Stuck? Learn a New Skill.

Raise your hand if this is you: You feel stale. You’re not excited about your next race (or you don’t even want to sign up for one). You’re dreading runs that should feel fun. You’re not getting any faster. You always kind of hurt, a little bit.

Ooof. Is it burnout? Just tired? Bored? Whatever it is, it’s not fun– but it’s also not terminal. Unless you make your living by winning races, you can just. . . do something else for a while. Seriously: what purpose does running have in your life? I bet it’s not the only way to get there.

Here’s a thought: Try being a beginner at something else.

A new activity or hobby might be just the thing to wake up your sleeping stoke. You’ll challenge your brain in new ways. Develop new skills. Work movement patterns that you’ve never done before. Learn the culture and history of a new sport. If, like me, you always have to be an “A” student, this will keep you busy for a while!

It doesn’t have to be a big investment. Maybe it’s tap dancing. Or kickboxing. Or kickball. Or pickleball (I still don’t really know what pickleball is– sorry, not sorry). You might be surprised at how accessible most sports are to adults.

Here’s an example: I recently started getting into surfing. Now, I don’t live at the beach, and I’ve never really surfed before– but I had a chance to go a few times with my sister when I visited her in San Diego. I spent more time sputtering salt water out my nose than I did standing up, but we had fun.

When I went home, I dug in– there are dry land drills to do for days. There are surf films to watch. There are memoirs to read (have you read Barbarian Days?). There’s amazing surf style. So even from the city, I’ve managed to get excited about surfing and build my fitness, knowledge and skills. I’ve been surfing a handful of times since then, and it’s still wicked hard. But it’s also exhilarating in a way that reminds me of how I felt when I first started running trails.

I still run– a lot, actually– but I have other ways to spark my enthusiasm when it inevitably wanes for a while. And I have some killer core muscles and new stability that travels with me back to the trails.

So if your brain or body are screaming for a break from running, listen. Explore. Remember what you want running for.  Come back when you’re ready. You’ll be stronger and happier for it!