How Do You Not Hate Running?

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Replies

  • spartan_d
    spartan_d Posts: 727 Member
    LAWoman72 wrote: »
    spartan_d wrote: »
    spartan_d wrote: »
    LAWoman72 wrote: »
    spartan_d wrote: »
    A lot of people here say that you don't have to run in order to be fit. That's only partially true.
    M
    You don't have to run in order to lose weight or to help avoid certain degenerative diseases. However, you do need to run so that you CAN when you have to... in an emergency situation, for example. When you have to rescue a child that's fallen into a pool, for example. Or when you need to escape a dangerous situation.

    So you don't need it in order to trim down a bit. If you want to deal with the rigors of life though, I'd urge everyone to do a least SOME running, even if it's not the backbone of one's fitness program.

    I can't believe you would have to be a runner v. someone who, say, incorporates aerobics and has some strength in order to get several yards to a swimming pool to save a child. Or to run out of an alley.
    This is the sort of situation where speed matters. It's not a question of merely reaching the child or getting out an alley. It's a question of doing so IN TIME.

    Can you run toward a pool even if you're not a runner? Sure. Can you do so in time to save the child's life? Maybe, maybe not. Being properly conditioned for running makes all the difference.

    "But it's only a few yards!" you say. Sure... if you're lucky. Personally, I'm not going to be a child's life on being close enough to handle such emergencies without preparation.

    The same principle applies when it comes to running out of a burning building or away from an active shooter. Can someone who never runs "run" in a situation like that? Of course. Can they do so well enough to save their lives -- or to save someone else?

    Or if you have to catch a bus. Or a train. Heck, I was once in a situation where I had to pick a stranger's luggage up and dash toward a gate just so she could meet her connecting flight. If I hadn't been properly conditioned, there's a good chance that she would never have made it.

    I stand by what I said. There are situations where you have to run -- and I don't just mean putting one foot in front of the other in a running motion.

    I don't think anyone is arguing that it isn't important to be fit. My specific skepticism is that someone who regularly runs in a way associated with endurance exercise is more likely to be able to sprint to rescue someone or evade an active shooter as opposed to another fit person who has selected a different form of cardiovascular exercise.
    And that is where you are in error.

    First, I was talking about running, not necessarily endurance exercise. Sprinting is an example of running, for example. Not all running involves long distances.

    Second, someone who either sprints or does distance running will still be better at running that someone who merely walks or does Zumba. You can be skeptical all you want, but running makes one better at running.

    Tell ya what. If you can convince me that someone who doesn't run can get out of a burning building as someone who does incorporate running into his or her fitness program, then I will gladly concede this point. How would you go about defending such a position?

    What the hell kind of super sonic hearing do you have that you (alone) are going to hear a child's head bob under pool water from a quarter mile away?
    I said nothing about "hearing" the child, much less being a quarter mile away. If you need to grossly distort the issue to make your point, then you're obviously not trying.

    What if you're on the second floor of a house and, looking out the window, you see the child fall into the pool? Or, to use a scenario that was discussed here recently, what if you're indoors and you see a child dart into the street? You don't need to be a quarter mile away to require running quickly, and none of these scenarios require superhuman hearing.

    Good grief. When people need to resort to such exaggerations to make their point, that speaks volumes.
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    LAWoman72 wrote: »
    spartan_d wrote: »
    A lot of people here say that you don't have to run in order to be fit. That's only partially true.

    You don't have to run in order to lose weight or to help avoid certain degenerative diseases. However, you do need to run so that you CAN when you have to... in an emergency situation, for example. When you have to rescue a child that's fallen into a pool, for example. Or when you need to escape a dangerous situation.

    So you don't need it in order to trim down a bit. If you want to deal with the rigors of life though, I'd urge everyone to do a least SOME running, even if it's not the backbone of one's fitness program.

    I can't believe you would have to be a runner v. someone who, say, incorporates aerobics and has some strength in order to get 8 yards to a swimming pool to save a child. Or to run out of an alley.

    Plus, if you're running to a pool you're most likely doing a fast short-distance type thing. That's very different from being able to, say, run a 5K.

    Not to mention the adrenaline rush that would turn anyone into a runner in an emergency...

    Yup...

    OP, decide on your correct exercise based on:

    1. What your doctor says you can do, with your meds current and a rescue inhaler on hand if necessary.
    2. What you are naturally drawn to. Do you like swimming? Lifting? Something else?
    3. What you can modify to make harder as you become stronger.
    4. What is affordable and sustainable for you.


    If that does end up being running, dramatized scenarios aside you have gotten some good advice. And for the emotional part, with your bad childhood experiences, getting over that might mean running, but OTOH it might mean making peace with the fact that adults are imperfect and kids are good at some things and bad at others and this may just never be your "thing." This could just be part of general anxiety pushed forward by past trauma...in that case, speak to someone. :)

    Whatever you decide, good luck and good health to you. You can be healthy and there are any number of ways to do it.
  • MikePfirrman
    MikePfirrman Posts: 3,306 Member
    edited December 2017
    sgt1372 wrote: »
    I hate running and have no desire to learn to love it. For those that do, great, knock yourselves out but there are several alternatives to running for cardio and fitness.

    Biking and rowing are just two. I've got a spin bike and a rower at home but I prefer the rower. It's low impact, can be done at home regardless of the time or weather and gives a full upper and lower body workout that other types of cardio equipment cannot replicate.

