5 fun outdoor activities to complement your running this spring

As we approach the nicest months of the year, runners across Canada can benefit from a wide range of outdoor activities that give you a break from pounding pavement (or trails) and contribute to your all-around fitness in ways that support your running. From working your core and stabilizer muscles to helping build your aerobic capacity, these ideas will challenge you and hopefully give you something that running doesn’t.

Here’s a roundup of some of our favourite spring and summer sports and how they can benefit your running.

Pickleball

As the fastest-growing sport in North America for the past three years, chances are you’ve been curious about pickleball. Best described as a cross between table tennis, badminton and tennis, runners may find the quick movements a nice reprieve from running. While pickleball loads the joints the same way running does, it also requires co-ordination and agility, two skills often neglected by distance runners. Finally, pickleball is a social sport by nature, so if you’re not regularly running with others, adding in a casual game can be a great way to enjoy getting fitter with friends.

Cycling

Probably the first sport any runner turns to when they need time off their feet, cycling is an obvious choice to top this list because of how well it translates to aerobic fitness. If exploring outdoors is your favourite part of running, cycling gives you that in spades: you can cover more ground in less time, and without the same load-bearing on the joints, you can spend hours on your bike without risking injury.

Hiking

It’s not just trail runners who will find hiking helps their running; road runners can benefit greatly from this one, too. Another exercise that challenges the core and stabilizer muscles, hiking also provides great aerobic conditioning and can be easily adapted, depending on how hard you want to make it. Canadians are lucky to have world-class hiking across the country, and those with access to hilly terrain will find that power-hiking uphill provides an excellent alternative to running on days when you need to switch it up.

In-line skating

When you need a break from your favourite sport, in-line skating is a great alternative. Working many of the same lower leg muscles as running, it’s also fantastic for maintaining aerobic work without the same pounding on the joints. Runners can approach in-line skating the same way they do running; lots of volume at an easy pace will work your aerobic system, and pushing yourself with intervals can help you get faster.

Stand-up paddle-boarding (SUP)

Stand-up paddle-boarding (sometimes referred to as SUP), not only gives you a break from the roads as a water sport, it’s also a great strength workout. In addition to challenging your leg stabilizer muscles (something that will benefit every runner), it demands core strength. While paddle-boarding wouldn’t be considered the best supplement for running, it works different systems in the body and therefore could become your new favourite rest-day activity.