Happy first day of spring! It was chilly in Chicago today but perfectly sunny with blue skies. I’m counting my lucky stars that we don’t have snow on the ground this month. I ran 5 miles this morning to celebrate the new season, and stopped on my way home to peek at every cluster of flowers that have popped up over the last week. This got me thinking about goals for the transition to the next season, since spring is a time of renewal in so many ways. I’m sharing my 3 Running Motivations for Spring tonight, including a new running app that matches your pace to a music playlist {Spring Moves – scroll down for more}!

1 – Sign Up for a Road Race {or two!}

This spring, I am registered to run two short races – the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8k in early April and the Ravenswood Run 5k later in the month. Running outdoors in the sunshine and warm temperatures feels amazing after dark winter runs and too much time on the treadmill. Chicago had a fairly mild winter this year {thanks El Nino}, but I still ending up running a lot less in January and February than in previous months. Adding a race or two on the calendar is great motivation to get back out there this spring.

2 – Try a New Running Route

I tend to run on a short list of routes. I prefer quiet side streets in residential neighborhoods and looping through local parks, and I rarely run on the lakefront. Last year I posted a 5k running route in one of my favorite neighborhoods in the city, Ravenswood. During summer months, I also love ending a run at the Logan Square Farmers Market for snacks and veggie goodies from the farm stands. This spring, my goal is to try a new running route as least once a month. I found a Thrillist post while stumbling today, listing 27 of the best coffee shops in Chicago neighborhoods. I can’t think of a better motivator than running to a great cup of coffee!

3 – Run with the Spring Moves App

Spring Moves is an app that offers both a music service and an exercise tracker. A few weeks ago, the company reached out and asked me to try their app for running. What makes Spring unique is it’s a music service that matches the beat of the music to your running pace. If you have ever taken a SoulCycle class, you understand already how motivating this is for a workout! You can also use the Spring Moves app for walking and biking.

I loved trying this app so much that I signed up to be an ambassador. I’m passing on some of this love to you, including a free month to try Spring Moves. Please note: If you download the app through links in this post, I earn a small amount of compensation. Thanks for supporting this little blog!

Try Spring Moves for free, with a 30-day trial membership:

Click here to download Spring Moves or text CHICAGOJOGGER to 41411 to receive an automatic text reply with a download link. Note: depending on your carrier, texting fees may apply.

The Spring Moves app is super easy to use – simply download and tell the app what type of music you like {rock, 80s, contemporary, rap, etc.}. During set-up, you can also select a few favorite artists. There are no ads during your playlist {love this}, since it’s a subscription service. Your first 30 days are free {see the links above}, and there are three subscription options:

• $4.99 per month
• $39.99 per year
• $49.99 “for life”

The first time I ran using Spring, I was amazed at how accurate the songs were to the beat of my steps. Spring refers to this as Rhythm Based Movement. Studies have shown that running to the beat keeps you on pace and motivates you to keep going. Check out this cool fact that Spring shared with me:

A number of studies indicate that matching cadence to a musical beat makes people workout longer while exerting the same amount of effort. The reason seems to be that when our bodies synchronize with music move to the beat, we think we are working less hard. By using music as a metronome for our movement, we essentially trick our minds into going further or faster for the same level of effort. Two studies conducted with walkers and runners showed that music/movement synchronicity increased endurance by up to 15% when measuring Perceived Rate of Exertion.

Let me know if you download Spring and try the free 30 day trial!

What motivates you to run?