    So, OP, if you just can't learn to "not hate running," just consider the alternatives.

    This is what I found too. I lost 70 lbs five years ago and have kept it off since. I felt I somehow had to run for enough efficiency to burn calories.

    I had a very bad knee accident before I lost my weight and lost much of it on a Spinning bike in classes. Then I bought a Spinning Bike and lost more. Diet certainly changed too but I felt everyone runs, so perhaps I should too. Problem was I don't have any meniscus in my right knee. Despite this, I did Couch to 5K and progressed beyond that slowly to the point I was doing 5 to 7 mile very hard trail runs (and not finishing last!).

    I ended up getting chronic runner's knee in my left knee that would not go away, no matter what I did. It got to the point that I'd run an hour and sit in pain for 4 hours afterward. This defeats the purpose of running.

    I went back to the Stationary Bike and tried the rower. I ended up rowing more and more. Now, I'm a competitive rower and I'm much better at rowing than I was at running. I burn more calories an hour and do around 35 miles a week on the rower (more than I could ever average running). I also just bought an Air Dyne Pro. Talk about calorie burn! It's so, so hard. Harder than any run I've ever done. Air bikes that use arms and legs, rowers and even Ski Ergs are great options that can burn even more calories than running. I'd have to run 6 MPH average to burn what I do on the rower and I was (at best) an 8 minute miler.

    Try it for a while, start slow. But if after 6 months or so you're not enjoying it (and I loved trail running so I really did love that running), find something else. It took me 6 months to a year to get comfortable enough that I liked to run. Then, once the Runner's Knee happened, it became about pain tolerance, which isn't running any longer. It goes more to obsession for some. I know one runner that got hooked on opioids just to keep running through injury. That's idiotic.

  • juliet3455
    juliet3455 Posts: 3,015 Member
    @MISSNYA92 Hidden benefits of running above the recognized cardio-vascular ( probably any weight bearing - exercise program will do some of these )

    Bone Density will increase as you start to do more activities and your body adjusts to the increased load.

    Balance - I find that my balance has improved - especially after getting involved in more Trail Runs where the terrain is not even/consistent. Lots of little rolls which work your core - starting at your ankles.

    Confidence to tackle other challenging activities - obstacle race/event where it incorporates running, lifting, dragging, crawling under or climbing over obstacles, balance beam etc. A fun way to socialize and get a workout.

    It has been said by many and I will parrot it " Get a gait analysis and fitted for running shoes that match up to your body". As you progress you might find that what you use needs to change to work with the new you.

    While your at it sign-up for swim lessons so if you do have to run to a pool and rescue someone - you know how to do it.
  • Ainadan
    Ainadan Posts: 158 Member
    I dislike running, but I think it is an efficient way to burn calories and improve cardio conditioning. For whatever reason, cycling is harder on my knees than running. But I love cycling, so I run to get my cardio condition up so that I can cycle better.

    Find what works for you. I get bored easily, so I like doing a variety of things and have running as backup if I don't have anything else to do that day.
  • Mslmesq
    Mslmesq Posts: 1,001 Member
    Op, what do you like doing? Like, what was your favorite activity as a child? Trampoline, skating? You need to think outside the box here.

    And I would never do something I didn’t like. That’s a sure recipe for failure.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
    But... Running is not "necessary to look the way" you want to. Where did you get that idea?
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,658 Member
    I am a long distance cyclist. I love cycling. I love being on my bicycle all day long, and I do mean ALL day long.

    I also enjoy hiking, and especially going for long hilly, mountainous hikes with great views.

    In addition to cycling and hiking, I keep active with lots of walking, stair climbing (I work in a 10-storey building and climb up and down the stairs ... 10-40 flights a day), and I dabble in weight lifting.

    About a month ago, I took up running.

    I'm going into a time period when I will be insanely busy and just won't have time to do long cycling or long hiking as often, so I figured running might give me more bang for my buck. For example, I might be able to include a 45 minute run during my lunch break, during a time when I currently just walk ... and thus I might be able to burn more calories and improve my cardiovascular system a bit more than just walking.

    I can manage a comfortable 5K run, and am going to attempt a 6K run this weekend, and then maybe a 7K run on Wednesday or Thursday next week ..........

    But I don't love it.

    It's just not fun like cycling or hiking.

    It's exercise ... much like climbing stairs.

    However, if it gives me results and helps me maintain or improve my fitness level during these busy months so that I can continue to cycle long distances when I need to, I'll do it.

    And the minute I can start cycling and hiking long distances more regularly ... I'm there! :grin:
  • Zinka61
    Zinka61 Posts: 521 Member
    Tightness in your chest sounds like asthma to me--I have it, too, and when I run, I don't get this now, but I did as a child. It shouldn't be happening.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,658 Member
    Zinka61 wrote: »
    Tightness in your chest sounds like asthma to me--I have it, too, and when I run, I don't get this now, but I did as a child. It shouldn't be happening.

    I have to use my inhaler before running. I tried without it, and developed my asthma squeak within about 200 metres.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    spartan_d wrote: »
    Would you agree that those people are exceptional, though? The vast majority of people, even those who are otherwise fit, would not be able to complete a marathon in decent time. Relying on examples like these is foolhardy, to say the least.

    I know quite a few people who don't do much running in between marathons.

    When you run one every weekend you don't need to do a significant amount mid-week, giving you time for other things :)