When I was training for the 2013 Edinburgh Marathon, I made the mistake of doing the same running route over and over and over and over again. I didn’t notice how boring it was at the time, but thinking back it is absolutely mind melting. I found too much comfort in knowing what hill to expect next, when I was going to have a down-hill break, and how long it would take me to get home already! This type of comfort does not pay off in the long run — it can lead to injury, it can be a major mental barrier when you do venture out of that usual route, and eventually you’ll get bored of it — or you’ll get bored of running.

Try different running routes — no matter how far the distance — and keep it interesting.

Yesterday I planned to go for an easy run… being based in South Hampstead, I usually run to and around Regents Park… It is a convenient loop that starts and finishes at my doorstep. Instead of doing ‘the usual’ – yesterday I took the Overground to Richmond for my run. It was such a nice change running in an unknown area and enjoying the beautiful scenery.