3 Ways to Spice Up Your Running Routine

Running the same route day after day after day can get pretty boring. Here are three ways to kick your ass out of the monotony of routine:

1. Run the loop backwards If you run a loop every time, then simply running it in the opposite direction can be just the spice you need. All of a sudden, the end portion of your run is the beginning and the beginning is the end. Woah, trippy. This simple trick plays with your brain enough to make the same route interesting again.
2. Trash runBring a trash bag or recycling container (or both) and clean up the trail as you run. You will be surprised with how much crap you can find. Make it a competition with yourself or a partner.  Who can spot and pick up more junk? It’s a fun little scavenger hunt and also helps clean up the environment you love so very much.
3. Money run Basically the same scavenger hunt concept, only this time you are looking for sweet, cold hard cash! Keep it in a collection jar throughout the year and see how much money you collect solely on running. Congratulations!  You are finally getting paid to run, so you are a professional now…right? You could also make a goal of running until you find a certain amount (“I’m not stopping until I have over 48 cents” or something along those lines).