Will I ever *love* running?

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rat70
rat70 Posts: 129 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all you runners out there!

I am just about to begin Week 8 of the Couch to 5K (28 min continuous running). The 25 minute run on Sunday was so hard. I really want to be someone who loves running but I am having trouble seeing that happening at the moment. I know I have come a long way - I have NEVER run a continuous 25 minutes IN MY LIFE! It is just such hard work at the moment.

... and it is so cold outside ATM. Overnight temperature will be 0 degrees Celsius!

Encouragement please...
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Replies

  • mimiswoboda
    mimiswoboda Posts: 13
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    I was never a runner, but recently started training a running class. The problem most people have is that they try to run too fast. They get winded and don't allow themselves to enjoy it. Start really slowly and your body will naturally pick up the pace. I think then you'll really start to enjoy it!!! Start slower than you think you should. Your body will naturally find it's comfortable pace. Also, make sure you have the right shoes. :0)

    Hope that helps!
  • veronicamartinez29
    veronicamartinez29 Posts: 13
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    I am in the same boat! I have so many friends that LOVE running but its proving difficult for me. i just remind my self that its b/c i am still getting my body in shape and it will always be a challenge until weight is gone. its hot as hades here in Texas i have to use the inside track at the gym to even run. Just remember " Motivation gets us started, Habit keeps us going" hope its gets easier for you
    Veronica
  • snowy_sk
    snowy_sk Posts: 117 Member
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    That's so strange - I have just come back from my run and was thinking exactly the same thing! I am on week 7 day 1 (25 mins).... I completed it but just like you, I don't love it. What I do love though is the sense of achievement I get everytime I complete a run. It's like WOW - did I really just run 25 mins??? Amazing!! I'm determined to persevere and hope that I'll gradually get even fitter and will end up enjoying it a bit more.

    Let me know how you get on!!

    p.s - I have the opposite weather problem today. 25 degrees and sunny in London - far too hot to run in for me!!

    x
  • amycavanagh
    amycavanagh Posts: 22 Member
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    I was like that began running bout 2 months ago and it is hell my head just fights me all the way but the day I ran my first 5km in 30 mins outside I was so stoked and felt like a champion am going to be competing in my first 5km run end of july so my advice stick with it the changes to my mental toughness and my body shape is amazing!!!!
  • lcnelson
    lcnelson Posts: 279 Member
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    Congratulations on running for 25 minutes!! Well done! I can't say that I love running.....however I love the way I am losing weight. I love the continued distance and minutes run I am accomplishing and I love the way I feel when I am done running. I started 4 months ago and could not even run for 30 seconds. Now I run between 40-53 minutes.
    Running my first 5k 2 months ago definitely inspired me and pushed me....Do you have a goal in mind?
    Poor you and the weather...UGH!! I have the opposite problem here. Its 8am and already 80 degrees outside!
    Hang in there!
  • tony2009
    tony2009 Posts: 201 Member
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    Running used to be something that I was forced to do in gym class. Now, I love it! I started out on the treadmill and i absolutely hated running on that. Then, once the weather here finally got nicer I discovered that I loved running outside. It' really gets fun whenever you get to the point where you can run long distances. I have worked my way up to running 5 miles without stopping one time, running at about 5.5 mph.
  • flausa
    flausa Posts: 534 Member
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    Is there a reason you can't repeat Week 7 this week rather than moving to Week 8? You can give yourself a chance to enjoy the accomplishment, and maybe by repeating rather than pushing to add more you'll find yourself enjoying the running.
  • cheeksv
    cheeksv Posts: 521 Member
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    Redo a week or so if you have to. Really let yourself get used to it. I run 6 days a week and actually do each 3 days twice in one week. I think for you that might be a bit much haha but something to think about.

    Running in general kicks your butt. Everyone says how fun it can be and it really can. I LOVE it but hate it all the same time. For now focus on your goals, and once your body gets used to the work your mind will catch up and you will see how amazing running is. The feeling is great :) and it is hard work and you will no longer need the motivation of loosing weight to get you up and going, the motivation of a good run will be there instead. I could barely do the mile in HS now I am running 2 no sweat ( well plenty of sweat) and I used to dread running but now I welcome a good jogg. I am more than sure you will be able to do the same :) good luck!
  • adriannz
    adriannz Posts: 29 Member
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    I tried to like running - but I just can't. I'm much happier walking and interspersing jogging and sprinting. Running nonstop just doesn't do it for me. But that doesn't mean that you won't learn to like it eventually - stick with it for awhile. If you don't learn to love it, find something you do love!
  • charmainecurrie
    charmainecurrie Posts: 435
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    I hate running...I would rather give bith again if I didn't have to run again in my life
    I started the couch to 5K about a month ago and give up...it was too hard-not the best attitude
    but I will started again this week...hoping for better results this time...
    best of luck
    I do here that it does get better
  • sla0814
    sla0814 Posts: 240
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    Running is like life...you're going to have your amazing days and there's other days where you ask yourself, "why the heck am I even doing this?!?" lol.

    I was where you are, all serious runners are. We've all gotta start somewhere! My recommendation is keep it up!! Stop and walk for 10 seconds if it's to the point where you're miserable, I even do that from time to time now.

