Non-Runners - did you turn into a runner or quit?

Used to be a total non-runner until one of my friends got a group of us out and training for something. We did a lot of walk/running - 2 min/2 min intervals. I was always faster walking. I then gained weight (up to about 190 at 5'8") and gave it up. Got back into it, and found that my endurance just kept building - from 2 minutes of jogging to 5 to 10, and so on. Injury hit and my foot was in a boot. Trained on a recumbent bike, was losing weight, and voila - when I was able to run again, the endurance was actually there (September, 2013). Since then, I have done 3 half marathons, 1 full marathon, and a bunch of 5Ks and 10Ks. I have found that if I have a race - no matter how small - it motivates me. I hate losing money on race fees.

I have found that it's become my therapy, and would have NEVER EVER EVER dreamed this would happen at age 47. Seriously. Now, I crave it. I am again in a boot, and can't run, but not letting it stop me from other things - I know I'll be back and running before long.

Non-runner, been doing it for about 4 months and I still hate it. I only do it because it is one of the things my husband will do, and I try to be supportive of any steps he takes towards fitness.

I always chose something else over running due to my knees. About 2 years ago I started running outside and ended up with horrid shin splints and had to quit. Last year I tried running in the AM and just couldn't deal with the early mornings. However, this year since February I've been running 6 days a week (for the most part), anywhere from 2-7 miles, and LOVE it. I do it inside on my treadmill and am training for a 10K next month. I'll run outside when the weather is nicer, but as the treadmill isn't causing me pain, I don't want to mess with a good thing. I do it after Hubby goes to bed, turn my phone off, ignore the computer (unless I'm watching Netflix) and let my mind wander. LOVE it.

As many people have said; it is best to pick an exercise that you enjoy, this way you will ensure you continue to do it. I am not a runner, nor have I ever been. I was totally put off it when I was at school (we are talking over 25 years ago) and already being well-developed it was uncomfortable and I was treated as a pariah because I was never any good at it and my lack of superb performance meant I lost our house team points on sports day. I prefer Zumba, swimming, cardio boxing and Yoga, and as I enjoy these forms of exercise (which don't, to me at least, feel like a workout but I know I can burn 7-800kcal in an hour) I know that even when I feel a bit tired and lack motivation I will still be able to do one or two of these...

I have been a non-runner for the majority of my life... unless playing a sport. Running just... to run? That's stupid.

However, I dropped some weight and suddenly realized - HEY... I can run a mile now! Kinda awesome!
I started running intervals (like C25K) this past December at the suggestion of a friend purely for optimal calorie burning.
I wouldn't say that I'm totally in love with running yet, but... yeah... I'm kind of a runner now! I participated in my first ever 5k race in March, am registered for several other 5k races, a mud run, and a *gasp* major 10k race in September.
Now I'm following a running training schedule, and using all these running terms, and planning running route ahead of time for a trip I'm taking later this month. Strange.

Still hate the treadmill, though.

and let my mind wander. LOVE it.

I always think of funny stuff like do these bushes I am passing need exercise? how would they do it...ooh a rabbit. man these cars are driving fast, I hope one doesn't hit me. hahah

I still consider myself a non-runner though I continue to do so as it's the last leg in triathlons that I LOVE to do! I started with C25K, quickly converted to C210K and now run from 5-15 miles every week. I will be upping that as the weather clears and tri season begins. I can't say that I love running during the process of running. It's often a mental battle to get my distances in. However, the runner's high does hit now after I stop. My thought is that you should only run if that's what you like. There are plenty of other aerobic exercises - e.g., biking, swimming, etc. - that will get you close to the same calorie burns and fitness levels. So do what you like if it will help you keep doing it. Best of luck to you!

I started C25K and made it through about 6 weeks. I quit when I started lifting and doing more HIIT/metabolic training. I definitely did not love it the first time around.

Then, I bought a puppy, who grew into an overly energetic year-old dog, who required regular exercise and I started running again. This time around, I set my own intervals and didn't push myself too hard. The main purpose was walking my daughter to school and exercising my dog. We finally progressed past walk/run intervals to steady-state running.

Now, we run 2 or 2.5 miles a few times a week, and run a 5K once in a while. I am tweaking my lifting and cardio again and have started to do more mixed intervals, with walking, jogging and fast running, followed by weights.

