How Long Did it Take You To Like/Love Running??

Jamie_55

Some of the girls at work are talking about running the 10K at the Toronto Zoo in September. I'm not a runner and never have been, but I don't want to be left out. I'm hoping to use this as motivation for running and exercising. Most people I've spoken to say they originally hated running but the longer they did it the better it got. How long did it take you to not hate or like/love running? I'm trying to gauge how long I'll be dreading the workouts for the Couch to 10K app.

Also if anyone has any great tips, I'd love to hear them!

Thanks!

dantonn9

I hated running with a passion. It took me years to figure out why - I wasn't doing it right!

I was trying to go way too fast. I wasn't breathing deeply enough. I thought I could run right after a meal. It took some research, but once I used my new knowledge, I found that I really, truly enjoyed running!

It's not for everyone. I highly recommend that you run a couple times and make mental notes of all your complaints. Then google. It will make the your challenge much more enjoyable

NH_Norma

I was hooked as soon as I could run 1/2 a mile. :bigsmile:

However...I'm still new and only a walk/runner. But I am hooked, and can't wait til I can really run a respectable distance.

3dogsrunning

I hated running with a passion. It took me years to figure out why - I wasn't doing it right!

I was trying to go way too fast. I wasn't breathing deeply enough. I thought I could run right after a meal. It took some research, but once I used my new knowledge, I found that I really, truly enjoyed running!

It's not for everyone. I highly recommend that you run a couple times and make mental notes of all your complaints. Then google. It will make the your challenge much more enjoyable

this was my experience too. I *had* to do it so I kept doing it. I kept doing it even when I didn't have to anymore, but still didn't love it. I used to try to remind myself of how great I felt afterwards.
It wasn't until I got hit by a car and was unable to run for awhile that I realized I really loved it.

ETA - I also started enjoying it more when I started participating in races and improving (I am still not fast, just doing better than last time was good enough for me). It isn't what motivates everyone but it does for me.

fleetzz

It took me a month before I could run around the block without stopping (1 mile or so). Most people try to run too fast, too hard, for too long at first and therefore hate it because they can't breathe, their chest hurts, their hearts are pounding, they have side stitches, etc. etc. etc. I did too.

Start slowly, run slowly (NO, slower than that!), build up slowly. And read this (the best advice ever for new runners):


http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1217573-so-you-want-to-start-running?

rduhlir

Took me 29.5 years in order to like running. Then...once I took my time and allowed my body to ease into running and do it a smart way (I used C25K) it took less than one week to change my mind set. Now I can't get enough of it.

zillah73

Running was something I simply couldn't do when I was at my heaviest. I could hardly walk through the shopping mall without swollen ankles. Over time, running became the symbol of all the things I "couldn't" and would never do because of my weight – it represented my limitations, perceived and actual. I would solve world hunger and find Jimmy Hoffa's remains before I could run. When I was about 60 lbs down, I decided to try to run and I ran one lap (3/4 mile) around a small lake at a local park – a HUGE accomplishment for me. In that moment, instead of being a symbol of all I couldn't do, it became the symbol of the fact that I could do anything I set my mind to. In that moment I loved it.

pghfitgirl

I've been doing it for 3 years and I still hate it. :laugh:

But seriously, it took a month or so to be able to run more than a half mile without keeling over. Now, I can pretty easily breeze through 2-4, a few times a week.

Aquamum9

I found once I could run 1 mile straight, I was hooked. I still find my first mile to be toughest, even when going on a 6-7 mile run. After that first mile, I hit the zone. :bigsmile:

RunMyOregonBunsOff

I found once I could run 1 mile straight, I was hooked. I still find my first mile to be toughest, even when going on a 6-7 mile run. After that first mile, I hit the zone. :bigsmile:

Same here. After I could run a full mile, I was a runner for life. If I am not feeling great for some reason but decide to run any way, the first mile is the hardest for me too...I am up to 13.1 miles and have signed up for my first marathon next January.

actlc

I didn't like running for over 4 decades because I didn't know how to run right.
Once I learnt how to run right, my passion with running grows every run I do.

Key 1: A good pair of running shoes.
Key 2: Start running at a pace that won't go out of breath. (If it does, it's too fast)
Key 3: Running in good form.
Key 4: Gradually increase your distance first, not your speed.

I have been learning a lot about running and still have a lot to learn!

BlueButterfly94

I've always loved running. I have asthma though... My mom has told me that when I was a toddler I ran a full half a mile without stopping once! She was chasing me all the way. (There was a track where we lived at the time.) Walking and running just make me feel at ease.

rebbylicious

Running was something I simply couldn't do when I was at my heaviest. I could hardly walk through the shopping mall without swollen ankles. Over time, running became the symbol of all the things I "couldn't" and would never do because of my weight – it represented my limitations, perceived and actual. I would solve world hunger and find Jimmy Hoffa's remains before I could run. When I was about 60 lbs down, I decided to try to run and I ran one lap (3/4 mile) around a small lake at a local park – a HUGE accomplishment for me. In that moment, instead of being a symbol of all I couldn't do, it became the symbol of the fact that I could do anything I set my mind to. In that moment I loved it.

