What Having "Fun" Trail Running Taught me about Goal Setting

Yesterday was probably the most rewarding and enjoyable running day of my life. It was even "fun" and I can't remember the last time I had fun running (but I know it was more than 20 years ago).

I am a distance runner and I love running. But I don’t always enjoy running, and I almost never have fun running. Let me explain…

I run for essentially three reasons:

1.      I know that exercise is good for me and running is an exercise that is convenient for my schedule, is possible for me to do as a middle-age man, and doesn’t cost very much.

2.      Running is a way of expending calories. I was morbidly obese and never want to be over 300 pounds again (actually, I’d like to never be over 230 again). 

3.      Running is great alone time. I love having time to think, to listen to books-on-tape and podcasts, and to get away from the hustle and bustle of life. 

With those being my reasons for running, you can probably understand how rewarding and satisfying running has been for me. I love that healthy burn that comes during and after a good workout. I love knowing that I’m taking care of my body and getting into better shape. I love how different (and better) I look and feel having lost 100 pounds. 

And running is even enjoyable. I love having the time to think and learn. To work over ideas in my mind and even articulate them as I talk to myself out loud out on country lanes. 

Running truly is rewarding and enjoyable for me.

But now I can add “fun” to that list of superlatives. 

Yesterday I decided to do some hill running in a place I hadn’t been before. My run started by basically going straight up a mountain. I hiked nearly two miles and climbed 1,000 feet in the first half hour or so. That wasn’t very fun and I started getting anxious about coming back down (going down on rocky terrain is worse than going up). 

Fortunately, when I hit the top of the ridge my trail merged with a mountain biking trail. That trail continued to climb for the next mile or two, but now I was able to jog and the workout became much more enjoyable. 

And then around mile five I started heading downhill and the workout changed.

It became fun.

Like smile and laugh-out-loud fun. 

The trail was built well and has been maintained extremely well. It’s obvious that many people ride and run this trail, and for good reason. It’s the kind of mountain bike trail that adrenaline junkies love—lots of ups-and-downs, sharp embankments, and little jumps placed at just the right places. It’s a trail where momentum will carry you—even if you’re running instead of biking.

And that’s exactly what happened. I started out slow but quickly learned that if I just let my own natural momentum carry me down it would also propel me up. If I maintained speed I could go high on the embankments and not fall on my butt. And if I was willing to let loose a little bit I could use my speed and momentum to catch air as I crested small hills. 

It was amazing! The more I ran, the more comfortable I felt and the more risks I was willing to take. And that resulted in having more and more fun. I loved flying around corners. I loved flying through the air. I felt free and uninhibited. It took me back to my childhood—a time where I didn’t think about my weight and aches and pains of a body that was out-of-shape. Back when exercise was sport, and it was fun. 

So running is fun again. And it taught me a thing or two about setting and accomplishing goals.

Prioritizing Consistency

First, I wouldn’t and couldn’t have had that kind of fun if I was still 300 pounds. At 300 I could and did benefit from and enjoy running for the reasons I mentioned earlier, but flying around bends and through the air just weren’t possible at that weight. 

So how did I drop the weight? Well I talk about that at-length on my After the Run website and podcast, but the biggest factor was CONSISTENCY in eating and exercising better.

So if you want to “have fun” in any area of your life I recommend you start engaging in consistent behavior that will eventually position you to really start enjoying yourself.  For example, if you want to have fun writing and selling books you probably need to have a daily writing habit. If you want to have fun speaking to thousands of people you should be working on your message and prospecting every day. And if you want to have fun working with amazing people you need to regularly be putting yourself out there and meeting new people. 

Mixing Things Up

Second, I wouldn’t have had fun if I had continued to run the same course every day. I’ll admit, I run basically the same route every day… which is enjoyable and satisfying, but has not opened the door for adventure and fun. Stepping outside my comfort zone and following the recommendation to try something new paid off in spades.

What can you do to mix things up? Is there an event or conference you’ve never been to? Maybe you could try changing the order of your daily or weekly routine. 

Being Brave

Finally, having adventure might require you to try something new and take a chance. Running up that first embankment and jumping off that first rock scared me to death. But I started small and worked up to the bigger things. And as I got more adventurous I also started having more fun. 

I’ve found the same thing applies to work and life. Stepping outside my comfort zone is always a little scary. As an introvert with a huge fear of talking on the phone I get incredibly anxious any time I call anyone (besides my wife). But nearly every time I pick up the phone and make a call I end up glad that I did. Taking a spontaneous unplanned vacation like we did to Bryce Canyon this week can be a little scary and throw off the weekly routine, but it also might result in an experience you’ll remember forever. 

Sometimes it’s important to step into the darkness, just a little bit. 

And it might just result in you having a lot of fun. 

Tyler Christensen is an author, teacher, and speaker. He works with students and professionals to identify their strengths, create their stories, and transform their lives. More at www.tylerchristensen.com.