http://www.nomeatathlete.com/63-running-ideas/

Written by Matt Frazier in Running

Run.  Run a lot.

That's the answer I give to new runners when they ask me how to get better at running.  When they ask how they'll ever be able to run a marathon (http://www.nomeatathlete.com/marathon-roadmap-system/) or an ultra when it kills them to run six miles now, the answer is that simple.

It's like the 10,000 hour rule.  The more you run, the better your body and brain learn to do it.  It doesn't have to be every day, and it doesn't have to involve awful workouts that leave you sprawled out on the track by the time they're done.

But it does have to be consistent.  Every time you get burnt out and take three or six months off from running, you miss hours upon hours of opportunity to build those neural pathways that help you run efficiently, even effortlessly.

The trick then, is to keep your training interesting.  Here are 63 ways to do just that.

21.  Find a partner and commit to something.  Together.  In addition to the companionship and in-this-together-mentality, training with a friend adds one important ingredient-accountability.  It's a lot harder to hit the snooze button when you know you'll be letting a friend down.

22.    Running clubs are all over the place.  It's amazing how many people so close to you are even bigger running addicts than you are (and how many great runners there are everywhere).  Mine costs 20 bucks a year for the family and puts on a free race almost every week.  Can you beat that?  Find a runner's club (http://www.rrca.org/find-a-running-club/) near you today.

23.    Find a guru.  There are so many coaches who know so much more about running than any of us can ever hope to.  For me, Jack Daniels (http://www.amazon.com/Daniels-Running-Formula-Jack/dp/0880117354), Pete Pfitzinger (http://runningtimes.com/Channel.aspx?CategoryID=359), and Greg McMillan (http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/) come to mind, all of whom have published mounds of tips and training programs.

24.    If all you ever run is marathons, spend a spring and summer trying to PR in a 5K.  Or better yet, a mile.  And if you've done six half marathons, maybe it's time to go all the way.  Hey, they say if you can run 13 miles, you can run 26, right?

25.    Eat better.  In addition to potentially losing weight, you just might find that eating better makes you want to train harder.  Eating like a poor person is my current craze.  If you're really crazy, try this new vegetarian diet (http://www.nomeatathlete.com/vegetarian-diet-athletes/) thing all these freaks are doing.  Thrive (http://www.nomeatathlete.com/thrive-diet/)  is a great place to start.

26.    If you always run the same route, change it.  Completely.  Even if you don't have a GPS, you can plot your route and get the exact mileage at Map My Run (http://www.mapmyrun.com/) or Gmaps Pedometer (http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/).

27.    Run to get someone else in shape.  Human beings will do far more for other people than they ever would for themselves, so if you're having trouble getting out there, make it about someone else.  A family member, a friend, a dog.  Somebody out there would love to be coached by an experienced runner like yourself.

28.    Lead a pacegroup.  When I made my first serious run at qualifying for Boston (http://www.nomeatathlete.com/boston-marathon-qualifying/), I ran with the 3:10 pace group for as long as I could.  I didn't make it that day, but as I was running, I realized what a tremendous sense of gratitude I felt for the guys leading the group.  I can only imagine how great it would feel to help so many people reach their goal.  Warning: In order to be a pacer, most races will require that you've run several races a good bit faster than the time you'd like to pace.

29.    Be a volunteer.  If injury or some other reason prevents you from running that race you had hoped to, help hand out water or work the finish line at a race.  The runners appreciate it, you get inspired, everyone wins.

30.  Running is such an individual sport, but doing a relay is way to make it about the team.  Try the popular multi-day Ragnar Relays (http://multidays.com/blog/2009/11/10/ragnar-relays-2010/)-I mean, what's not to love about 200 miles and 6 to 12 people crammed into a couple of vans for a few days?

31.  Sooner or later it seems everyone gets the itch to do a triathlon.  If you're feeling like you need something to mix up your routine a little bit, maybe now's the time to make it happen.  Check out Susan's tips on making the transition from runner to triathlete (http://www.nomeatathlete.com/runner-to-triathlete/).

32.  Want to enjoy running, run longer before you get tired, and get injured less?  Then slow down for a few weeks.  Like, by a minute or two per mile.  Nobody ever said running had to be about racing.

33.  Run for a cause.  Team in Training is the big one, but there are plenty of others, like Team Vegan (http://www.teamvegan.biz/).  And there's a side called Crowdrise that allows you to raise money for any cause, like this runner (http://www.crowdrise.com/racingforfarmanimals) is doing for Farm Sanctuary.

34.  Join DailyMile (http://www.dailymile.com/nomeatathlete).  It's Facebook meets Twitter meets your running journal.  And the people there are awesome.

35.  Study the mental game of running (http://www.active.com/running/Articles/The-Mental-Side-of-Running.htm).  Matt Fitzgerald's Brain Training for Running (http://www.amazon.com/Brain-Training-Runners-Revolutionary-Endurance/dp/0451222326/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1284666677&sr=8-4)  is one that's on my list of to-reads.

36.  Ultramarathons seem to scare a lot of people.  If you're thinking about running one but aren't sure about it, crew for somebody running one.  Chances are you'll be able to run with them for some leg of the race, but check the rules of the specific race.  You'll get a feel for just how long an ultra is and what running trails is like if you've never done that.  And there's nothing like helping someone do something incredible to make you want to do it yourself.

37.  If it's nagging injuries that are keeping you down, try foam rolling (http://www.nomeatathlete.com/foam-rolling/).  It'll soften muscle tissue and help reduce the likelihood of injury.  It hurts like hell at first, but eventually it feels like a hard massage.  If you want to try it without plunking down 20 bucks for a foam roller at Target, you can use a tennis ball to hit several trigger points and see how "great" it feels.

38.  Kill the hill!  Find a long hill that'll take you three or four minutes to run hard up.  When you get there, turn around and run back down slowly, for five minutes.  Repeat four to eight times.

39.  Get into Parkour.  I'm hesitant to call this running, and it's sort of weird, but I must say I'm fascinated by Parkour, the art of traversing terrain (buildings and all) as efficiently as possible.  I've never tried it, but it'd be a pretty badass form of cross-training.  Check out this comprehensive Parkour beginner's guide (http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/08/12/the-definitive-guide-to-parkour-for-beginners/) from Nerd Fitness, if for no other reason than to be entertained for a few minutes by the video.

40.  Run at night.  Okay, be careful with this one, as it requires reflective gear, running with a partner, and a headlamp.  But there's no reason to restrict your running to the daytime, especially if you have a safe place to run that's mostly free of traffic.  Any night running I've done has been on trails, and always in a group, so that's all I can recommend.