Ok, I know I’m posting this in August, but friends, fall is soon upon us!!! My pre-fall posts are some of my favorites because there’s such an excitement and anticipation for the upcoming season. Believe me, this year, I’m holding onto summer as long as possible, but I have many reasons to get excited for fall. One of those reasons is running in cooler weather. Have you ever tried to run and just hated it? Don’t worry, I’ve been there. However, over the last 11 years, I’ve come to love running and I’m excited to show you how to start running in the fall, especially if you hate it!

My Running Story

I’m that girl who grew up completely unathletic. I played a few rec league sports and never really cared for them. Volleyball was really the only sport that I enjoyed and I only played in middle school. The bane of my existence during gym class though, was running. I remember walking the mile in high school. I was jealous of my classmates who could run fast, but I despised it and promised myself I would never do it. After graduating high school and attending college, my best friend in college was a runner. She was the first true inspiration I had for running. I remember we did a 5k together in the fall. She was fast and I’m pretty sure I walked most of it 🙂

During college, I met my first husband who was also a runner. In 2012, the church we were attending was hosting a Couch to 5K program and he begged me to join. Much to my chagrin, I agreed. I still remember that first run. It was intervals of running for 30 seconds and then walking for either 60 or 90 seconds. Repeat 10 times. I wore a sad pair of gym shorts and Reeboks I bought for the occasion. I remember putting in my earbuds and getting ready for the workout. By the time we were done, it felt like my lungs were on fire. For some reason, I came back the next week and the next after that. I diligently followed the workout plan and eventually, running didn’t seem so bad. In fact, I was kind of hooked! On Thanksgiving Day 2013, I ran my first 5K without stopping. It was something around 35 minutes and I was so proud of myself!

Over the next 10 years, my relationship with running was somewhat tumultuous. I would stop and then start again, but each time was a little less difficult than the last restart. Nothing remarkable happened during the last decade. I ran a few 5Ks, hit a few PRs on my own time, and more than anything, came to love the sport. I fell in love with the thing I hated most during my school years. It was slow and steady progress, but I learned to enjoy my feet hitting the pavement while rocking out to the beat of my music.

In 2021, I became determined to make running a regular thing. And I hit it out of the park. I was doing so well I was running almost sub-9-minute miles. For me, this was so fast compared to where I started around 12 minutes per mile. Things were going great…and then, tragedy happened.

At the beginning of 2022, I became really sick, my grandmother past away, and my fiancé who I had been with for more than seven years broke off our engagement. All within less than a month. I was devastated and couldn’t find it in me to run any longer. I was not in a good place mentally. When I finally did start running again in the summer of 2022, I started to experience major pain in my knee and hips. I had to stop running almost altogether. Since then, my body has struggled with running. I’ll be going to PT to fix some of these issues that have been hanging around for a long time. I really can’t run for more than a mile or so without major pain, but I CAN STILL RUN! You don’t miss something so much until it’s been taken away from you.

This is a new journey I’m on altogether, but I’m excited to see where it takes me. Until then, I’m just as excited to give you these tips for how to start running in the fall. Believe me, if the girl who walked the mile in gym class can figure out how to love running, I know you can to. I hope you’ll be encouraged with these tips and inspired to start your own running journey.

Tips for How to Start Running in the Fall

Find mental inspiration.

When I really started to enjoy running, I turned to Pinterest a lot. I found some many motivational and inspirational quotes that I thought could help me get excited and motivated to run. I think the end of summer/beginning of fall is one of the best time to start running because it’s not as hot and there are a ton of fun races to train for. At the beginning, I needed almost constant motivation, whether it was music, quotes from Pinterest, or YouTube videos. Either way, you might be in the same situation. It doesn’t matter where you pull your inspiration from. At the beginning, you might need daily inspiration and that’s ok.

Enjoy the weather.

Speaking of weather – if you want another reason for how to start running in the fall, this is probably the best reason of fall. I lived in a small town in Pennsylvania for almost my entire life and fall is like gold there. The cool, crisp air, the changing leaves, the farmland, the mountains. All of it gave me so many reasons to love running in the fall. This is my first year in Colorado, so I know running in the fall here will probably be different. It’s also more challenging being at a higher elevation, but it also gets cooler faster here. I’m so excited to run in cooler air as the beautiful leaves change to all sorts of vibrant autumn-esque colors. There’s something about the weather not being so hot that makes you want to get out a lot quicker than when it was in the 90s on a regular basis!

Don’t feel the need to spend lots of money on gear.

Please, please, please, if you are brand new to running, don’t go out and buy lots of gear! You don’t need brand new shoes, a GPS watch, or Lululemon running pants. You can already use what you have. If you want to know how to start running in the fall, simply take inventory of what you already have. Most of us girls already have a good pair of leggings and decent running shoes. Honestly, almost all of my running pants come from Old Navy. They are inexpensive and surprisingly good quality. My favorite are their PowerSoft Crop Leggings because they don’t come all the way down to your ankles. They’re perfect for when it’s still somewhat warm out!