It took me several years to really like running and look forward to it. My dog helps to make it fun, and I like running in my neighborhood because the people are friendly and the weather is great this time of year. I cannot force myself to run on a treadmill anymore, and I don't really like trying to push myself harder or faster every time. I'm not competitive and don't like entering races. Running seems to work best for me when I approach it in a more laid back manner.

I have been an avid walker for years. I always thought I couldn't run because I have rheumatoid arthritis.

Last fall I bought Focus T25 and completed it in December. I had to modify a lot of moves at first and then by the end I could do nearly all of them. So, this year when the weather got nicer I thought to myself, "What the heck? You could keep up with Shaun T everyday for 14 weeks, you might as well give running a go." Since that day there has been no looking back.

I am still an avid walker, but now I'm also a runner too.

Dammm skippy you are... :drinker:

I used to absolutely despise running, but I realized that the reason I didn't like it was because I was "bad" at it. I could only run for about a minute at a time and it was discouraging. But once I started to improve, and made measurable progress with every run, I became addicted. Unlike weight loss, there is some instant gratification associated with running! After I ran my first mile without stopping I was so emotional I almost cried. Haha

I ran three miles for the first time in my life a couple of months ago and I also nearly cried when my Runtastic app told me I'd hit three miles. Kind of awkward on a track full of people.

I've always hated running, even when I was young and not overweight. I'd never been able to run a mile without stopping, ever. I'm running my first 5K on Saturday, and I'm terribly slow, but I plan on doing a 10K in a few months and then a half marathon next year. I don't consider myself a runner yet and I don't love it while I'm running, but I love it in between runs!

Awesome, I am going to recruit my bad mannered dog to go with me. She won't heal and loves to run! (she skijors with my daughter in the winter and is trained to stay in front of her so not really bad mannered so much as trained differently). I should have thought of this myself! Duh!!!

I bought a leash for running on Amazon. It is called a "Stunt Puppy" leash, and it is an adjustable belt that goes around your waist and attaches to a bungee leash. The bungee leash is helpful if your dog suddenly speeds up or changes direction -- it absorbs the shock a bit so it doesn't interrupt your running. My dog caught onto it very quickly and knows that she is supposed to stay ahead of me and keep up her pace. She knows she is allowed (encouraged?) to pull a bit when we're running, too. LOL

Dog running is much more fun than regular running for me.

I was a non-runner for many years and a friend encouraged me to try it out in the spring of 2011 as a form of cross-training in-between seasons. Met with someone who was willing to guide (I'm visually impaired) and she encouraged me to keep at it once I got going and we would go out twice a week. At first I didn't think too much of it, more as something to keep me active and busy in-between seasons but I came to fall in love with it. I feel free when I run, no need to concentrate as much on where I'm going, what I feel through my feet and my skin receptors as that's my guide's job to keep me safe so for that little while I can feel FREE and enjoy the semlls of outside, hear the birds chirp and feel the sun/wind/rain on my face and just listen to everything around me!

If you want my suggestion start off really slow, the first kilometre for me is teh hardest but for those who want to start running and teh C25K program doesn't work for them, try a different approach and do intervals you feel comfortable with.

So for the first week just do 10 sets of 1 min run, 2 min. walk, week 2 1min walk/1min run, week 3 2 min run/1 min walk and so on and so forth, when your intervals times increase you want to reduce the intervals themselves so let's say you get to week 10 which is 2 sets of 10 and 1's, that's a 20-minute run but a 30-minute total workout with a good warmup and cooldown.

Go it your own pace, if you can't hold a conversation then you're going too fast, slow down, make sure you have good shoes, proper form and like my first guide said "run as though you're a puppet on strings" my feet are very quiet when I run because I'm light on them that way.

I quit. The impact was not helping my knees.

I decided when I started losing weight that I needed to be more disciplined. For me, that meant learning to run. I didn't particularly enjoy it first. It was hard. But now, I can actually run. I still don't *love* it, but I do love how it makes me feel and the discipline I've learned. It's translated over to my eating habits. If I have enough discipline to lace up and do a few miles when I really don't want to, I have the discipline to keep my eating under control.