Does anyone actually ENJOY running?

toddgaines

So I've recently taken up running, well, I guess its been 3 months now. I've quickly progressed from running 1 mile to now where I am in the 6 to 10 km range. My problem is, I hate it. I've tried changing routes, listening to music, running with others, treadmill with TV, and have even entered into and completed my first race. But the process is just not enjoyable for me. I want to love running, I really do. I love the feeling I get from completing a run, and I love the fitness results that come from running. But does anyone actually enjoy the act of running, or are people like me, and like what running does for you, and therefore just tolerate how boring and tedious it is?

meggonkgonk

I really love it. I used to wicked hate it. But I look forward to trying new routes, changing up my training and generally the whole workout.

Starting out is hard, but I almost always hit a point 1-2 thirds of my way through where I just feel on top of the world.

Maybe you need a new cardio? Swimming or something?

kennedar

I am beginning to, which is amazing to me! I have always hated it, my whole life, and now I am starting to really enjoy it. I love the look my dog gives me when she sees me getting ready for a run and how excited she is the whole time. I love the calorie burn! I love way I feel when I am done. The actual act itself is still a little tough but as I get in better shape I know I will enjoy it more. Maybe running just isnt your thing?? Or maybe you are listening to the wrong things, I love podcasts and books on tape for when I run because it is completely different. I dont know, we all have exercises that just are not for us!

missyhse

yes. I absolutely enjoy-once I get out there and break through the warm up fuzz.. It did take me a while to get there though, finding a pace that is comfortable, adjusting my nutrition pre and post run, and getting through the plateau during the first few miles when I still, years later, wonder what the heck I'm thinking.

ka_42

I honestly don't like working out at all... It doesn't mean you can't be successful at losing weight but it does make it more difficult.'

Editing to say--- I didn't lose 60 lbs by not exercising. I still exercised a lot- every day. It just has to be part of your routine. I worry that this will hinder my progress at maintaining though.

Lyadeia

I actually enjoy it. :flowerforyou:

But if you don't like it, then perhaps you should find something else that you do like. You can get great results from other types of exercise, and I feel that people are simply more prone to do it and continue doing if they like to do it.

I hate pilates. Don't care how great it is for the body, I won't do it. But, PiYo (created by the woman who made Turbo Jam) is something I do like to do because it takes some of the same moves and incorporates yoga, which I also like, so it's more fun and I will stick to it. Just as en example. :bigsmile:

JustBeckyV

I have days where it feels like a chore that I have to get done but then there are the days that I realize that this is the best thing and I do enjoy it! I even have fun with it - start doing boxing moves or doing a little jig along the way lol Maybe I am just crazy

toddgaines

I've done other cardio (started out my weight loss doing Insanity), but I'm just not a cardio guy. I love weight training. I enjoy running with purpose (football, softball etc), but just running for the sake of getting from point A to point B is dreadful to me.

I really love it. I used to wicked hate it. But I look forward to trying new routes, changing up my training and generally the whole workout.

Starting out is hard, but I almost always hit a point 1-2 thirds of my way through where I just feel on top of the world.

Maybe you need a new cardio? Swimming or something?

thebamboophoenix

I HATE running! I did it for a while, almost felt like I should and that I should enjoy it, I even signed up to do a 10k but then jacked it all in because I really did not like it! There are so many other forms of exercise that I do enjoy so that's now my focus. Weird thing is, I still do a 10k distance as a very fast walk (probably not far off jogging) and I enjoy that...
In all honesty, I actually have quite a short attention span and running ends up boring me very quickly.

Also, whilst I appreciate some others love it, I personally have never seen anyone out running look like they are enjoying it.

I guess it's like anything though - one man's meat is another man's poison!

gillleeman

Hated it at school, but LOVE it now!!! Particularly love running in wet, windy conditions just like to day. Only time I don't enjoy running is in the heat, so I get up really early in the summer and run as the sun comes up, now THAT is spectatular!!!

MonsteRawr

I won't say I ENJOY it, per say. It hurts, and nothing that hurts is fun. Oh, and that "runner's high"? Bull****. But I can usually get myself into a good enough mental place to get into a pretty good groove. That's where I'm going along, and I'm thinking about things and enjoying my music and the pain is kind-of pushed to the back of my mind. It's there, but I'm not dwelling on it. And like you said, I love the feeling of finishing a good run and the results that I've seen from it. So I'll just keep grooving on!

doug2691

I love it all the bennfits out weight the negatives to me. It took me about 2 months (back when I was the couch25K type) until that internal switch just clicked one day and it was like I'm on autopilot running is just something that is fun to do. I usually listen to audio books or watch TV (when at the gym). I do admit mile 1-6 are more enjoyable then 6+ but that number will go up as I get more fit. Also I get to a point where running is almost a necessary release as two days without an endurance type activity.

Back when i started I couldn't possibly imagine the act of running being fun...lot of it goes back to memories of grade school phy-ed running 600yard sprints..and overzealous workout phy-ed teachers came up with at the time.

