Runners: When did you start to enjoy running?

I started loving it when I took off my ear buds and started going running outside early in the morning while almost everyone else was still sleeping. It is so peaceful and meditative focusing on your steps and breathing and I've seen some great wildlife - bunnies and blue herons etc...The air is so fresh in the morning - and before the sun is fully out, I find I don't get nearly as hot and sweaty - makes the whole thing so much more enjoyable. I also like that there aren't a zillion people out watching me run! Focus on the positive and before you know it, you will love it. The feeling you get when you arrive back home and have accomplished something before most people are out of bed can't be beat.

I ran a 5K last week and gave myself only one week to train. Eek! I wanted to die... BUT once my shin splints heal, I plan on running a mile 2-3 times a week. The benefits of running is what makes me want to do it again. On my 5K, my heart rate peaked at 207! I feel like I need the cardio.

I started with C25K and when I finished, I couldn't let all that hard work go to waste, so carried on with B210K. Just completed a 10k fun run.........not sure about the fun part! Still there must be something in it as I entered another one in October.
Basically I have and probably always will - A love/hate relationship with running.

I start running with the plans of miCoach, and wasn't till 2 month after the first training, when I started to run more than 5 mins without going out of breath, that I found that it has the ability of put your mind blank and forget all the **** that could happen in the day. In fact I run with no music now, only listening my feet to be sure that I'm going with a correct stride (and the indications of the apps of course).

I did the C25K more or less (I skipped some days, or repeated some, etc) and still hated running until I got to the last week of it, when you're supposed to run for like 25-30 minutes non-stop, and after 20 minutes I was like "HELL YEAH I FRICKEN LOVE RUNNING" and kept going for 11 miles (walking maybe 1 or 2 miles of that). Looking back, I don't know what the hell happened, after that day I never ran that far again, haha. But I guess you just have to get to the point where you have enough endurance to go for a long time, then you get into the swing of it and it feels really good.

After 4-6 months.

I hated it when I played sports because it was a form of punishment.
But a few years ago, I wanted to start playing soccer again, but after 10 years of not playing I thought I'd better get back into shape before I played on a team. So I started running because that was the only way I knew how to condition.
When I realized I didn't have the time or the money to play soccer, being the competitive person that I am, I started making it a competition, and the rest was history.

I disliked it until running a 5k became easy. Now I love longer distances - training for a 10 mile in October, a half next spring. And I SWORE I'd never do a race again after my first. It becomes addicting and has given me more pride in myself than anything else.

When running becomes effortless - and it will if you keep at it - it becomes pretty awesome. The first ten minutes are always roughest for me, but after that it's just...nice.

Once I stopped. Two years ago I started running and was in pretty good running shape. I hated running but I was going through a stressful transition period in my life and I loved the way it cleared my head.
This year I started running again because I wanted to get my running legs back. No stressful situation was driving me, just my desire to be a better runner, and I still hated it.
Then I went on a running hiatus for about a week and found myself thinking "man, i miss running. i need to go on a run" and then it was like *click* I like to run???? weird.
I love what running does to my body and my mind. I guess in a way, its not that I actually like running, its that I don't like not-running. :P

2 answers:
seriously- when I got a dog running partner
jokingly (but seriously)- when I'm done, cause that's when I get the "runner's high" endorphin rush (especially great with a cup-a-java:drinker: and a cigarette, but I gave them up years ago :ohwell: )

I really enjoyed running just as soon as my weight was low enough that my knees would allow me to run. I ran Cross Country in HS but I was 153 lbs. then. As my weight was dropping I'd keep trying to run but really couldn't do much till I got below 215. When I started doing consecutive miles without stopping to walk the old love was back. Now I get a little frustrated when I can't run. It's official, I'm hooked.

I have always loved running. I was a little kid that you could not stop from running around.
I did go thru a long stretch as an adult where I didnt hardly run at all, but not because I didnt like it.

I was really big when I started. So I started as a walker. With no plans to ever run. EVER. As fate would have it, the pounds dropped off doing my walking routines, and I kept getting faster, stronger, fitter. I eventually started doing intermittent "jogging" during my walks. That lead to always jogging. And that has lead to marathons, half marathons, 5K's, 10K's, and triathlons. Lots and lots of triathlons.

I'm not sure when I started enjoying it. I don't think there was one particular moment when that switch was flipped. I think it was when I started realizing that this isn't a workout anymore. This is fun. F-U-N FUN. And it really is. Now.

Yes, it started out as nothing more than working out. And yes, there are days when it's still a struggle. But I have a motto that I believe to the core of my soul: If it's not fun, I'm not doing it.

And, yes, it's fun now. I mean loads of fun. Endless fun. I could ramble on about what makes it so wonderful and exciting, but that'd be like rattling off shrimp dishes. An endless conversation.

My advice? Hang in there for now, keep doing what you need to be doing to get your job done, and see if every so often it's just a little less "necessary" than the day before. Maybe there's a park you can run where there're plenty of birds n squirrels n rabbits n such. Things like that always perk me up. Maybe there's a time of day that just really strikes a chord with you. I know around here, there's a river with a runners bridge, and in the mornings you can watch the sun come up over the water. Stunning.

I hope this helps.

I ran a half marathon in June...and you know what...I still DO NOT LIKE RUNNING. It is the feeling after.

Some days yes, I do enjoy it. It is rare. Uusally I think what I am ereally enjoying in the nice weather, the rive I run by, the smell of the fall air during autumn.

ugh, running.

I'm a competitive runner and literally, live to run...every morning and night and couldn't imagine a lifestyle without running. If you are picking up running now, I think you grow to love it as you see results, become more trained, and it becomes more natural/easier for you. I know a lot of people who pick up running in their later years and regret not getting into it at a younger age because it is such a lifestyle changer. Good luck and stick with it! Some days, your legs will feel like lead and you'll feel like it's impossible, but that is just lactic acid fatigue which will go away. Sticking to a running routine is the quickest way to grow to love it Good luck, you won't regret it!