In this three-part series of articles, we’ve explored the different ways you can entertain your mind while running: playing “mind games” and using your MP3 player or iPod. This article looks into how your route could make all the difference in your training runs.

Route creativity:

Choose a good environment: “I run in a nature reserve,” Ad Warnar said. “There are lakes, with all kinds of migratory birds resting there. Each week nature is different because of seasonal changes.”  Minnesota has many different natural areas where running is plentiful: Minnesota State Parks as well as Hennepin and Ramsey counties (and all other counties in the Twin Cities metro area). They all have a great trail system.

Samantha Reichbach has a similar approach, “I am a gardener and like to run through neighborhoods with nice gardens. I take note of how they change as the season progresses. I look for interesting plant combinations. I see how well a particular plant does in the sun and/or shade.”

Break up your route: Kristy Powell, a RunningMom from New Brighton, says she does a mileage break down: “If I have 26.2 miles to go, I break it down into achievable chunks.” For Powell it often is 4 mile chunks so she looks at the 26.2 miles in 4-mile increments. I have a similar method, not with mileage so much as with changes in the route. When I turn one curve I feel like I’ve accomplished something and my next goal is the next major turn or change in the road (it could be an intersection or maybe where a trail begins or ends).

A good way to change up your route is to use MapmyRun.com. You can link to this through RunningMoms.com under the Main Menu. The site allows you to map your route to the tenth of a mile.

I hope these ideas make your next run smooth sailing!

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