I run because I need to and I hate it

coreyreichle

misskarne wrote: »

I hate running. Of all things, it makes my shoulder hurt. I'd rather skate and briskly walk than run.

Make sure you keep your hands loose while running. Make a fist with your thumb inside, it will help keep your hands not as tense.

Shoulder pain from running is generally from people tensing their arms while running. Making the loose fist, and keeping your thumbs inside encourages you to keep your arms loose.

anna32aries

I don't enjoy running and I wish I did. I like the elliptical and spinning for cardio.

sbrandt37

Speaking as a formerly obese 52 year old who used to hate running, but now kind of loves it...

Life is full of choices. After many years of fighting with myself over them much like you describe, I realized that at some point we have to choose and accept the consequences of our decisions. You don't need to do anything. Really. You can choose to do nothing about your weight and fitness. You probably won't lose any weight or get any fitter if you do that, but it is a choice you can make.

But you want to lose weight and get more fit? Great! That makes all the difference, because now nothing and nobody is forcing you to do anything. Instead, you are making choices about what to do to achieve what you want.

The good news is that you don't need to run to lose weight. All you have to do to lose weight is eat less calories than you burn each day. MFP makes that easy, whether you exercise or not. Just set it up, log your meals, and meet whatever daily calorie target it gives you. If you do that, you will lose weight.

BUT, exercise does have many advantages: better health, better fitness, better looks (at least, I think so), and once you get into it, it makes you feel really good. It also means you can eat more while losing weight, because you are burning more calories.

Running has the additional advantage that you can do it almost anywhere, with minimal equipment (decent shoes), but there are lots of other good ways to get similar exercise. I used an elliptical machine for about 18 months until I lost enough weight and felt fit enough to start running.

Ultimately, though, if you really want a runner's body then you have to do what runners do: run. That means accepting that you ARE doing it because you want to. Not because you need to, but because you want to. Going from an obese non-runner to a fit runner is hard and a bit painful, but it is absolutely possible. It just takes determination. Fortunately, over time the pain decreases and the good feelings increase.

To answer your original question, my thoughts when I run are extremely varied, but typically with respect to my running, at the beginning of a run they are about how much everything hurts, toward the middle they are about how well it is going and how good it feels, and toward the end they are about how I am almost done. It helps if I stay focused on why I am doing it: because I want to and I want the benefits that come with doing it. The good news is that each week the "Oh god, it hurts!" and the "Keep going, you are almost done!" phases are growing shorter and the "This feels really good today!" phase is growing longer.

oocdc2

I lost all my weight without exercise, and *then* I started running, so there's that.

I also second those folks who are recommending walk/run mixes to start. I've recommended Robert Ullrey's C25K podcasts before; Google them. He starts you off easy, and they worked for me.

I would find running boring, too, if I didn't listen to audio books while I ran. If you have a membership to your local library, you may be able to borrow audiobooks and download them to your phone using Overdrive or Hoopla. I'm currently finishing James A. Michener's The_Source, which is a huge 40-hour epic, but I've also listened to Carrie Fisher's Wishful_Drinking and more creamy-white-thigh novels than I care to admit to. Good luck! I hope you find your method.

crackpotbaby

I always hated running.
This last year I started running in the nature reserve near my house. Trees and rocks and lizards and butterflies and ferns and trees again.

Now I really enjoy it.

Thought I'd do a road run to compare distance/time. Still kitten hate that. Exhaust and sun and footpaths and cars. Blerg.

oocdc2

lizery wrote: »

I always hated running.
This last year I started running in the nature reserve near my house. Trees and rocks and lizards and butterflies and ferns and trees again.

Now I really enjoy it.

Thought I'd do a road run to compare distance/time. Still kitten hate that. Exhaust and sun and footpaths and cars. Blerg.

Wow--that's a beautiful trail! Nicely maintained...

LivingtheLeanDream

If you don't like running, find an exercise you DO like.

dutchandkiwi

I used to hate running when I wsa overweight. Only took it up after I really wanted to do it for a while and when my weight came down.
Not hving it as a main excersise but an add on
My main excersise is and was always walking (longer distances)/hiking - I cycle, do yoga and other cardio stuff now and love love love weights. Used to do a lot of swimming/aquarobics until recurring earinfections stopped that for now

Just just don't have to run if you don't like it. Find a form of excersise you love and keep doing that

TimothyFish

There seems to be a trend here: people all hate running until they get good at it. I think that is probably true of every exercise. I do more cycling than running. It used to be that I always had trouble getting started in the Spring and I would always avoid cycling on windy days. My problem was that my fitness level wasn't high enough to deal with the conditions. It was always mid-summer before I was fit and then it was 105 degrees outside. But once I started riding through the winter it changed. My fitness level never really drops significantly and I am able to pick locations in my city as destinations and ride there without having to consider whether I am fit enough to make it there and back. I don't even have to consider how steep the hills are. I've gone from deciding that it is too windy to ride since the flags are standing straight out to looking forward to my evening ride because the flags are standing straight out. Overcoming the challenges changes everything.

