What is it about running?

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  • ShaunaD81
    ShaunaD81 Posts: 137 Member
    I love running! It takes 10 minutes for me to love it, but after that my mind stops thinking about what I'm doing and I start enjoying myself. I've run a marathon and a half and this year my goal is to run in an event each month - I'm 7 for 7! I think you just have to get past the wall - that can be anywhere for you - and then you should start feeling the high.

    PS any runners out there that would like to add me please feel free. I'm looking to get some more running MFPals!
  • DoOrDoNotThereIsNoTry1
    DoOrDoNotThereIsNoTry1 Posts: 149 Member
    I have never been a runner but to me, it has been instrumental these past 6 weeks or so in my weight loss. In the past, I would get shin spints, muscle cramps, my lungs would be on fire and would have trouble breathing. But with with an IPOD and MFP, I have fought through the obstacles and now generally have a good 2 mile run without any complications. But, one of the things I use to help motivate me is jogtracker.com. Using my phone, I am able to log all my jogs and it keeps a history for me. Shows me how many miles I ran (using GPS), how many calories I burned, what my minute per mile is. I use it as motivation to push myself to beat my best. Starting out, I was a 15 minute per mile jogger. Now, I am just over 10 minutes per mile. It provides a nice little challenge. I have a buddy that I friened on the site as well and we talk smack back and forth...I think it, just like MFP really helps. I generally run in the morning before it gets too hot. I feel that after a long day of work, I can come up with too many excuses. I get it out of the way early, let the metabolism burn throughout the day and that's it. Hopefully do it again the next day. If I am too sore, then I hop on a bike, or do a dvd and get back at it when my legs are stronger.
  • timboom1
    timboom1 Posts: 762 Member
    I started really enjoying when I realized that I could stop racing myself or comparing myself to other runners and just enjoy the scenery. It is still hard to get going some days and really training for a goal race requires some amount of discomfort, but most days it is just some quiet time to myself with the added benefit of fitness.

    I still get amazed when I look back at what I could do when I first started and what I can do now...really, who would have thought when I would go 1 mile in 12 or 13 minutes and then have to take a break that I now do 5 or 6 miles at a much faster pace and call it recovery. (I love recovery runs, no pain, lots of gain)
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    For me running became truly enjoyable when I learned to let go and just be in that moment (I know, sounds like goofy, new age mumbo jumbo) and turn running into play time but I believe I was over thinking it when I first started running.

    If you watch kids run and play it's pure bliss and completely natural for them. It's not work, it's not exercise.....it's play.

    As an adult it's a lot harder to capture that innocence and make something like running play, we're always thinking about work or relationships or finances. When I run (and I'm lucky - I get to run along a pathway that goes along a river) I get to see the sunrise (or sunset if I'm running late), the ducks on the water, squirrels playing and(less fun) the occasional skunk or family of geese (mother goose may have been nice in fairy tales, in real life she's pretty protective of her goslings)

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