After several years of heavy training and chasing ambitious times, I realised that I had lost touch with one of the most important ideas in running: Racing is a game, and running is supposed to be fun. I intuitively understood this as a kid, when I’d play tag, run after a ball, or race kids in school. I wasn’t overthinking it. I was just running and enjoying it.

A few years ago, my motivation was in the tank, and I wasn’t having fun. I was dealing with an odd case of sciatic nerve pain that derailed training. The discomfort caused me to miss workouts, and I was left in an injury purgatory, where I could run but not really train, and eventually I had to pull out of the upcoming Boston Marathon.

Every run became confirmation that I wasn’t where I wanted to be, instead of embracing where I was.

After many doctor visits and strength sessions, the pain subsided. However, so did my enjoyment and fitness. I spent many runs worried about the pain returning and dwelling on lost time and opportunities. I kept thinking about why the pace data I saw on my watch felt so hard. Every run became confirmation that I wasn’t where I wanted to be, instead of embracing where I was. I was miserable.

In time, I found a remedy in an unexpected place: a busy highway in Boston.

I wanted to find a low-stakes and fun race to reconnect with, and I came across an Instagram post from a local friend about an opportunity to race on Storrow Drive, which runs parallel to the Charles River. Storrow Drive is notorious for being a busy highway that can’t handle larger trucks. For one day a year, on the Fourth of July, it is closed to cars.

Last year, a running community leader, Devin Miller, took advantage of the highway closure and started a race called the Miller Mile. He wheeled out a mile that went down Storrow Drive, then made a hard left to finish on the Esplanade. The instructions were simple: Show up at the Mass Avenue bridge ready to race.

I got there at 8am, did some strides and drills, then joined a congregation of people gathering at the Mass Avenue bridge. There was no timer, just Devin with a starting siren and a crowd of people ready to compete.

This race felt like a game. I went out with the leaders and eventually got dropped by the winner. The pack stayed together until around the 1.2km mark, and then I kicked hard against two guys to finish second. There was a finish-line tape, and everyone got a free Red Bull. At no point did I know how fast I was going, nor did I think about my self-worth or fitness. In staying lost in the moment, it felt like I was playing Mario Kart. It put me back in the headspace to love racing again.

The Miller Mile taught me there’s value in periodically toning down the seriousness of training and focusing on having fun while racing. It doesn’t mean you can’t ever get intense with it, so long as you remember one of the most important parts of racing, and a lot of life: It’s just a game at the end of the day.

If you have been struggling with motivation or have lost the fun element of running, find a Parkrun near you, or join a run club or crew and learn to find the joy in running again.

This article first appeared on the Runner’s World USA website.

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