If you are looking for a good pair of shoes, choose reputable brands like Asics, Brooks, New Balance, or Saucony. However, if you don’t want to/can’t afford to invest the money in a new pair, simply use the pair you have. If you’re going to invest money in anything, I recommend a supportive sports bra and a good pair of moisture-wicking socks. Some of my favorite socks are Balega Hidden Comfort and Feetures Elite Max Cushion. Having a good pair of socks keeps your feet from getting blisters and also helps to mitigate any smell that may get into your shoes!

Create a customized running playlist.

This might be my favorite on the list. Want to truly know how to start running in the fall? Make a customized playlist. I LOVE music and there is nothing better to me than crafting a curated playlist with some of my favorite songs on it. You can choose fast songs, slow songs, songs that match to a certain tempo. I love mixing and matching what’s on my playlist depending on what mood I’m in. Sometimes I want something I can really pound the pavement to while other times I’m looking for songs that are more light-hearted  and fun. Feel free to use my running playlist as a starting point. Spotify makes it so easy to create customized playlists!

Let your sense of adventure take over.

Nothing gets me more excited than finding a new path to run on. I love getting into a routine and being able to compete with myself by trying to get a PR on those routine routes. However, there’s something about finding somewhere new that is a great encouragement for how to start running in the fall. Especially as the weather begins to turn, seeing the scenery around you change is a great motivator. Since moving to Colorado, there has never been a shortage of fun places to explore. Not to mention, the views of the mountains are spectacular. If you don’t want to be super spontaneous and just go, pull up All Trails or Map My Run. They’re both great tools to help you figure out your next favorite running route.

Set tiny goals for yourself.

I’m going to be honest: If you are a brand new runner and make it your goal to run a half marathon, you might struggle to succeed in this goal, at least at the very beginning. Running even one mile is a major feat if you’ve never run before. It takes a lot of strength, diligence, and dedication to build up to that first mile. Instead of setting a lofty goal like a half or full marathon, start with something small. You could make that first mile your goal, or you could go even simpler and make it your goal to run five minutes without stopping. You might have the bigger picture in mind to run a longer race, but starting with micro goals is a much better way to be successful.

Plan for success.

If you are determined to find ways for how to start running in the fall, planning is going to be a key part of that. There’s nothing wrong with testing yourself at the beginning to see where your baseline is, but if you try to go “willy nilly” and wing it, you probably won’t find much success. Most runners are planning to run races, whether it’s a fun run mile, 5k, half marathon, or ultra marathon. It’s important to make sure you’ve got a plan in motion to help you train. This Beginner Running Plan from Runner’s World is a great place to start. It’s very basic and is great for runners who have no experience.

Treat your runs like dates with yourself.

Once you find a training plan that works for you, it’s important to stick to that plan. Trust me, I’ve been there. Most of the time, I decided to give up on my plan because the goals I set weren’t suitable for where I was at the time. It also wasn’t enjoyable. It’s ok to miss a run if you’re sick or injured, but if you’re feeling up to it, it’s imperative to keep on with the plan you’ve set. If you find that your runs just seem really hard or you feel really tired, you may want to reassess. It could be that you need a little more time on a specific week or there could be an underlying reason why you’re not progressing. In any case, the best course of action is to stick to your plan whenever possible.

Find a pace that works for you.

I’m a dreamer and I’ve had dreams of me running an 8-minute mile at the Boston Marathon. Maybe the Lord will someday make a way for that to happen. But I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s never the case and that’s ok! If you want to know how to start running in the fall without driving yourself crazy, find a pace that works for you.

I’m going to say this once very loudly: IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT PACE YOU’RE RUNNING AT. All that matters is if it’s a comfortable pace to you. Trust me, no matter where you start, you are likely to improve your pace. I started somewhere around 12 minutes per mile and I’ve been able to hit almost a sub-9-minute mile. Losing weight and changing my diet helped some, but after running for so long, you just begin to get a little faster naturally. Whether you start at 15 minutes per mile or 8, it doesn’t matter. Just make sure the pace is one that feels good to you.

Try running-walking intervals.

No one said you have to run the entire time. Some runners never run the entire time. Even if you mix it up with run-walk intervals, you are still a runner! I’m working through some physical limitations and I just increased my elevation by almost 6,000 feet after moving to Colorado. I could have tried to push it hard but I didn’t. I’ve learned where I can balance myself and what’s going to work for me. Right now, doing run-walk intervals is a great option for me. I can still get my running fix while taking it a little easier. Most runners need to start out with doing intervals until they can build up strength and stamina. Soon enough though, you’ll be running miles without stopping!

Understand that there will be bad runs.

If you’re really hard on yourself like I am, it can be tough to get through bad runs. But they do exist. The best way to figure out how to start running in the fall is to understand that bad runs will happen. You will lose motivation and you will get sick or injured. Most likely, you’ll need to endure a variety of weather conditions. There will be days when you have to get up at 5 AM to run because of your work schedule and really don’t want to. All of this is ok. The important thing is to face this all head-on. It’s tough to get through a bad run but the more you do it, the more you start realize that the good runs far outweigh the bad ones.

Are you as motivated as I am to start running? I sure hope so! My hope is that this post has given you some inspiration to at least get out and try. Even if you’re only starting at running for 30 seconds at a time, you are still in a great place. Whether you’re a beginner, novice, or pro, just get out there and have fun!