Running....TRULY an addiction!

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  • tchavez1
    tchavez1 Posts: 2
    just started running and iv lost 40 pounds since april... will running help move along the platueas??? iv been stuck at 40 for a while now. trying to run every day. what are the benifits you all have seen or results???? thanks
  • CayleyRidgeRunner
    CayleyRidgeRunner Posts: 56 Member
    I've never been a runner, but drop me in the woods with a 65lb pack, tell me I have to be 12+ miles before the sunsets and I'm off and going. I'm not sure if it's the desire to hit my destination before the final second ticks off the clock or if I just like the rush of looking back, once I'm finished, and thinking "damn...I just did that?!?" - either way, there's just something about it...
  • L00py_T0ucan
    L00py_T0ucan Posts: 1,378 Member
    To date, I've run 2 5K races and have now signed up for 2 more...within 7 days of each other! What has happened to me? I've NEVER been a runner in my LIFE and now I can't go more than 2 days without getting the itch!

    I always joke that C25K is the gateway 'drug' to running addiction! Good for you - I don't think I could do a race w/in 7 days of another one... :flowerforyou:
  • theamorash
    theamorash Posts: 13 Member
    Or is it more the races that are addicting? I started the c25K program on May 29th of this year. To date, I've run 2 5K races and have now signed up for 2 more...within 7 days of each other! What has happened to me? I've NEVER been a runner in my LIFE and now I can't go more than 2 days without getting the itch!

    Don't get me wrong, I love it, but at the same time...what is it? I've never done any other kind of workout that has done this to me before!

    I just had to put this out there in the hopes that I'm not the only one! :flowerforyou:
    I think I might finally be starting to feel that running addiction too. The beginnings of it, anyway. I haven't run any races yet, but I'm working toward completing 5 K (with no walking breaks) so I'm wondering if I should register for one, to give myself a concrete deadline..

    I've made some good progress over the last couple of weeks, and I do find myself thinking about when I'm going to fit in my next run; that's got to be a good, sign, right? :)
  • Im_NotPerfect
    Im_NotPerfect Posts: 2,181 Member
    just started running and iv lost 40 pounds since april... will running help move along the platueas??? iv been stuck at 40 for a while now. trying to run every day. what are the benifits you all have seen or results???? thanks

    I don't know if it'll help your plateau or not, but I will tell you, I've never lost as many inches as I have with running. I've always had a bigger bottom and thicker thighs (i.e. saddlebags) and those are almost gone and my butt is close to being the smallest it's ever been! I've never seen results with any other cardio workout as I have with running!
  • x_JT_x
    x_JT_x Posts: 364
    I soooo hope to be one of you guys some day!!

    I started the C25K last year. My asthma gave me so much trouble I couldn't progress beyond week 3. Even getting to week 3 was torture. It's bothered me that I couldn't do it so I started up again 3 weeks ago. And again started having the same problem. I know lots of asthmatics are runners so I began researching running, breathing and asthma and found a website that was a tremendous help. I did week 1, day 2 (for the third week in a row LOL) today and to my surprise, it wasn't my breathing that caused me to stop this time. It was muscle fatigue. Which is ok. That I can work with and improve. I'm not claiming victory just yet, but I do see a glimmer of hope :).

    Your stories are very inspirational to someone like me who never, ever thought they could be a runner. Thanks for posting them!
  • bluefox9er
    bluefox9er Posts: 2,917 Member
    For me it's not the races or the mass participation events.. I have yet to enter one, but I will. I love running as it frees my mind and fuels me with hope and pure joy of the cerebral challenge it provides every single time. Like all lovers it can hurt you too... I've sustained a bad injury and can't run my half marathon race. I miss running like I miss a vital organ... And I'm THAT GUY who hated running, refused to understand why anyone could enjoy it...c25k changed my life.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
    races cause me to fall into a paralyzed state of catatonic fear and eye poppage....
    but I can run 4 half marathons a month.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    Same here! Never been a runner, always hated it, but challenged myself at the start of this year with c25k. I've also run two 5k races, started training for 10k (got derailed in the heat of summer, may start again if it EVER cools down in California!), and have two or three more races coming up before the end of the year.

