How do I learn to love running?

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lenatuck
lenatuck Posts: 45 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
All my life I wasn't very physical but now losing weight I feel like I have to be, and I keep reading posts of people who love running and who have learnt to love it, I want to love it, but I just can't!

Does anyone have any tips to learn to enjoy jogging/running?
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Replies

  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    Start slow (really slow!) and have some music or audio books that you enjoy to listen to.

    But, if you don't like running - don't do it! There are lots of other ways to burn calories.
  • skullkrusher22
    skullkrusher22 Posts: 29
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    Try and find a partner or group to jog/run with. Music does wonders. Don't overdo it because if pain or intense soreness occurs then it will deter you even more.
  • jmatthews75
    jmatthews75 Posts: 525 Member
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    I hated running for so long, then one day it just hit me. I just like to get out and have some alone time. and relax, if you look at is as relaxing it might help?
  • IndyInk
    IndyInk Posts: 212
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    Regularly run with a major, major hottie. Even if you don't have his or her permission to do so.
  • cjones0992
    cjones0992 Posts: 55 Member
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    If you have a smartphone, look for a Couch to 5k app. I've hated running all my life, but now i'm growing to love it. Its a 9 week program that starts you off slow with walk/run intervals, and as the weeks progress you run longer and walk less. It's really great, I just completed week 5 tonight.
  • yanna24
    yanna24 Posts: 5
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    I never was a runner, but in grade 12 gym class we ran 5 k twice a week and did weight lifting 3x a week and I just LOVED it! I think it was more of a competitive thing. Once you start running with a group you get to know others standards and you can make goals like "I want to run ahead of so and so". I ran non stop my legs were on auto control.. I just couldn't stop! I really want to get back into it but all my extra weight drags me down. Seriously... everytime I run I feel my fat lift up and come down hard around my hips and especiially my butt. It's uncomfortable and dragging...

    Once the weather gets nicer I'll go. I have to take my son with me, that's the only way I'll ever get it done. Good thing I have a jogging stroller!
  • raisingbabyk
    raisingbabyk Posts: 442 Member
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    Start slow and ease into it so it's enjoyable and not too challenging and feeling like a chore. I am in the last week of following the C25K program and love it.
  • tataliciousd89
    tataliciousd89 Posts: 465
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    I hate running, but I decided I totally understand it now why people love it. I went for a jog about 4 hours ago and once I got over feeling like I was gonna die I got just outright giddy. Seriously I feel totally high on life right now. I'm dancing around like a tard singing the wonderpets songs that I have stuck in my head. I need to do this like daily. It's almost better than sex.
  • chocolateandvodka
    chocolateandvodka Posts: 1,856 Member
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    Regularly run with a major, major hottie. Even if you don't have his or her permission to do so.

    This is the best response i've ever seen. btw... i'm checking to see if the poster of this comment lives nearby. she'd be my hottie choice ;)
  • monip13
    monip13 Posts: 3
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    I love running and it is because I don't try to push myself too hard. I just go at a pace I'm comfortable with and get lost in my music, my thoughts and the scenery. I sign up for at least one run a month, so I keep up with running. Signing up for fun 5k's is always fun and then slowing challenging yourself with a 10k, 12k and then a half marathon. That is what I did!! Also, I have running partners which is great for accountability. We start out runs together and then both go at different paces that we are comfortable with. I prefer slow and steady!! You need to find what fits you. GOOD LUCK!!
  • BlooQKazoo
    BlooQKazoo Posts: 56
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    I absolutely despised running when I first started, but now I prefer it to other forms of exercise. I think it's because I just got better at it. When I first started running, I could barely finish a lap. Now I can run about 6 miles, and the first three are usually pretty pleasant. I think I like it more simply because I'm not dying after 5 minutes and I can enjoy the rhythm. When it starts to get hard, I turn up some music with some good bass and try and zone out or get super into completing a certain amount of miles or minutes.

    You'll get there. I'm still trying to figure out how to enjoy weights. :P
  • SilverStrychnine
    SilverStrychnine Posts: 413 Member
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    Regularly run with a major, major hottie. Even if you don't have his or her permission to do so.

    HAHAHAHAHAHA!! I do this!!! Just gives me that extra bit of motivation!
  • love22step
    love22step Posts: 1,103 Member
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    I was 30 before I learned how to run. Fortunately, another woman taught me, and I learned things on my own as I continued to run. I experimented with little things like holding me head at the right angle to maximize my breathing, expanding my stomach and chest to completely fill my lungs, and expelling each breath completely to avoid stitches in my side. I use my walking and jogging time for thinking and planning. If I want to hear music, I sing.
  • maletac
    maletac Posts: 767 Member
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    Regularly run with a major, major hottie. Even if you don't have his or her permission to do so.