Lounmoun

You don't have to run. There are many activities out there but whatever you do if you are not used to exercise start slow.
Maybe walk briskly more before you tackle running.

BrunetteRunner87

I started running in junior high. I hated it, I was just on the CC team so I could be with my friends. Years afterward I began running while I was in law school. I was already in pretty good shape from other cardio activities, so I enjoyed running and got pretty good at it quickly. Then I quit and got out of shape. When I started running again I hated it, but I remembered how great it felt when I was good at it and when I was setting personal records, so that kept me going. After being consistent I have finally gotten to the point where I like running again. I don't think it's fun for most people when they first start out.

StaciMarie1974

I like running. But that does not always mean my mind is at peace when I'm running. I most enjoy outdoor, nice weather runs. And I prefer running 5k, 10k events over solo runs. I like to people watch, and I like the charged atmosphere of a race. BUT not all runs can be like that. So I listen to music, focus on my pace, etc. to keep my mind busy when necessary.

If you truly hate it though, try to find some other activity that you DO enjoy. Biking, swimming, or some sport for example.

jadebuniel wrote: »

I'm an obese. 20 yrs old. I've seen people way older than me who runs way more miles than me. I also witnessed the advantage of being a runner. That makes me want to love running. But everytime I run, I always think of doing it because I need to not because I want to. I always think of rest I always check my timer if I already run 2mins. For runners out there, what are your thoughts when you run? I really want to love running heeelp

ValleyHooper

I feel ya. I am not a runner and have always hated it. I love going on long distance walks and I will jog at times. I just cannot get into running. I say find an exercise you enjoy doing and have fun with it!!! If you're doing something you hate you are more likely to give up and quit. I highly encourage walking though. It's something that is easy to do, it's free, can do it anywhere, and has so many health benefits to it. I aim for 10,000 plus steps a day. Good luck on your fitness journey!! You've got this!!

cerise_noir

Why do you need to run?

fitmom4lifemfp

jadebuniel wrote: »

I'm an obese. 20 yrs old. I've seen people way older than me who runs way more miles than me. I also witnessed the advantage of being a runner. That makes me want to love running. But everytime I run, I always think of doing it because I need to not because I want to. I always think of rest I always check my timer if I already run 2mins. For runners out there, what are your thoughts when you run? I really want to love running heeelp

I love to run. I seriously crave it. I had a meniscus tear that was repaired this past June, and so far my knee is not liking running yet. Hopefully I will be able to get back to it. I also love music. The two combined, are probably the most exhilarating, stress-beating, feel-good good-for-you activity that I can do, that costs nothing, and takes very little time. It doesn't matter what I start out thinking about, because within a few minutes I am thinking of nothing except moving my legs, and the music. It's completely mind-clearing, for me.

I don't like carrying my phone with me when running or working out, so I have a small mp3 player that clips onto my sports bra. It's weightless.

charlesdphillips3

Try walking...with music you like. That will give you success without some of the suck

jms1902

I hate running also. Detest it. I do it though (nothing crazy-- 30 minutes of intervals on the treadmill) because it makes me make better food choices throughout the day. I don't want my run to have "gone to waste" by overindulging.

JessicaMcB

When I was obese (and even when I was a sedentary as hell thin person years and years ago) I loathed running because I put zero value into hard PHYSICAL work.

I started running during my weight loss phase for a change of exercise pace and it ended up changing my life instead. I live with OCD and my mind has never been a quiet place, but when I run it is. My brain is not screaming at me about the back door and the lights and 8000 other things- running has afforded me a window of time where I can feel like everybody else. My mind is nowhere and everywhere. It is freedom.

If you truly find you hate running though there is no point in torturing yourself- find your exercise bliss. Lots of people who abhor cardio do well with lifting regimes. Other people enjoy the social setting of classes. Running, while amazing, is not requisite to weight loss or health.

Running_and_Coffee

I really love running. The endorphins, being outside in nature, listening to my music, not having anyone telling me what to do, the freedom to go further one day just because you feel like it, seeing other people out on the trail, that sense of accomplishment you get after every single run, and every single race, even the bad ones....it's awesome. For me. But if I didn't love it, I wouldn't do it, and you don't have to, either!

TxTiffani

Someone once told me that the best exercise is the one that you'll do. Best way to ensure you keep doing it? To find something you like;) I don't like running either and I find it harder to fit in my schedule anyway (I have kids that are too big to put in a running stroller and too small to leave home alone & I don't like treadmills), but I do like using my exercise bike at my house & it makes we want to bike outdoors (our city is a lousy place to cycle but that's another story:P).