How long did it take for you to start to love running?

janinab75

So this is about my 50,000 try to start running. This seems to be the most successful so far. I say that because I seem to be more patient with myself, seem to be making progress, although slow, I am seeing improvement, and there for enjoying it more. But when do you go from your feet feeling like concrete blocks and saying to your self "just make it to the next whatever land mark you see up ahead" to "I can keep going for another 45 minutes for the fun of it?" Just curious?

MoreBean13

The first time you have a "floating" run, you'll get it.

Even seasoned runners don't love every run...there's good ones and bad ones, but the floating ones are so good they make the bad ones worth all of it. You feel weightless and strong and fast and just generally awesome.

I had one tonight, so I'm feeling very positive about it.

ETA: I guess I didn't actually answer the question. It could be anytime. Generally, it happens after you've built a running base and cardiovascular endurance to not feel like the whole thing is torture. I would suggest a program like C25K to help you build that base comfortably. I've never tried it but I've only heard good things.

JayStu

I am onto my 6th week of running and truth be told I love every run, at the start but by the end I hate it sometimes especially with increasing the running time by double

erdunn75

Some days you love it during, some days you dont love it til after your done ;p

sweetrunning

hmmm, i don't know I Think others love it more than some. For example, I started running when I was 18 and loved it right away and was pretty amazing at it after about a year of it. I loved the high I got like nothing else gave me. I'm 34 now and still run, but even if I don't run for 2 weekse I can run 8-9 miles pretty easily, it just comes natural, where other things like basetball or softball don't. So just do what you love for exercise!

Mr_Knight

I have never loved it, and I will never love it.

In fact, I kinda hate it.

But it's just a fact of life that I can't consider myself healthy if I can't crank out a decent 5km run on a regular basis - so it's just one of those things I suck up and do.

janinab75

I have never loved it, and I will never love it.

In fact, I kinda hate it.

But it's just a fact of life that I can't consider myself healthy if I can't crank out a decent 5km run on a regular basis - so it's just one of those things I suck up and do.

This is what worries me. I used to be a sprinter in high school, never a distance runner. Short, fast runs. Distance was never my thing. But I want to like it. It makes sense, and it's easy, and cheap, and can be done almost anywhere,and burns lots of calories. So I want to enjoy it, so I keep trying, hoping I'll get in better shape and like it. Now I don't want to run marathons, or even 10K's necessarily, but a 5K would be nice. Okay, maybe a 10K down the road, eventually..., but first things first. I just don't want it to be a chore each and every time, that's what I'm hoping for. I do like cycling though and do that as well.

vienna_h

I couldn't run in high school. I was too self conscious. I worried about how I looked when I ran (do I run like Phoebe???) how I compared to the other girls, etc. I would get so flustered I'd stop running. Couldn't do it. I learned to hate it. Never ran again.

Then in university, I started getting really stressed. I was in my apartment, it was getting late, and I felt so stressed, I just had to move, I had to feel "free". It was too dangerous to go outside (and where would I go at midnight?) so I went down to my apartment's "workout room".

There was a treadmill. I got on it. Put on my headphones. I was completely alone. It was just me and my music. No one could see me. I began to jog. I stopped thinking about anything, I just imagined myself dancing to my music. But really I was running. The stress melted away. It was amazing.

Now I NEED to run. Do I run a lot? No. Do I run fast? No. Can I run for a long time? No. But I love the feeling of getting lost in the motion, of forgetting that I'm running, but just feeling myself move, be focused.

So to answer you're question, it took me 21 years to start loving running.

AmyRhubarb

I started running just over a year and half ago, after pretty much despising it my whole life. Not sure what clicked in my head, but decided I wanted to give it a shot, so I downloaded a c25k app and went for it.

The challenge kept me going - I was determined to do it and I did. I continued to run the 5k distance, adding a bit of distance here and there, and the thrill of doing something I never thought I could kept me going.

