Unfortunately, not all of your summer training runs can include a lap around Indianapolis Motor Speedway. They can, however, be an experience that feels like that first Saturday in May, giving you an Indy Mini vibe no matter the distance!
Here are five ways to mini-mize (see what we did there?) the pressures of continuing to run in that summer heat:
1. Run With Friends
Thousands of OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon participants travel to downtown Indy each May for the friendliest and most encouraging half marathon in the nation. Make that Hoosier hospitality part of your running experience and run with friends to encourage each other and enjoy the glory days of summer!
2. Listen to Music
The Indy Mini boasts the largest number of entertainment groups of any road race in the country, and it’s a big reason why our participants come back year after year. Don’t run solo and pop in the headphones like any normal training session. Play tunes from your phone or strap on a wireless speaker and blast your favorite tracks for you and your friends. You might get more smiles from the runners you pass along the route!
3. See Something
It won’t be a lap around the Speedway, but see something during your run that rivals that feeling. Wherever you live, find landmarks or a scenic route that takes you out of the monotony of neighborhoods or treadmills. Dodging cars and counting mailboxes can get redundant when you’re trying to squeeze in a quick summer run. Grab a group of friends and go conquer a park, trail, or somewhere new!
4. Stop the Clock
Don’t worry about beating yesterday’s time or outdoing yesterday’s distance. There’s a time and a place for the competitor in all of us, but it’s good to change it up, especially in July and August. Just being active in the summer heat should count as a win. So hydrate, run for the joy of running, experience the beautiful summer weather and leave the stopwatch at home!
5. Wear Your Indy Mini Gear!
If you go for a run in Central Indiana, there’s a good chance you’ll come across another runner who’s conquered the Mini. They’ll be proudly donning the gear to prove it.
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I run alone, never listen to music, need no incentive .I will run the Mini next year I ran the second Mini still have the shirt. My time has almost doubled from 1:26 now I hope to do 2:50 next year. Love the mini have run a lot of them and this 76 yr old guy has a few more left. Great Race.