    Keep up the amazing work and as weeks go on and the stronger you get, you WILL start enjoying running!!:):)
  • RinnyFay
    RinnyFay Posts: 2 Member
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    Yes, set a goal! That has really motivated me. I have a goal to run a half marathon in November. I began training on my own back in April and will soon begin Jeff Galloway's training for a half marathon. I have a good mentor who gives me pep talks every few days and the best advice he gave me is to build my "mountain of fitness" "one rock at a time." I chant that when I run sometimes. Sounds so cheesy, but hey, whatever works! Best of luck to you!
  • ncgingerich
    ncgingerich Posts: 46 Member
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    I was never a runner, but recently started training a running class. The problem most people have is that they try to run too fast. They get winded and don't allow themselves to enjoy it. Start really slowly and your body will naturally pick up the pace. I think then you'll really start to enjoy it!!! Start slower than you think you should. Your body will naturally find it's comfortable pace. Also, make sure you have the right shoes. :0)

    Hope that helps!

    This is EXACTLY right. I'm currently not running but have aspirations to run again one day. For me, I worry that the extra weight I've gained over the last few years might cause knee or back injury. That said, once I've shed about 10 more pounds I'm hitting the pavement again (although I hit the pavement every day with fast walking). I wholeheartedly believe if you slow down and enjoy your current pace (no matter how slow) you will learn to love running and you will definitely over time increase your pace naturally. I remember training for my first marathon - when I began I ran about a 9.5 to 10min pace - I was shocked to realize that after completing the marathon I had come within 8 mins of qualifying for the Boston Marathon. Some "calculations" later I realized that I was easily able to run about an 8min mile. I further shocked myself by completing a 10K in like 52 mins as well! While I was never nor will I ever be a "speed demon", what was so notable to me was that this pace felt no different than my 10min miles did at the beginning of starting running. So, long story short.... SLOW DOWN and ENJOY!! Best to you!!
  • mikeyrp
    mikeyrp Posts: 1,616 Member
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    Congratulations on your first 25 minutes.

    I personally love running but I wasn't always this way. All I can tell you is that when you hit a comfortable pace something inside you just clicks and you hit this kind of of zen like trance - a bit like if you do meditation I guess. Your body just moves of its own account and all your mind focuses on is sensing that movement: its not a question of 'can I keep going' at all - more like when you have a piece of chocolate in your mouth and you let it melt on your tongue, savouring the flavour rather than just a mechanical in, chew, swallow. You savour the feeling of running.

    Quite often I have music on and that carries me - I can still hear the song but its on a purely emotional level. I am a musician and normally I listen to each part and break it down and work out how to play it - but not when I run: when I run I just let it lift me.

    This is probably the biggest bunch of hippy bollocks I've written on a forum and that's because its really hard to describe why I enjoy running... Just take my word for it - if you are running 25 minutes now then you are close to the point when this kind of auto-pilot mode kicks in and you can just sit back and enjoy the ride.
  • sarahliftsUP
    sarahliftsUP Posts: 752 Member
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    When I first started C25k I hated running -- thought about quitting because it hurt my lungs and I wasn't breathing properly, getting pains in my side, etc. I don't know how it happened but I started to develop a rhythm with my breathing and pushed through the discomfort you get at the beginning and learned to love it. I just feel free and like I can accomplish anything when I'm running.

    What do you think about when you're running? If you don't enjoy it then I would say to stop.. but really give it a chance! I think the moment I felt truly like a runner was when I ran my first 5k. Maybe sign up for a race after completing C25k? And I agree with what others have mentioned, if the 25 minutes was hard on you then repeat the week before moving on to running 28 minutes.
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
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    Not everyone loves running - it's not compulsory!

    You will find it easier, and if you're having a tough week on C25K, try repeating the same week next week - you'll almost certainly have a breakthrough and suddenly find it much easier. Also go slow. Still hard? GO SLOWER! The speed will come with time, just get the time on your feet under your belt for now.

    There's a few more hints and tips in my blog entry "20 things I wish I'd known about running when I started":
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/BerryH/view/20-things-i-wish-i-d-known-about-running-when-i-started-103936

    Good luck!
  • cshore54
    cshore54 Posts: 70
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    I am just starting out on the training. Everything I have read stresses starting out slow and feeling good. It is so encouraging to read the same here from actual runners. Right now a walker could lap me, but it felt good to me. I know I will build slowly, but like everything on this journey it will take time. I don't want to end up hating it. Good luck on your endeavor. Slow down a bit and enjoy what you are doing to make your body the best it can be. I can't wait for the day when I can say I ran 25 minutes without stopping.
  • Schwiggity
    Schwiggity Posts: 1,449 Member
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    Hi all you runners out there!

    I am just about to begin Week 8 of the Couch to 5K (28 min continuous running). The 25 minute run on Sunday was so hard. I really want to be someone who loves running but I am having trouble seeing that happening at the moment. I know I have come a long way - I have NEVER run a continuous 25 minutes IN MY LIFE! It is just such hard work at the moment.

    ... and it is so cold outside ATM. Overnight temperature will be 0 degrees Celsius!

    Encouragement please...

    Where do you live? I'd love for it to be that cold here!
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
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    I fell in love with running the day I got my first runner's high. Instead of my normal mental 'bonk' where I'd start to get bored/tired/discouraged, I sort of got this second wind. I literally felt euphoric and uplifted. Just give it time and your body will adjust, and soon you will be hooked!

    Edited to add: Now I love biking WAYYYY more. But I still like to run. :)
  • RichardWhitman
    RichardWhitman Posts: 105 Member
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    To "snowy_sk":
    25C is too hot?
    Wow. I'd love to have 25C to run in. Running midday at 35C+ here, and that's Florida with equally high humidity.

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