I want to learn to like running!

charlenerock
charlenerock Posts: 6
in Fitness and Exercise
(First post ever!) I've really just been feeling out this site.. reading posts and learning. I walk everyday some times twice, but I really want to run. Not just to do it but to like it. In the past I've done sport and used to jog/run frequently but never really liked it too much. How can I make it more interesting so I can keep up with it and improve?

PS I have a hectic work schedule and a one year old too
«13

Replies

  • eimaj5575
    eimaj5575 Posts: 278 Member
    I used to hate running and the only thing that got me to love it was continuing to run even when I hated it. Took about a year or so for me to go from hating to liking, then another year to go from like to love. Now I need to run to stay sane. It is my mental workout when I run. Good luck and hopefully you learn that you love to run too. just keep doing it until you do lol
  • Samstan101
    Samstan101 Posts: 699 Member
    I started with the C25K programme which is a run/ walk programme that gets you up to running for 30mins non stop. I actively disliked the first few weeks but stuck with it as it burned lots of calories. By around week 6 I found myself starting to enjoy it. 9 months later I love running, I adore running, I want to run all the time! C25K was a great way of building up stamina and now I'm working on increasing speed and distance.
  • Hophead43
    Hophead43 Posts: 1,634 Member
    (First post ever!) I've really just been feeling out this site.. reading posts and learning. I walk everyday some times twice, but I really want to run. Not just to do it but to like it. In the past I've done sport and used to jog/run frequently but never really liked it too much. How can I make it more interesting so I can keep up with it and improve?

    PS I have a hectic work schedule and a one year old too

    I was the same way , it does take time. I am really starting to enjoy it. It even better when I see myself getting leaner and stronger, my times getting better. I also have the XM app for my phone so I can listen to my favorite show while running.
  • Hophead43
    Hophead43 Posts: 1,634 Member
    I started with the C25K programme which is a run/ walk programme that gets you up to running for 30mins non stop. I actively disliked the first few weeks but stuck with it as it burned lots of calories. By around week 6 I found myself starting to enjoy it. 9 months later I love running, I adore running, I want to run all the time! C25K was a great way of building up stamina and now I'm working on increasing speed and distance.

    I would have to agree...that is what got me started!!
  • addean1
    addean1 Posts: 119 Member
    Go s l o w! I think sometimes people start out trying to go too fast. Find a nice easy pace. Don't try for speed right now. Music helps too, as does beautiful scenery to run in,
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
    Find a plan that has a sensible and realistic goal for your abilities, or find a group/class at your local running shop. Nothing beats the in-person support you can get from stuff like that.
  • charlenerock
    charlenerock Posts: 6
    I used to hate running and the only thing that got me to love it was continuing to run even when I hated it. Took about a year or so for me to go from hating to liking, then another year to go from like to love. Now I need to run to stay sane. It is my mental workout when I run. Good luck and hopefully you learn that you love to run too. just keep doing it until you do lol

    See I want to be like that! I guess I will suck it up until I can get to that point thank you :)
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    (First post ever!) I've really just been feeling out this site.. reading posts and learning. I walk everyday some times twice, but I really want to run. Not just to do it but to like it. In the past I've done sport and used to jog/run frequently but never really liked it too much. How can I make it more interesting so I can keep up with it and improve?

    PS I have a hectic work schedule and a one year old too

    I had both, in addition to a 2 1/2 year old.
    1. Get a Couch to 5k app.
    2. Join the Couch to 5k group: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/30-couch-to-5k-running-program-c25k
    3. Get fitted for shoes at a running store
    4. Go outside

    Note: M&Ms consumed by toddlers in a jog stroller are considered health food.
  • thavoice
    thavoice Posts: 1,326 Member
    (First post ever!) I've really just been feeling out this site.. reading posts and learning. I walk everyday some times twice, but I really want to run. Not just to do it but to like it. In the past I've done sport and used to jog/run frequently but never really liked it too much. How can I make it more interesting so I can keep up with it and improve?

    PS I have a hectic work schedule and a one year old too
    Track you times, distances, etc.

    When you start to see progress you really start to love it! I play games with myself a bit and for each style of run I do I have a separate tracking and see how it compares to other times I ran that workout. To see it get better over time is very motivating!
  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
    You can join my running challange. You get to see your progress along side others doing it with you.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1301079-june-running-challange
  • astralweeks82
    astralweeks82 Posts: 230 Member
    Took me a while to love it, or at least, outdoor runs. C25K is the a gateway drug to running, I swear! Time is what helped me, and I agree with PP, SLOW it down! I started out at a 16min pace, now I'm between 10-11. Still slow but getting faster and enjoying it. If music isn't your thing try listening to a podcast, I prefer those these days.
  • MichelleLaree13
    MichelleLaree13 Posts: 865 Member
    I am kind of in the same boat. I just started the couch to 5k plan. I have an ap so I can listen to music while I jog. I have another ap that tells me when it is a jogging or walking interval. I actually find it pleasant which is something very new to me
  • charlenerock
    charlenerock Posts: 6
    Go s l o w! I think sometimes people start out trying to go too fast. Find a nice easy pace. Don't try for speed right now. Music helps too, as does beautiful scenery to run in,

    that may be my problem I try to be fast and when I'm not good at it I start to lose interest in in :|
  • MichelleLaree13
    MichelleLaree13 Posts: 865 Member
    I work 12.5 hour shifts and have a 3 hour commute. I was up for 24 hours and went jogging (this only happened once, lol). It can be done. I just have to remind myself where my priorities are. You can do it too:smile:
  • badbcatha05
    badbcatha05 Posts: 200 Member
    In my youth, I was a sprinter... racing the 400m was like my world was ending.

