Help Me Learn to Love Running!

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  • lilawolf
    lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
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    gradchica27 wrote: »
    Getting started running for me after a long break is torture, so I understand. Loads of good advice here!

    I always start out focusing on time and adding a little each time (maybe 10 seconds, maybe a minute) and not worrying about distance or pace. That'll come later. Most people I know swear by walk/run schemes that decrease walking time progressively. I personally can't stand it. So I just walk a bit, then run (increasing my time each time out) until I hit about 30 minutes. Then I focus on increasing distance (maybe 0.1 miles each time). Once I'm comfortable with 3 ish miles, I work up to increasing my pace.

    So moral is what works for others may frustrate the heck out of you, so play with different plans and see what you respond to best, mentally and physically.

    I agree with this... I tried C25k ONCE. Couldn't stand it.

    Also note that you may be in a different mood on different days, depending on time, food intake, hydration, how much sleep you've had, last rest day, location of run, etc. I have different goals that I work on on different days.

    Sometimes I want long and slow (working on distance), particularly if I'm out somewhere beautiful. Sometimes I want to see how fast I can RUN a mile (working on speed) and then do more sprints/HIIT or whatever. Sometimes, particularly before work, I just see how far I can go in X time or how fast I can run a 5k, which is hopefully a bit more than the day before.
  • WeepingAngel81
    WeepingAngel81 Posts: 2,232 Member
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    There's so much great advice here. I have a love/hate relationship with running. I love the transformation my body made when I was really training hard. Then I just got sick of it and stopped. Now I'm back at it. A few things that helped me.....I'm not a runner. I recognize and embrace this. I'm a jog/walker. When I go out on a jog, I will jog a mile then walk a mile. It took ages to work up to that. If I am out of breath, I slow down! I have asthma, so depending on the day, I may lose breath quickly. Other days I can go forever. Listen to your body. Push yourself, but don't over do it. Get a good app and set small goals for yourself. Don't forget to cross train!! It will help your running. I do insanity max 30 on the days I don't jog. Cross training will help strengthen other muscle groups that you may not directly target in running, but will help you overall.

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