Part 5 How I Made the Most of Running Outdoors

There is such freedom in running outdoors but I think I felt it especially strong as I began that journey during the COVID-19 pandemic. I was either at home or out buying necessities for the family while being stressfully masked up/disinfecting everything. Running outdoors was a anxiety release where I could breathe deeply, even see neighbors from afar and feel a tiny bit of normalcy.

For many months, I would just head out my front door and go for it. But after a while I felt like I needed a change of pace (quite literally) in my running routine. I felt like I needed a coach. Well the same coaches who created the workout guides I used at the gym, also have an app that includes outdoor coached runs. I decided that as much as I hated cancelling my gym membership (because my local gym is seriously the BEST!), it did not look like I would be retuning for the foreseeable future. Running outdoors, masked, on a treadmill did not sound appealing. So with cancelling the gym membership I decided to start the app subscription.

The app is called Faster by Sissfit. And it became a GAME CHANGER for me. With a few clicks, I had access to 25-55 minute guided runs with music! I could pick endurance, sprints and everything in between. Coaches Lauren and Kelly were in my ear cueing me when to change pace and encouraging me throughout. There were tons of music options, all by DJs to keep the rhythm and vibes high. Not only did the app make the runs fun but it made the time fly by. Guaranteed I looked like a crazy person some days all out sprinting down my neighborhood streets! As I continued to use the app, I watched my times drop and distances lengthen.

As if I couldn’t love this app more, I also began to take advantage of the other guided cardio workouts and strength guided. When fires in our local mountains made running outdoors impossible, I could still turn to the app to work upper body, core, lower body, etc to the same great music.

Needless to say, I am a big fan of this app! I highly recommend you check it out. They offer a free 14 day trial. I’m so grateful I did, as it really did help me make the most of running outdoors.

Part 6 coming... Circling back to the beginning, I changed my life and became a runner