But in general I much happier when running then when not (regularly)

StarryEyedGirl

its new to me and yes I really enjoy it! not so much the act of running but the accomplishment of doing it! at the end of my 3 miles I literally SMILE out loud!! I am happy to have it done!!

lordofultima

I'd say for 2/3 of the run it sucks, but there's always the one point, maybe a little past half way through, where I feel like a million bucks. It was 32 degrees outside with freezing rain, at around 1am...and still I was feeling great, smiling ear to ear, listening to good music, and striking poses as I was running -- against the wind and rain no less. Then I get all amped up and run really fast, then eventually slow down because I'm super exhausted. I'd say that moment and the very end of the run are worth it.

vdub88

I am fine once i get started but the most enjoyable part for me in a run is competing in a 5k race. I never thought i would like it after all I'm fat. Once i did my first one I was hooked. I do one every month now. The best part is passing a skinny person and realizing that just because there are skinny people does not mean they are in shape. I maybe 238 pounds but I can run 3 miles. There are plenty of people under my weight that can not run even 1 mile. Be proud of your accomplishments and reward yourself for making it this far.

toddgaines

See, for me it's not a painful experience, and when I hit my groove I literally feel like I could just keep running forever Forest Gump Style. I'm training to do the Tough Mudder, which is a race I think I would actually enjoy, because it is so much more than just running. I only run 2 - 3 times a week now and mix it up with strength training the other days, so it's not that big a deal that I hate it, and doing it allows me to do so many other things in life, so I don't mind doing it that much. Just wanted to see if I was alone in my hatred, or if people actually enjoy the act of running...

I won't say I ENJOY it, per say. It hurts, and nothing that hurts is fun. Oh, and that "runner's high"? Bull****. But I can usually get myself into a good enough mental place to get into a pretty good groove. That's where I'm going along, and I'm thinking about things and enjoying my music and the pain is kind-of pushed to the back of my mind. It's there, but I'm not dwelling on it. And like you said, I love the feeling of finishing a good run and the results that I've seen from it. So I'll just keep grooving on!

Nich0le

getting going in the morning isn't always the easiest but I can honestly say I love it, miss it if I don't get it, hated not being able to do it when I was injured. I am a competitive person so I find strength trying to out do myself each time BUT I will admit there are days when my legs don't want to cooperate and I find it a struggle but I take that as my hint to take a rest day and start fresh in a day or two.

doug2691

I am fine once i get started but the most enjoyable part for me in a run is competing in a 5k race. I never thought i would like it after all I'm fat. Once i did my first one I was hooked. I do one every month now. The best part is passing a skinny person and realizing that just because there are skinny people does not mean they are in shape. I maybe 238 pounds but I can run 3 miles. There are plenty of people under my weight that can not run even 1 mile. Be proud of your accomplishments and reward yourself for making it this far.

Very true..I'm not very fast (9:30 minute miles when racing) but the last 5K I ran I kind of eyed the crowd looking at those who 'looked the part' thinking they would be far faster then me..well some of those types could run but a lot them could not..you can't judge a book by its cover..the one guy I thought looked like the local 'gym rat' was legit though as he won the whole thing. I finished in top 50% but was humbled by being passed by someone in a jogging stoller with a half mile to go. The guy that finished 3rd was in his 60s I think wearing a kilt..lol

UpToAnyCool

:laugh: It's funny you would ask that. If you told me before that I would like running now (well, jogging, in my case) I would have laughed at you mercilessly. I really only got into it b/c I'm not working full time now and lost access to a reasonable monthly gym rate - running outside is cheap~!

I eased into it w/ the C25K podcasts and am still enjoying it. The thing is, I'm not the kind of person that is very hard-core about anything, so the runs are enjoyable b/c I am so new to running that I'm not doing a lot of goal-specific training. It's enough to get my *ss out there a few times a week. I don't know what will happen when there is snow on the ground, but I will only run until I don't find it fun anymore.

I enjoy the headspace of running. I don't always get there. It's possible that you are pushing yourself and that the running is not relaxing. It's possible that you have hard-core training goals and you are concentrating so hard on that that you are forgetting the fun part. But if you have NEVER liked running, I'm just not sure if it's for you - does it feel like torture?

The running I do is nothing like the running they chat about in that book Born to Run, but if you haven't read it, it's an interesting, quick chatty breeze of a book that covers diverse topics in running culture from barefoot running, the earliest ultramarathons and the tarahumara running culture of mexico. it is sort of an alternate view of humans through the lens of running.

the author spends some time writing about how running has changed from a communal life saving skill (oftentimes related to a hunt) to a more individual competitive endeavor. he wonders about how the 'fun' of running has changed over time..

but gosh - no need to torture yourself, eh? :huh: :flowerforyou:

LotusF1ower

So I've recently taken up running, well, I guess its been 3 months now. I've quickly progressed from running 1 mile to now where I am in the 6 to 10 km range. My problem is, I hate it. I've tried changing routes, listening to music, running with others, treadmill with TV, and have even entered into and completed my first race. But the process is just not enjoyable for me. I want to love running, I really do. I love the feeling I get from completing a run, and I love the fitness results that come from running. But does anyone actually enjoy the act of running, or are people like me, and like what running does for you, and therefore just tolerate how boring and tedious it is?

As I have got fitter and lost weight, I have enjoyed running more and more, now I adore it.

The thing was, I hurt my back just under a year ago and thought I would never run again, now that I can I am thankful every single time I run and do not get injured, I never ever take it for granted, I feel blessed to be able to run at all.

Regarding your own exercise, you might find it useful to try another activity as well as your running and mix the two up so that you don't get stale.

UpToAnyCool

The best part is passing a skinny person and realizing that just because there are skinny people does not mean they are in shape. I maybe 238 pounds but I can run 3 miles. There are plenty of people under my weight that can not run even 1 mile. Be proud of your accomplishments and reward yourself for making it this far.

U R Awesome! :happy:
My friend was saying she did not want to try C25K b/c she 'weighs too much,' and while it's her choice, your post is encouraging!
Good for you!