    Never though I would say that I'm a runner, but I am. Love getting out there, miss it when something keeps me from it.
  • scs143
    scs143 Posts: 2,190 Member
    I love love love running....but I hate racing!

    Did I mention that I hate racing?

    It is very addicting!! And the more you do, the more addicted you become.

    Welcome to the world of runners :-)

    This exactly
  • areufnkiddingme
    areufnkiddingme Posts: 99 Member
    Really enjoying this post. I can barely run a full mile right now but looking forward to getting better. It's very inspiring to see posts such as "I could barely walk fast and now I'm logging double(or triple)-digit miles a week".

    Crazy cool. You guys rock. :flowerforyou:

    I started running (for-real-running, I have been working up to this after trying about 6 months ago and injuring myself badly due to weak quads, so I started doing some leg reps and a lot of biking) about three weeks ago and managed to barely get through a full five minutes of straight running at a time (and that was about a half mile). In total I ran a mile and a half that day because I split up intervals- five minutes of walking as fast as possible and five minutes of jogging.

    Two days ago I ran a 5K in 35 minutes. You'll be awesome too, I just know it!
  • Life_Is_Good2_Me
    Life_Is_Good2_Me Posts: 36 Member
    For those that love running, when did you start to love it? I'm a fairly new runner (I've only run 2 5k to date) and I feel great afterwards, but the actual running feels like torture many days. When or will that change? I want to like it and my husband and I run together so that's great. Does it take time to get good at it before you love it?
  • laureltn
    laureltn Posts: 87 Member
    What a great thread! I tried running in my 20s. I bought cute clothes, shoes, the whole works. I would run 3 miles and say a lot of bad words and couldn't wait for it to be over (this is for you, Life Is Good). But then fast forward 3 decades and I was at a boot camp and they said we were going to run. I was like, "I don't run. Unless I am on fire. I will run then. Toward water." Boot Camp instructor (she probably worked nights at a women's prison as a guard) said oh yes we do run here. Ah, okay. I will run but I will not like it (I think this. I did not say it. I am stubborn, but not a complete idiot).

    Somehow, along the way, I started to like it. I didn't tell anybody. Just in case it didn't stick. I'd run to the Y for boot camp and run home. Then it wasn't far enough (only 3 miles round trip give or take) so after boot camp ended (I'd learned enough from it to move on alone) I started to really, well, run. My husband was wondering if I had been replaced by an alien for a while but he's pretty sure it's me now.

    I didn't know how fast or how far I was going for a long time. Then he bought me a Garmin and entered me in a 5K (December 2009). I was terrified. What if I got lost or didn't know where to go? (no, you do not get lost. trust me) I finished in under 30 (which believe me that's the only thing under 30 about me).

    Fast forward to this weekend and I just finished my first half marathon. In under two hours. I don't think I want to do a full, but I will do more halfs -- want to go to Disney and there's a fun one in Tampa in February I'm trying to coax my husband into going to. I think 10K is going to end up my favorite distance, but we'll see. I've only run one race at 10K so far. Next month is my favorite 5K and I'm hoping to have it be the one I MIGHT break 25 in. (won't happen, but you always have to have a goal, eh?)
  • runnergirlSEA
    runnergirlSEA Posts: 14 Member
    This is such an inspiring thread! I've always said I hated running, but have decided to prove to myself that I can change that! So I'm using c25k right now to train for a 5k, too, and success stories like these make me excited to keep going, even though the transition from hating running to enjoying it seems daunting!
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    Or is it more the races that are addicting? I started the c25K program on May 29th of this year. To date, I've run 2 5K races and have now signed up for 2 more...within 7 days of each other! What has happened to me? I've NEVER been a runner in my LIFE and now I can't go more than 2 days without getting the itch!

    Don't get me wrong, I love it, but at the same time...what is it? I've never done any other kind of workout that has done this to me before!

