Everyone has been there now and then – you’ve lost your running mojo and you’re feeling bored with your routine. Or maybe you’re a beginner runner and you’re just not feeling motivated to get out there and pound the pavement. No worries, my friend! As a coach, I recommend trying a running challenge during these times.
This doesn’t necessarily mean some intense race-specific goal, though it can mean that. Instead, it could just be a quirky or fun challenge that reignites your enjoyment of running!
I’ve put together 12 fun options for you to try this year. Some are only a week, some are a month, and some might be a challenge for the year. Choose what suits you!
1) 30-Day Running Challenge
This challenge simply encourages you to run every day for 30 days, but mixes in a lot of variety. You’ll find runs of different lengths (some days are as short as 10 minutes!), runs in different places (like a trail versus a road), and some fun options like running while listening to stand up comedy or running and getting brunch afterwards.
If you’re a beginner, you can structure these as run-walk workouts or make some of them walks instead of runs. Whatever suits your fitness level!
Check out the full printable 30-day running challenge here.
2) A to Z Strava Alphabet Run
Run a route that creates the shape of a letter (Strava is great for tracking this). Try to complete the whole alphabet, from A to Z, over time! This is a great silly challenge to just have fun, as you don’t need to finish in any specified timeframe and there’s no mileage or pacing requirements.
3) 7-Day Sunrise or Sunset Challenge
Challenge yourself to run at sunrise or sunset every day for a week. It’s not just about the mileage, but about getting into a routine and soaking up nature’s beauty! Be sure to have a reflective vest on if you are out before sunrise or after sunset.
4) Birthday Miles Challenge
On the month of your birthday, you can approach this in two ways: either use your age as the mileage goal for the month, or (for a more intense challenge), add a decimal and run the milage daily. For example, if you’re turning 41 this month, you could set a goal to run 41 miles over the 30 days. Or, you could aim to run 4.1 miles each day of the month.
5) X Miles in a Year Challenge
I know a lot of runners that have enjoyed this one, starting with the New Year and tracking miles through the end of that year. Whether you want to aim for a mile a day (365 miles) or go for a bigger challenge like 1000 miles per year, you can customize this to suit your fitness level and goals.
6) 6-Week Mile PR Challenge
Many distance runners love to focus on longer races. (Raises hand – I’m a fan of the long slow stuff). But if you’ve been running regularly for several months and you don’t have a race on the calendar in the immediate future, why not have some fun working on your speed?
Start this challenge by clocking your mile time (after a warm up) at the track. Focus the next 6 weeks on incorporating some workouts designed to improve speed, like track intervals and tempo runs. At the end of the 6 weeks, clock your mile time again and see if you’ve improved!
Check out the full downloadable 6-week plan and additional tips for your fastest mile.
7) Run Every Street Challenge
Inspired by Rickey Gates’ “Every Single Street” project, this challenge is just like it sounds – you’ll set a goal to run every street in your town or city. It’s a great way to explore your hometown and find hidden gems you may not have ever noticed in the past. Maybe there’s a Little Free Library a few streets over that you didn’t know about, or perhaps you discovered a new trailhead that you didn’t realize was on the other side of town.
8) 7-Day Themed Music Run
Seven days, seven different music vibes! This could be decade-based or another theme you’ve got in mind. Pre-plan your playlists ahead of time, or find a station on Spotify or Pandora that matches what you’re looking for. Here’s a few ideas to choose from, but feel free to add your own options:
- 70’s hits
- 80’s hits
- 90’s hits
- 00’s hits
- Movie soundtracks
- Classical
- Chill indie tracks
- Dance party
- Pop divas
- Smooth jazz
- Sing-a-long favorites
- Disney hits
9) 5K Every Month Challenge
Love racing, but don’t want the pressure of a long-distance event this year? Or maybe you haven’t ever done a race before but really love the idea of challenging yourself to some? This is the challenge for you – just choose one 5K to run each month. You can do it for the simple enjoyment of being out there with fellow runners, rather than a time goal (though feel free to set some time goals if that’s your thing).
Consider mixing up the type of 5K for extra variety. For example, maybe one month you do a road 5K for charity, the next month you do a trail 5K race, the month after you do a costume/theme event, and so on. Have fun with it!
10) Run + 1 Challenge (30-Days or However Long You Want!)
In this challenge, you’ll run daily and add one extra habit that you can build on throughout the timeframe. For example, you might do a 30-day run + pushup challenge that looks like this:
- Day 1: Run + 1 push-up
- Day 2: Run + 2 push-ups
- …
- Day 30: Run + 30 push-ups
These could be fitness-based options, or other healthy habits you’re hoping to achieve – like minutes of reading or meditating.
11) Everest Challenge
Climbing to the summit of Mount Everest is an elevation gain of approximately 29,031 feet. Why not challenge yourself to run some hills and see if you can accumulate the elevation gain of climbing Everest? This can be done in a bucket-list race event (like the 29029 event, though this is obviously a large investment). But you can also challenge yourself to do this on your own.
Find a hilly run and see what the elevation gain is on it, and then see how many times you’d need to repeat it to total up to the goal. You can give yourself a very challenging time frame – like completing it all in 7 days – or you can give yourself a few months to achieve it.
This can also be done on a treadmill over time, and may be a fun way to make the treadmill more appealing in the winter. For example, 1 mile run at a 4% grade is equivalent to 211 feet of elevation gain. If you completed 138 miles over the two months at that grade (69 miles per month, or a little more than 2 miles per day) – you’d hit your goal of the Everest elevation gain.
12) Run a Race in Every State
Yes, this is more like a lifelong challenge. But if you love travel and love racing, add this to your bucket list. While I’m still a long way from meeting this goal, the easiest way I’ve found to knock off states is to either a) plan a vacation around a destination race, or b) search for shorter races that are taking place on trips you’re already taking (whether personally or for work). I got lucky that my first marathon was in Maui, knocking Hawaii off the list very early. 😉
The Bottom Line
Running doesn’t always have to be about racing; sometimes it can mean personal challenges or just allowing yourself to have some fun! These challenges can help you rediscover why you started running and enjoy the mileage.
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