Running Is Supposed To Be Fun
And You'll Run Better When It Is
It’s a conversation I don’t mind having. But if I’m being honest…and a coach should always be honest… I’m tired of having it. But here we go once more into the breach…running is supposed to be fun. It is. And your running being fun does not mean that you’re not taking it seriously. Let me repeat that last part. You can be serious about your running and your running can be fun. If you need to read that again and again… and some of you need to… read it again. Say it out loud too. Running is supposed to be fun! And running is better when it’s fun. And here comes the breakthrough moment of the opening paragraph… ready… wait for it… here it is… you’re a better runner and you’ll run better if you are having fun.
Now some of you may be wondering what I mean. You may be thinking about that long run you did last weekend that never seemed to end. Is that fun, coach? Some of you may be reminsicing about the ghost of that burrito you scarfed down that seemed to haunt the back of your throat during that tempo run yesterday. Was that fun too, coach? I get it. I hear what you’re saying. And if you’d give me a moment to answer before you unload a litany of not super enjoyable runs you’ve experienced I think we’ll all be able to finish this newsletter before you need to run again.
Do I mean laugh out loud funny fun? No, you’re running won’t be laugh out loud funny all the time. Sometimes it will be though. I’ve had runs in weather so cold I just had to laugh. It was laugh or cry. And the thought of frozen tears… well it made me laugh. And I’m pretty sure the laughter is what kept me going and may have even warmed me up! Laughter takes work you know.
(Mini ramble: Laughter also lowers stress… pumps out endorphins, works your core, and I think alongside running your fastest makes you look absolutely beautiful.)
I’ve had runs where the person I was running with has had to clench their cheeks for 20 minutes and I’m not talking about the cheeks on their face. And every couple minutes they were sure that the mudgates were going to open. I’m not saying that my laughing helped the precarious situation. But it was funny. Not as funny as when his proverbial dam busted on the side of the trail. And the only person laughing harder than me was my friend that was squatting up against a tree in northern California that was getting awkwardly fertilized. (All names and dates and locations will be withheld. But you know who you are.)
I mean all sorts of other kinds of fun too. Have you ever sat strapped into a rollercoaster and as the anticipation builds the butterflies start to fill your chest? You’re nervous. Maybe even a little scared Your senses are on their highest alert. You’re wondering whether you really want to do this. And a part of you is most dreading and most looking forward to the most wild part of the ride…. the double reverse loopty loo! Who designed this insane ride? Probably the same person that invented 12K Cross Country.
Now think about standing there on a starting line of a race that you’ve really trained hard for and set a goal that was out of reach months ago but may just be within reach today if you can just get through that double reverse loopty loo that we call the third quarter of the race. Are you really going to try and tell me that the rollercoaster you’re about to ride and the race you’re about to run don’t create similar feelings? Sure… both can be described as scary. But we’re not standing in line for two hours at the theme park to be scared. We standing in line to have fun being scared. We’re getting on that ride to experience the thrill of doing something that’s really hard to recreate over the course of our daily existence. And it’s the same with race day. It’s fun! At least it’s supposed to be.
Those hardest workouts… they are supposed to be fun too. That doesn’t mean they’re suddenly easy because they’re fun. Hard is hard. But running even when it’s hard is still supposed to be fun. I look at those toughest runs like I look at the monkey bar challenges kids have on playgrounds every day all over the world. You’ve probably done this. Simple rules… how long can you hang onto the monkey bars before you have to let go and fall to the ground. Nothing about this screams FUN! It’s hard! But we all got in line to do it. And we all laughed right before our grip gave out. And we all stood back in wonder as Doris held on longer than anyone else. Was it the greatest feat of strength and determination ever see on that playground in New Jersey? Maybe. Was it fun to be a part of? Absolutely.
When it comes to sports… challenging yourself is supposed to be fun. And you know what else? Running easy is supposed to be fun. Taking to the trails is supposed to be fun. Running in the rain is supposed to be fun. By the way, when did we stop running through puddles? When I was in high school we ran through all the puddles on purpose. In fact, the start of every run on a rainy day was simply running ahead of the group at the very last moment and slamming that puddle so you could drench everyone behind you. You know what? The run still got done. We still built up some endurance and strength and mental callousing and got our volume in for the day. We just had a little more fun doing it. Which meant it was less work to do the work!
(That’s a little coaching tip there for all of you. If you can get your athletes to actually enjoy the work they will not only do the work but they’ll not look at all the work as work. I got that from Mark Twain. If you look everywhere for inspiration you tend to find inspiration everywhere.)
