Edit: a lot of people didn’t believe me, so this morning I [recorded my run](https://youtu.be/INSE6_zU5Lk) as a proof. Hope that’s good enough!
—
Last week, there was a great post about someone who played while running on a treadmill. I wanted to share my experience and relaunch the discussion because it’s something I highly recommend. I do it on the daily: five times a week, I run 10 kilometers on my dad’s treadmill while playing my Switch. Two years ago I had practically never run in my life, and today marks my 2,021st kilometer run in 2021. My initial goal was to run 1,000 km for the first time ever, and since I reached it mid-June, I thought I could hit the 2,021 mark.
I started running while playing around November last year, I played Ni no Kuni back then. Then, from February on, I decided to impose myself some rules to make things more fun: I shall run five days a week, and only play the games I selected while running. Animal Crossing is an exception: I play it during my daily break, but if I still have stuff to do on my island when I run, I’ll start by taking care of that.
My [setup](https://i.imgur.com/XvbpzyC.png) is simple: the treadmill is directed towards a screen that is not too low. My Switch is docked to the screen. I have a joy-con in each hand, and they are protected by cheap silicone cases I bought online. I always wear the straps, too. On my Switch, I plugged in a small wireless speaker that I recharge from time to time.
Before I came up with this, I spent a few days trying different ways to set up the Switch. Here are some things that I tried: for a while, I played with Bluetooth earbuds, first using an adapter, then with the first-party Bluetooth connection, but they ended up not working (Bose QC Earbuds… Yeah). They had a latency anyway, so the speaker is a better experience. Before playing the switch docked, I also tried to place it in front of the treadmill with a tablet holder, but it was either shaking too much (if I connect the holder to the treadmill) or was too small for me to read the text.
Since February, I finished Ni no Kuni, Oninaki, and I will certainly end Tales of Vesperia in a few days. At first, I tried different styles of games: platformers, racing games (a *very* bad idea if you don’t have a great balance lol), and it turns out JRPGs are the best genre for me to enjoy. I love JRPGs, but I’m often lazy, and don’t feel like grinding. When I run, it’s much easier: my main goal is not to *play* the game, but to reach the end of today’s run. The game is a distraction and it’s a perfect one.
Over the last few months, I have greatly improved myself. My heart rate, my physical form, but most of all, my speed. I have maxed my treadmill’s speed (14 km/h) and I now take less than 45 minutes to run 10 km. On some occasions, I go for runs outsides instead of choosing the treadmill, and I can attest that there’s definitely progress. After each run, I [write down my performance and what I played](https://i.imgur.com/YuDXQXq.png) as well as other stuff (calories according to the treadmill, my weekly weight, etc). And so far, it’s only been positive.
In conclusion, I *really* love running while playing. I love the possibility to play with a joy-con in each hand, and to connect wireless earbuds to the Switch (even if mine ended up not working).
What are some great games that could be enjoyed while running?
Also, if any of you wants to start doing the same and needs advice, I’d love to provide help.