This is one of the most inspiring things I have read in a long time! You are amazing! Thank you for that.

cwolfman13

while I don't mind taking a jog here and there, running is not my preferred form of exercise...not everyone "loves" running....and guess what...that's ok. I'd much rather cycle. I tried to force the issue for months and then I rediscovered my bike...I now only run on Mondays for my cross training jog...it's ok, but it's my least favorite exercise day and I look forward to Tuesdays when I can be back in the saddle.

Aquamum9

I found once I could run 1 mile straight, I was hooked. I still find my first mile to be toughest, even when going on a 6-7 mile run. After that first mile, I hit the zone. :bigsmile:

Same here. After I could run a full mile, I was a runner for life. If I am not feeling great for some reason but decide to run any way, the first mile is the hardest for me too...I am up to 13.1 miles and have signed up for my first marathon next January.

Wow, good for you!!! I am hoping to do a half this fall myself. A marathon is an incredible achievement. Feel free to add me if you'd like to be running buddies. :drinker:

tmodaniel0720

Ask me in the first mile of my run and 90% of the time I will tell you I hate it, ask me after that and I will tell you 70% of the time I love it, ask me after a 9+ mile run and I will 99% of the time love it.

Aquamum9

Ask me in the first mile of my run and 90% of the time I will tell you I hate it, ask me after that and I will tell you 70% of the time I love it, ask me after a 9+ mile run and I will 99% of the time love it.

:drinker:

AllonsYtotheTardis

A week and I liked it.


But it wasn't until my first trail run (more than a year after starting running) that I fell in love with it.

3dogsrunning

Ask me in the first mile of my run and 90% of the time I will tell you I hate it, ask me after that and I will tell you 70% of the time I love it, ask me after a 9+ mile run and I will 99% of the time love it.

It is a fact that the first mile or two are the absolute worst, except with maybe the exception of hitting the wall at the end of a long run. But if we are basing on consistency of sucking, that would be mile 1 and 2.


Oh and second vote for the post linked above.

Suzmp85

I think I was hooked after the first week. I followed the C25K program and did a 5K, then I wanted to go further and train for a 10K..I didn't do a 10K program, I just slowly increased my miles to a 10K distance. After that, I wanted to go even further to a 1/2 Marathon..which went great. Oooh! I want to try to do a local 25K "what's a another 2 miles?" lol now after 3 years of running, I am setting up to train my first full Marathon that's in the fall. For me, it became a good addictive habit for me...it's my time to forget about life, and just focus on my training, and it feels good.

jmcowan42

Well I never liked running until I wanted to like running. Once I decided to like running, I loved it.

Orion782

I have been running since middle school...mostly training for sports, then the military, then "recreational" runs like 5K's, 10K's, Half-Marathons and Marathons, then fun-runs like Mud Runs, etc...

I STILL don't "like" running. The sheer act of it I find asinine. I will do it occasionally purely to change up my routine, or to see some new sights, or to challenge myself in a different way. I have rarely ever said "I can't WAIT to go for a run today!". That doesn't mean I haven't found pleasure in finishing a race, or comraderie in running with others or on a team, or setting a personal record...but the act of running is boring, mundane, and not dynamic enough for my "liking".

I'm probably weird about that, I dunno. I'm blessed to be a naturally "good" runner, but that doesn't make me enjoy it any more...

jscanlon922

I don't know if this still counts as REAL running, but I took to the treadmill right away. The longer and faster I could run, the more I looked forward to the next run. Running outdoors.... I'm still working on enjoying those runs, although I have done a couple 5ks, but it's just not my thing at the moment.

Cortelli

Maybe not the answer you're looking for, but I am into year 44 and still not liking / loving running. In fairness to the sport, I only give it a real shot every 12 or 18 months or so and then only for a solid month at most, and the fact is I do love it when it involves chasing a ball or other players around a defined pitch. But running, for the sake of running . . . yeah, still not a close friend of mine.

Phaedra2014

I ran 8 miles on Sunday and 5 miles this morning. I don't love running. I do it for the endurance factor and because I feel so good when I am done. But the actual running? No I don't enjoy it. It hasn't even become easier for me. Every mile takes effort. I've never experienced runner's high even once.

NH_Norma

I have asthma though... Walking and running just make me feel at ease.

Me too, and yes! No other relaxation quite like it. Without thinking about letting go of stress, it just kind of disappears somewhere along the way.

Eric_DeCastro

maybe about 6 months. after i was able to run farther than 5 miles after that it's heaven. I just can't stop.

angieroo2

Until I joined a running group and learned how to build up to distance without worrying about speed (C25K is not for me). Now I like it, I'm not sure if I love it yet.

TiberiusClaudis

About 6 months after I was born again (lost 60 lbs).

If you would have told me 2 years ago that I would soon be able to run for 90 min straight without a single rest, I would have slapped you in the face and called you a liar.

People, don't EVER underestimate your body's ability to adapt to new challenges. You have the greatest machine ever invented at your disposal...now go out and find a new way to challenge it.

PrairieRunner2015

When I was able to run my first mile without stopping or feeling out of breath. I had never, in my life, done that before. I had noticeably improved at something I put a lot of effort into. I still get great feelings of accomplishment when I reach a new longest distance or a new pr for a given race.

hermann341

About 2 months. That's how long it took me to go from the couch to a 5k. I couldn't run three quarters of a mile when I started, but every time I improved my distance or my pace I felt a sense of accomplishment that made me want to go farther and faster. Two and half years later, I'm working on my third marathon.