little street libraries in almost every neighborhood. I like to run to these little libraries and pick out a book to take turns reading out loud with friends. The key to this is to chose books with big font sizes — mostly silly kid books. Books can lighten the mood and even be used as conversation starters. Just make sure to do this on easy run days because reading does make you run a little bit slower.

Overall, there are many ways to make a run more enjoyable. If you have the right people and the right distractions with you, running can turn into something you love instead of just fitness. Hopefully you can use these ideas to make your next run fun.