The Chasin’ Journal: 3 Tips for Running and Hiking Longevity and Consistency
Burnout—Do less, end the run while you still have gas in the tank. I am not saying don’t push it, attempt to hit PRs, or mileage goals. During a standard week, I will usually run seven miles only a couple times per week and run four to five the rest of the week. It keeps me feeling like I can do more. By stopping when I still have gas in the tank, I find I look forward to the next run more and am much less prone to burning out or skipping sessions. Another positive to stopping early is that I require less recovery time, allowing me to run more frequently thru the week.
Injury—Stack miles slowly. Early in my journey becoming a runner, I started slowly just by dumb luck, I used a walk/run strategy. As that got easy, I increased the running intervals to a half mile, then a full mile, always keeping a walking buffer. Then, I started getting ahead of myself, jumping from one mile to three. I thought, "If I can run a 5k, let's see if I can do a 10k." I ran a 10k and felt great; the next day I went out and ran another 10k. Lo and behold, I ended up with an overuse injury. My right knee decided that it didn’t want to cooperate or play nice anymore. After rehabbing that injury, I learned the correct way to stack miles: Generally, you shouldn’t increase mileage by more than 10 percent weekly while maintaining consistency. Only after I feel comfortable at my top mileage will I attempt to increase the distance; usually only by half a mile every two weeks or so.
Procrastination—The 2-Minute Rule. The 2-Minute Rule (popularized by James Clear in his book Atomic Habits) states that if a habit takes 2 minutes or less, we must accomplish it. While the run itself isn't going to take 2 minutes, getting dressed and putting on my shoes is. Personally, I love the "cruising" phase of a run, but I can’t stand the process of getting ready. As a busy parent, I’m up early making coffee, getting the kids up, feeding the dogs, tending to the barn, and doing school drop-off. I hate having my morning on a roll only to find that I have to completely switch gears and get dressed for a run. By putting the 2-Minute Rule in place, I put on my running clothes as soon as I get out of bed—in the winter, I just throw sweatpants over my shorts. Now, when I get home from drop-off, I take off the sweats, start the watch, and I’m off.
Bonus Tip—Join a group or club. Joining an in-person group is the best way to stay motivated and avoid the issues above while surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals. If we are the culmination of the five people we most closely associate with, why not surround ourselves with other runners? However, if you live outside the major running hubs like I do, an online group can be just as encouraging. Strava is a great option, essentially "Facebook for runners” and Facebook itself has tons of groups dedicated to running. Personally, I use Strava; I have a handful of friends that I compete with on Strava and we are always pushing each other to do better or beat the others PR.
Love the Chase? Stay Connected. If you found these tips helpful and want to keep your running journey consistent, don’t miss out on our future dispatches. We’re building a community of runners who value longevity over ego and practical habits over burnout. To get the latest strategies, gear insights, and motivation delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for the newsletter below. Let's keep chasin' those goals together—one manageable mile at a time.