5 Running Tips to Stay Motivated and Keep Things Interesting this Fall

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Fall is in full swing here in Sweden and from a running standpoint, that will mean a big HOORAY to no more heat and humidity and fall foliage to some, but to others… fall can be a big challenge. Your big summer goal is over, you have to layer up, and it’s really freakin’ dark out there – especially here in the north.

But hey, right now is an awesome opportunity to jumpstart your 2023 running year and build an awesome base for what’s to come. We’ve got some tips for you to keep things interesting the rest of the year and remain motivated:

Add Speed To Your Long Runs

Add speed elements into your long runs! Long runs have slow and easy written all over them, but add some speed into your long runs and turn them into workouts, and you’ll see a range of benefits, such as legs knowing how to continue pushing even though they’re tired and a much improved, race-tough mental game. Our favorite is a long run with progression, where you up your pace every 5 km as you go along. For example, for a 22 km long run, start at 6:00 min/km the first 5 km, then from 5-10 km you shoot for 5:30 min/km, 10-15 km at 5:00 min/km and 15-20 km at 4:30 min/km (followed by the usual 2 km cooldown).

Embrace the Dark and Turn on the Headlamp

It can be tough to head out the door before the sun comes up, but if you have a good headlamp and some reflective gear, strap it on and enjoy it! Nothing makes you feel like you’ve literally won the day than starting the day off by going for a run before sunrise. And, if you can time it so that you’re finishing up when it starts to lighten up, you’ll be in for some magical moments. Fall is the season for mesmerizing sunrises (and sunsets), and in our opinion the perfect time of year to get into morning running.

Plan a Week off of Running

This might sound counterintuitive, but sometimes some time off – or looking forward to some time off from running – is exactly the thing you need. Look at the calendar and plan a week off with no running, and go hiking, go biking, do some yoga, or just relax instead. You’ll come to the end of the week pumped and motivated to get going again.

Set a PR Goal

Use the fall to focus on scoring yourself a shiny new PR. Don’t think you need a race environment to PR – you can shoot for something shorter or maybe something you’ve never even attempted before (the success rate will be in your favor then!). Let’s say you have a killer 5k time that would be hard to top outside of a race – maybe then go for a 3000m PR at your local track instead. Or maybe you’ve got a Strava segment nearby, where you could try to beat your best time.

Try a New Hill Workout

Because hill workouts aren’t just for mountain runners – ask the Ingebritsen brothers! Literally everyone can benefit from incorporating some hill work into their training, regardless if your ambitions are over shorter distances or longer. A favorite of ours is 10x 1 minute hill repeats with easy effort jogging back down – perfect to pepper into another run – or try for 10x 90 sec followed by 10x 45 sec hill repeats for a bit more spice.