Not sure when it was, but at some point I realized that when I'd drive past part of my running route, or saw someone out for a run, I found myself longing to get out there. And like Morebean13 said - not every run is going to be great. Some days I get out there and feel like my legs have forgotten how to move, and my feet feel like lead, I can't breathe right, etc. Other days I feel like I could run forever. And one awesome run makes up for five lousy ones somehow! But even after a lousy run, I feel great once it's done - I've never been sorry I got out there and did it!

I highly recommend c25k. I used the c25kFREE app by Zen Labs - worked great, let me play my own music if I wanted, and was easy to use and follow. I completed it in the nine weeks without any problems or injuries.

I also found that it was very motivating to find a local 5k run about 10-12 weeks out (or more) from starting the program. A race on the horizon helps get ya out there and sticking with it! Plus racing is tons of fun. Good luck!

shunggie

bump

RunnerElizabeth

I never wanted to like running. I hated it as a kid. I have asthma and at school I was allowed to avoid it. Everyone sort of thought if I had to run laps outside in September, I'd go into anaphylaxtic shock and die from ragweed inhalation. Yes, I was one of those kids.

Became pretty fit as an adult, boxing and hiking mostly. Before having my daughter I used to workout about 14 hours a week. Occasionally ran a little on the mill as part of my boxing training. My big sister was running at that point but I thought really one should only run if being chased.

Once I had my daughter, since I was a single mom from the beginning, I couldn't figure out how to add back excercise. Running made sense because I could do it with my daughter in the jogger. It took a couple of tries, running was hard, I hated it and as I was working on c25k I kept getting strep throat. Spring of 2012 I tried again. In June I was able to run 5k without stopping with the jogger in 39 minutes. So I signed up for a 5k in August and worked on a training plan.

The day of the race, I couldn't talk. It was ragweed season. My asthma was acting up, I was congested, my voice was completely gone, I probably should have stayed inside all day. I ran the race with my daughter in the jogger instead. We started all the way in the back with my sister and had to keep passing people. I finished in 29:52, while pushing a jogging stroller during an asthmatic episode after having only run for 2 months at age 34. I was pretty proud of myself. That's the day I started to love running.

I ran a half marathon later that year, my 5k time is starting to get faster and I have half marathons 3 and 4 on the schedule for later this year. It is possible to make yourself love to run.

heatherrunsfar

I had to get to the point I could run several miles at a stretch before I loved it.
I still don't really enjoy runs shorter than ~5 miles. (3-5 beats nothing. I hate 1-2)

If I never pushed my fitness to the point it wasn't suffering and if I were stuck on a dreadmill instead of outside, I never would have known how much I love it,

But I LOVE running more than anything in the world except my daughter.

Mslmesq

I don't think everything is for everyone. I hate biking. I do like walking and running, but some people don't...they'd rather bike. And that's ok too.

itsscottwilder

I started running when I joined the Army in 1993. I've hated every single run since then.

Every

Single

One.

dbmata

Been running for a couple years.

Still hate it.

I run so I can get to the beer at the end.

FauxAngel13

Im with MoreBean13, floating runs make it amazingly worth it. I found getting back into running that having a HIIT program was much easier than just running. Better progress and I am feeling stronger doing it which makes it more pleasurable.

WisiPls

Never, still don't do it lol

workout_ninja

Ive been running for a while and I honestly dont like any of them! I dont hate them and some are easier than others but because its an exercise that I dont like, i only do it once a week and the rest of the time i do hiit or something else. If you dont like it, why dont you try something that you will enjoy

jillomahony

I got back into running a few years ago and it took a while for me to enjoy it. Really, every run is different. What helped me was buying some gear I really liked. I love my Garmin and it helps my competitive side. I went from 200+ pounds and not even able to run a minute to running a half in 1:43. And I LOVED the half....because it was a good run. Then I got pregnant, got stuck on bedrest....emergency c section, yada yada yada. So now I am just getting back into it. And I am so tired, thanks to the baby, that I really have to force myself to get out there....usually if I can get through the first 3 miles I really start to enjoy it, that is my groove point. Some days I feel entirely made of concrete, on those days I just make a deal with myself to get to the 3 mile mark and if I still feel crap, I pack it in. Tomorrow is another day. I am hoping the pure love I felt for running returns soon...if not, I won't keep forcing myself too much, but I will find something else I love.

cwsikes

I've been running for 3 years now. I started out really hating it because I was terrible at it. I've slowly (very slowly) gotten better but still mostly hated it. I've always kept at it because I wanted to be a runner and was pretty convinced that eventually I could become one.

