I love running. I wake up and I want to run. After long runs, I can’t wait until my next run. Last year, because I had a goal marathon time in mind, I followed a rigorous training pattern instead of my usual strategy of just saying yes to every social running plan. I cut down my alcohol consumption and spent far too many hours looking at my splits.
And then the unthinkable happened – I burned out on running.
I started dreading going outside in the morning, not completing my workouts. I used to return home flooded with endorphins; instead I would be so mentally drained from my runs that I wanted to do little else.
Puzzled, I perused my training log and compared training weeks that I felt burned out versus non-burned out weeks.
(Two similar-looking training weeks, but felt like garbage during the bottom one.)
The mileage and intensity were pretty comparable, so I looked at timing with my period, what was going on at work, trail versus road. Nothing stood out.
But when I grayed out solo activities and looked at the ratio to group activities, the answer became crystal clear. Turns out I could exercise with equal intensity but by simply running with friends, I could make the same thing more enjoyable.
(Same training weeks as above, but graying out solo activities.)
At work, we often trap ourselves in a state of burnout. We think that suffering is admirable. We may not love every minute of what we do at work, but making it enjoyable is not impossible. As a manager, this is always my first endeavor when leading a new team. Since humans are social creatures, the easiest way is to foster interpersonal relationships and start having fun together. For me, loving the people I work with is the most effective way to stave off burnout.
I didn’t end up running my goal marathon time last year. But I learned my lesson and joined a running club this year so I have plenty of new friends to long run with.