    I just had to put this out there in the hopes that I'm not the only one! :flowerforyou:

    Nope, it's the running. I did lots of races 5k, 10k, 30k, 26.2 miles, 100k, 50 miles all in my over 30 years of running and now I still run even though I don't do races. Funny thing about running, didn't help me lose weight --> http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/740340-i-lost-60-lbs-at-age-51-anyone-can-any-workout
  • thelovelyLIZ
    thelovelyLIZ Posts: 1,227 Member
    I love running too. I was always pretty sedentary and the like, but I started running and now I can't stop. I think I like the challenge and how positive I feel after.
  • DFWTT
    DFWTT Posts: 374
    <<<--- Certifiable Addict :wink:
  • thelovelyLIZ
    thelovelyLIZ Posts: 1,227 Member
    For those that love running, when did you start to love it? I'm a fairly new runner (I've only run 2 5k to date) and I feel great afterwards, but the actual running feels like torture many days. When or will that change? I want to like it and my husband and I run together so that's great. Does it take time to get good at it before you love it?

    I always felt awesome after runs, but in the beginning sometimes getting myself to get out there was like pulling teeth. Now it's just something I do because I enjoy hitting a pace and just cruising. It takes time sometimes. Some people may never like running, and that's okay too!
  • Paulette0706
    Paulette0706 Posts: 46 Member
    I just used to run around the block. Took the plunge and did my first half marathon last year and now I'm getting ready for my 2nd in 3 weeks. When I joined a running club it became even more enjoyable, we have so much fun! and it has helped me to de-stress, burn calories and just feel great. I run a minimum of 3 times per week sometimes 4 when getting ready for a race.

    All I can say is I miss it when I miss one of my runs!! :smile:
  • HMVOL7409
    HMVOL7409 Posts: 1,588 Member
    You are so right on. Started running this year; training for a 1/2 that's in 24 days, completed a 5K and 10K a week apart, want to start the Thanksgiving Day 5 Miler for CF as a family tradition this year and signed up for a trail run series with our state park for the winter. Races are exciting and fun! Running however is just addicting and I'm inlove.
  • jmm774
    jmm774 Posts: 34
    This is such an inspiring thread! I've always said I hated running, but have decided to prove to myself that I can change that! So I'm using c25k right now to train for a 5k, too, and success stories like these make me excited to keep going, even though the transition from hating running to enjoying it seems daunting!

    For real, it happens. I have never been able to run longer than a few consecutive seconds in my life without getting a stitch and being so out of breath. But now I am dying to run almost every day. I truly love it and for the first time in my life I'm exercising for the right reasons instead of because I'm obsessed with my weight.
  • Rebeccawks
    Rebeccawks Posts: 61 Member
    Are you talking about the Gasparilla Half on Feb 23? I'm going to be there! It's going to be an awesome run!
  • laureltn
    laureltn Posts: 87 Member
    Are you talking about the Gasparilla Half on Feb 23? I'm going to be there! It's going to be an awesome run!

    If this question is for me, Rebecca, yes! I loved the information about it. I'm a Florida native and running in February sounds like a grand idea. A friend of mine from high school did the 5k last year and loved it.
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    I was in the camp of I will not run unless being chased.

    Then I did C25K and now I get crabby if I can only do a 2 mile run instead of a longer 3 or 4 mile run!
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    A couple years ago, if I was particularly cranky, my husband would ask, "Did you take your antidepressant?"

    Now, he asks, "Do you need to go for a run?"

    I was able to stop taking the meds, but if I got more than 3 days without running, I'm really irritable.
  • Beethoven1827
    Beethoven1827 Posts: 102 Member
    I'm another c25k-er who's hoping the enjoyment will start soon! Don't get me wrong; I love the sense of achievement I get from completing each run, but while I'm actually out there doing it, it's a test of endurance. And each week, the prospect of the next weeks step up is just overwhelmingly scary! But so far I keep on getting out there (last day of week 3 tomorrow), and dragging the dog along with me for the ride ;-)

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