In the past year or so, I've finally started to actually feel like a runner, and I'm hating it less and less. I've even transformed into this person I don't recognize that gets stress relief from running. Some days I even like running now or I at least know that I will like how I feel after.

Kev_Red

Never truly enjoyed distance running. But rounds/sprints or 30min runs are fine & I do miss it if I cannot make the gym. Took me around a solid 2 weeks to miss my runs when I got back into it.

pinkraynedropjacki

I loved it after my 1st run. Loved it from the moment I took that 1st step. Love every step since. Went from running 3km to 10km in about 2 weeks. Now 10km is my minimum.

_JEFF_

I would think by the time the first zombie is heading your way....

tonythebuick

When I was in shape and much younger, I would run 18-24 miles a week. This was after a good long weight training session. I found that as I passed the 4 mile mark, it wasn't that I loved or loathed running, I had transcended it. My mind was able to wander any where it wanted. My legs and breathing just went on autopilot.

ElliInJapan

So this is about my 50,000 try to start running. This seems to be the most successful so far. I say that because I seem to be more patient with myself, seem to be making progress, although slow, I am seeing improvement, and there for enjoying it more. But when do you go from your feet feeling like concrete blocks and saying to your self "just make it to the next whatever land mark you see up ahead" to "I can keep going for another 45 minutes for the fun of it?" Just curious?

Random geeky tidbit: Assuming the OP is 38yo (as by her username), she would have needed to start running 3-4 times every single day of her life to make this the 50,000th one.
Burst of geekiness over. Carry on.

PS: OP, I've finished c25k. I enjoyed some of my runs, but hated most of them. I can't say I'm a runner but I still try it occasionally, when it's not too hot. I'm not sure though that I'll ever love it.

chard_muncher

I can't really imagine running to burn calories, it must be so dull. You need a better reason than that to run. Why not do something you enjoy? Tennis, dance, wrestling, whatever...

Steffani911

You may never love it. It does get easier, but I think that timeframe depends on your starting point.

For me, I will have five bad runs and then finally a good one. But it must be good because I keep coming back.

HealthyVitamins

The first time you have a "floating" run, you'll get it.

This totally,

after about 2 weeks I could run a 5K without stopping (even though it was more jogging than running) and I just had this moment where I was smiling like a crazy person and it was like my legs were just moving without me having to think about running, it did feel very floaty - since then I have loved it

TRD66

I started about 4 months ago, partly to burn more calories, but mainly as i want to do a 10K in October. I was also a sprinter at school, although I did a bit of orienteering when I was younger. I've never been a runner of any distance.

I don't love and and don't think I ever will, but like a lot of comments here some are worse than others. When you get to a point where your runs are all about goals, the next mile, the next corner, hell, the next lamp-post - rather than "when am I going to finish this" it will become easier. You may not love 'em, but you won't hate 'em. I'm out about 3 to 4 times a week, minimum 3.5 miles - although that'll need to go up this week.

Took me about 6 weeks to reach this point, probably once my body realised that I was going to keep going with this and that it better get on board. The telling point for me will be when I've done the 10K and winter really starts

Now cycling, that's a different story, exercise is a very personal thing.

mspoopoo

I hate running. Why do something you hate? There are plenty of other exercises out there to do.

FixIngMe13

I would love to run. Seriously... I look like a horrible whale trying to swim out of water while running. I don't know why I feel like that, but my kids even laugh at me! I have NO idea what I'm doing wrong... maybe I just wasn't meant to run long distances. In fact, since my kids made fun of me, I refuse to run/jog in public again. My oldest says I need to be free with my arms. While of course I'm trying to be free with my arms, my breasts are all over the place, even with a great support bra. Maybe duct tape would work better........

I really hope you are running and enjoying it more than I have been.