    This is the best response i've ever seen. btw... i'm checking to see if the poster of this comment lives nearby. she'd be my hottie choice ;)

    isnt that called chasing someone down lol
  • Mceastes
    Mceastes Posts: 303 Member
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    I only started running 5 years ago, never tried it before that. It was so hard at first that I hated it. But I wanted to be good at it. I agree with the first response to your post - you really have to start slow. Just try alternating jogging and walking. If you do that long enough, the intervals of jogging get longer. I've never really pushed myself too hard so I haven't had any injuries besides just soreness or blisters (but that's only when I don't wear the right socks). Anyway, when I first started I couldn't run 5 minutes straight at a slow pace and now I can run a 5K (3.1 miles) in 28 minutes. I did a half marathon in 2:20 which was amazing for me! Now I really do love it - it makes me feel powerful and strong and free. Sign up for a local race and just enjoy the experience without putting any expectations on your performance, even if you just walk most of it. If you finish the race feeling like you enjoyed it and want to get faster, then you are meant to be a runner! :)

    But, that being said, if you really don't want to do it - swim, bike, dance, take a Zumba class, do workout DVDs, martial arts...there are lots of ways to get in shape. I run so I can do races - there's just nothing like the energy at the starting line on race day or the feeling when you cross the finish line.
  • stephene0331
    stephene0331 Posts: 4
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    Try running in different settings like maybe the beach, wooded areas, hills, etc. I also started slow and didn't run more than 1.5 to 3 miles at a time. The more I ran... the better my cardio got... the more I enjoyed it. Now I tend to go running whenever I need to relax or forgot about something. Also, invest in running gear like shoes,shorts, or even a ipod or mp3 player. That might make you want to play with your new toys more often. Stick with it and remember to have fun.
  • Misiaxcore
    Misiaxcore Posts: 659 Member
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    I learned to love running with the Couch to 5k program.

    http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

    Couldn't run to save my life before this, now I love it!
  • shaynes14
    shaynes14 Posts: 106 Member
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    I don't think it happens overnight. I started back in September, and I can't say I love running. I like the concept of it, and I like the benefits. I feel better overall, and I have lost weight. It is a big calorie burner, so I can have more to eat on my run days. These are big pluses for me. One thing I have heard from others is not to think about it negatively. It's a mental game, so if you go out the door with bad expectations, you are less likely to get as much of a benefit and not enjoy it at all. I do love the feeling of finishing a run, and on some days seeing improvement. So with the advantages that I have seen, I get out there and run. Someday....I just know I will love it just for the pure satisfaction of running. I hope you keep it up. It must be a patience thing. Like weight loss, it takes time and energy, but the rewards are a better you! Wishing you well!
  • mamagooskie
    mamagooskie Posts: 2,964 Member
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    If you dont love it dont do it. Running can give good results but any exercize you will do faithfully will work in your favor, so find something you like.
  • bryonysten
    bryonysten Posts: 44
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    I'm still asking myself the same question. I HATE it. Always have. I loved playing competitive sports at school though like hockey where you are running around, but with a purpose, it might be worth trying something like that.

    However, I am also trying to make myself run now. I got couch to 10K last year and did it a few times before I gave up. I started again in November and now in Feb I am on week 6 - its taking me a while to get there! I find that psychologically I dread going out to run, made worse by the fact that as I live near Delhi in India (I'm a Brit expat) I have to run around the bottom of the apartment block as there is no safe green space nearby.

    The only thing I have found that works is telling myself that I will be going running on x day, or if its in the morning, that I will run that evening. I then get my mind into it all day. I also have a particular podcast that I like to listen too which is funny and full of interviews so keeps me interested (i get bored listening to music).

    I also have a deal with myself that if I feel I can't run, that I will at least try. At the moment I am into the run 3 minutes walk 2 minutes, and I'm starting to get to the point where I am not clutching my water bottle as I run and moaning to myself. Well nearly anyway.

    My sister did so well with running and losing weight, and I can definitely feel it afterwards, plus totting up the calories burned is a good motivator!

    It might be worth setting yourself a target, say a 5K race and a time you want to complete it in, get people to sponsor you, and as with having friends who cheer you on on here that might help. I did a triathlon last year, the swimming and cycling bits I wasn't worried about, it was the 5K I was dreading, especially as I hadn't managed to train enough, but I did it and it felt great to be able to say that and raise money for a cause too. (I walked / ran it though!)

    As for loving running.... maybe you'll get there and maybe not. Use running as an addition to your programme and find something else as your 'treat' exercise, such as dance, zumba, swimming, climbing or whatever floats your boat. Personally if I could go kitesurfing every day I would. As I can't I am trying to lose weight and get fit so that the next holiday I get I can do it for more than 3 hours which is currently my fitness limit!

    Good luck, and if you find out what the holy grail is to start loving running please let me know!

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