I’ve had more coaches than I care to think about tell me that kids having fun is an indication that they are not serious. That’s some straight baloney. Malarkey! Hogwash! You know what happens when runners don’t have fun running? I’ll tell you what happens. They stop running consistently. Then they stop running altogether. And why wouldn’t they. Do you like to do things that aren’t fun to do? Do you look forward to doing those things that suck to do? Do you think you would be better at those things if they were fun to do? Do you think you would do them more if they were fun to do? Do you think doing those activities more would lead to you doing them better? Do you think doing these things better and more consistently may even make these fun things to do even more fun?
My people, Running is a sport. It’s meant to be played. That means you, yes you, are supposed to play running. Next time you cross a starting line remember that. Then go play. Play running. Have some fun. I’m trying to tell you to not skip the puddles. Laugh at the ridiculousness of what you’re doing. Running with frozen snot all over your face through the snow with a bunch of friends and unable to articulate words because your facial muscles are so cold they’ve ceased to work properly is ridiculous. Ridiculously awesome! And it’s fun! It won’t make any of the miles or meters or minutes you’re running shorter. But it well make them better.
Oh yeah, one more thing. Wear socks. It may be funny to watch one of your best friends pop an emergency squat on the side of the trail. But chafing is real and not fun. And “baboon butt” is the inevitable prize when you got 25 more minutes of running on a hot and humid day after an unplanned, low budget, bathroom break. Those socks can very suddenly satisfy a new purpose. You won’t wear them again. But you’ll forever respect and remember them.
Cheers,
Coach Bennett
I LOVE XC!
I spent the last weekend at the Nike Cross Regionals (NXR) Northwest Championships in Boise, Idaho. There are 9 NXR’s around the United States. The top 2 high school girls teams and top 2 high school boys teams at each meet automatically qualify the the national championship meet in early December in Portland, Oregon.
That meet, Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) is my favorite running event. Like favorite favorite. There are races all day long at the NXR meets. They culminate with the championships races. There are between 20-25 teams and dozens of individuals in each those final two races. 5K of XC racing will decide which schools are heading to nationals.
At the finish line the massive crowds congregate and wait for final scores. The meet officials stop showing updated results after 4K. They want to make sure that the results that get announced are correct and final. You’ll see the teams that know they had a shot congregate close to the official meet management tent. The tension is palpable. And then you hear cheers. Two teams have been notified that they made it. Their season has one more meet. Everyone else… this is the end of the season. There are tears and hugs and high fives and pictures and small gestures of love and long conversations on bus rides back to wherever back home is.
It’s a sacred place. I’m talking about race courses. And I’m talking about tracks and courts and pitches and trails and fields. Anywhere you gather people together and give them the opportunity to compete with and for each other is a sacred place. Anywhere you try your best to be your best is a sacred place.
I’m looking forward to seeing the 22 girls teams and 22 boys teams and 50 individual girls and 50 individual boys gather at such a place when they come together at Glendoveer Golf Course in a few weeks. Two final races to close out the 2024 high school XC season. Hope you watch. NXN is a celebration of the sport. And it’s your sport after all.
NEW COACH BENNETT’S PODCAST
There’s a new Coach Bennett’s Podcast? You know it! Every week there is a new one! How have you not figured that out yet? Well, now you know. And thank you for listening to the podcast. If you haven’t already clicked that follow button on the podcast platform you listen to I hope you will. That way you’ll get notified every time a new episode drops.
TWO COACH BENNETT’S TALKING IS COMING BACK!
Oh baby, yes! It’s happening! And not only are we going to start dropping new episodes of Two Coach Bennett’s Talking we’re also going to have news about all sorts of cool stuff that’s coming your way. Yes, there will be more BEST RUNNER EVER programs. That’s our month long programs where we bring a community together around a specific focus. Last year we had Best Runner Ever: Winter Edition. So, look out for news about a new BRE. We’re also going to have BREWS! That’s Best Runner Ever Weekend programs. We’ll have one day programs centered around a topic. And, seriously… there is more… we are finally opening the merch store so many of you have asked for and we’re going to have it open in time for all the holiday shopping and end of year gifting. Details to follow! So, cheers to all of you and thank you for being a part of and not apart from this badass community.
Well, that’s that. Thank you for reading. Thank you for being cool and kind. How do I know you’re both? You can’t be cool unless you’re kind and if you’re kind… you’re cool. That’s how.
Cheers to you and one more thanks to everyone that’s a paid supporter of this newsletter or thinking about becoming a paid supporter. I truly appreciate it.
Take care of yourself and take care of each other.
Until that next starting line…
Coach Bennett
Thank you to everyone who heads the newsletter and bonus thank you to everyone reaching out saying they are going to bring the fun back into their running! Better runs await!
Never trust a fart and I see socks in a new light now. Thanks for a great article!