6 Reasons Why Fun Runs are Fun when they’re not really Fun.

Have you ever wondered why a fun run is called a fun run? Are they even fun? Who says they’re fun? At about 6km in to any “fun” run i don’t feel like laughing…. but i keep going back! Why is this?

Well, true to their name, fun runs ARE fun, but not for obvious reasons! You won’t see many fun-runners grinning from ear to ear while they complete the run (unless their walking, that is), nor will you see them giggling like school girls at training. But you will see plenty of them laughing and jostling post race, even if they’re suffering from the race.

Here are my reasons why Fun Runs are fun, and why we keep coming back:

1. It’s a race, but unless we are professionals we are just racing ourselves and our expectations. Racing ourselves gives us a goal, something to aim for, drive, ambition, and success. People with goals written down are 28% more likely to achieve them (1), and entering a competition with a calendar date and training schedule is just another way of writing down a goal. Setting these specific, measureable, and achieveable goals makes you more likely to do them.
2. Success feeds success. You set this goal, above, and successfully complete it! YAY! More than this, success feeds more success (2). When you achieve one goal, you are more likely to believe that you can achieve another, which brings me to my next point.
3. Completing fun runs feeds self belief. When you complete a goal, you have been successful. Your success leads you to believe that you can achieve other goals, even ones that are slightly harder. Ironically, this self-belief also helps your succeed (3), and on we go!
   ** on this note, if you are tackling your first fun run, and you are unsure about whether you’re capable of doing it, break it down in to segments. For example, you don’t think you can run 10km, but you know that you can run one. Start with 1km, ten weeks out from the run, and increase by 1km each week. By week 10 you will know that if you can run 9km, then you can run 10, and therefor set yourself up for success, and get yourself trapped in the never ending cycle of success and self belief outlined above!
4. Exercise makes you happy (don’t believe me? read this). In more ways than one, regular, moderate exercise will have a positive effect on your mood, on your cognitive health, your resilience, your immune, your sleep, and your energy levels. Conversely, it will reduce your stress, depression, and anxiety. People who engage in regular, moderate exercise, are generally happier and healthier, which in turn makes them more likely to succeed (see points above)!
   ** on this, write your action plan to become happier here.
5. Team environment. Perhaps not applicable to everyone, at IntoYou we train for these events together. It is an opportunity to socialise, push eachother, support eachother, and perhaps run and train when we wouldn’t have, because we are accountable to the trainer and the team. Furthermore, members of a positive team have been shown to be happier, more productive, and more successful (4) – win win, right?! You can join our Pub2Pub team for 2017 here.
6. Running is like meditation. Before you roll your eyes, think about this, once you have a pace that you can maintain in a steady rhythm, that rhythm is like a heart beat. You breathe in time, step in time, and lose yourself in the activity. Obviously a certain level of fitness is required for this, but you CAN get the benefits of running and meditation in the one activity (5)!

Perhaps you can’t run, don’t worry! Any physical event will have a positive impact on your overall mental and physical health. Think ocean swims, obstacle courses, bike races, and walks. Everyday is an opportunity to write a goal and complete it, and achieve better mental health, physical health, and happiness.

It is for these reasons that Fun Runs are fun, even though they’re not really fun!