    I went through a training academy where I had to run several miles at a time, at someone else's way too fast pace. I hated it and it felt like work (it was technically!)

    Last year after trying to start 3 times, I finished C25K. I learned to like running because I was finally able to do it at MY pace under MY conditions. Not because someone else said I had to and not at their time, place, and pace.

    Pick a pace slower than you think you should go at. My first several tries I was totally gung-ho about and was always winded and having cramps and aches and pains. Who's going to like that? I didn't, that's why it took me three years to finally get through that program.

    Once I started being able to actually see improvements... how far I went, small changes in the amount of time it took me do go certain distances was when I finally learned to like running.

    Stick with it. It gets easier... but then the beauty of running is when it gets easier, YOU decide when and how you want to make it harder.
  • Samstan101
    Samstan101 Posts: 699 Member
    Go s l o w! I think sometimes people start out trying to go too fast. Find a nice easy pace. Don't try for speed right now. Music helps too, as does beautiful scenery to run in,

    that may be my problem I try to be fast and when I'm not good at it I start to lose interest in in :|

    Yep, however slow you think you should run, run slower! You should be able to hold a conversation when running. When I started I could genuinely walk quicker than I could run but stuck to the running and the pace has slowly increased.
  • redwoodkestrel
    redwoodkestrel Posts: 339 Member
    I'll also put in a +1 for Couch to 5K. I am doing the Zombies, Run! version of C25K and it's great (I only have 2 more workouts until I'm done!) - not only because it slowly builds up your endurance for running, but also because it immerses you in a story - you're a character, and you hear more about other characters and the plot develops as you continue to do the workouts. It's good motivation!
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    Go s l o w! I think sometimes people start out trying to go too fast. Find a nice easy pace. Don't try for speed right now. Music helps too, as does beautiful scenery to run in,

    that may be my problem I try to be fast and when I'm not good at it I start to lose interest in in :|

    Yep, however slow you think you should run, run slower! You should be able to hold a conversation when running. When I started I could genuinely walk quicker than I could run but stuck to the running and the pace has slowly increased.

    This. I was doing 20 minute miles in week three. Slowing down is the key to success.

    ETA - see my profile picture? That was my 1-year-old. She's 2 1/2 now and that was her first race.
  • charlenerock
    charlenerock Posts: 6
    Thank you everyone for great advice :) definitely motivating!:happy:
  • HornedFrogPride
    HornedFrogPride Posts: 283 Member
    Do you have a babyjogger? That was big for me when our daughter was that age and we got a lot of good father-daughter bonding with me pushing her on my runs. I'd try any starter/beginner running plan/app, e.g. Galloway Easy 5K. Jeff Galloway does run-walk-run systems. I use the Galloway marathon app on my phone. Good luck, have fun! Try to run when you can even if it's just a little here and a little there and build it over time.
  • MarliQQ
    MarliQQ Posts: 112 Member
    I would say in the beginning you can even incorporate the baby, until you work your way up. I would put the baby in a stroller and get a little jog/walk going on, until it gets to be too easy. Probably be exciting for the baby too!
  • ewennmacher
    ewennmacher Posts: 46
    not pushing yourself too hard is good advice. i find that i get really excited about running when i make new playlist with fun, upbeat songs. it feels really good when you reach goals you set for yourself and it motivates you to keep going. i started running in march at 220 pounds at 5' 4". I was running 3 miles at a time within a week, but at 15 plus minutes per mile. 3 months later, i'm 198 and running an average pace of 12 minutes a mile!!! i never thought it would be something i would enjoy, but i love it. i'm proud of how far ive come, and that is my biggest motivater to continue setting goals, and crushing them!! also, i have a 4 and 2 year old! i run in the evening when my husband comes home. when my first child was 18 months, i used to run with her in the stroller. not a jogging stroller, a regular stroller. you dont need to spend the money on a fancy stroller!
  • AlysonG2
    AlysonG2 Posts: 713 Member
    (First post ever!) I've really just been feeling out this site.. reading posts and learning. I walk everyday some times twice, but I really want to run. Not just to do it but to like it. In the past I've done sport and used to jog/run frequently but never really liked it too much. How can I make it more interesting so I can keep up with it and improve?

    PS I have a hectic work schedule and a one year old too

    I had both, in addition to a 2 1/2 year old.
    1. Get a Couch to 5k app.
    2. Join the Couch to 5k group: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/30-couch-to-5k-running-program-c25k
    3. Get fitted for shoes at a running store
    4. Go outside

    Note: M&Ms consumed by toddlers in a jog stroller are considered health food.

    I agree with all of this, especially the last part, except for us it's Cheerios :)
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    It might be more difficult with your hectic schedule but see if you can find a running group. I've always found it more fun when I'm running with at least one other person. It also helps to keep you accountable. Barring that, find a fun 5K race in your area 4 or 5 months from now and set a goal. Sometimes knowing I have a big race coming up is the only thing that gets me out the door.

    Never run on a treadmill. It's a joysucker.
  • WonderWhitney11
    WonderWhitney11 Posts: 78 Member
    Sign up for a 5k! I just started running in March, and I've done 5 5k's so far this summer... and I love them! It sucks a little while you're doing it (why the hell am I doing this?!?! kind of feeling), but when you're done, it feels so great to know you did it! Having an event on the calendar keeps me going out for my runs during the week, and seeing my times improved at every race is such a high! I keep a running journal too (I'm a dork! :)) and I clip out sayings and pictures from running mags and post pics of myself in there.

    My first 5K was April 26, I finished in 36 minutes.
    My times have improved significantly since then... 34 minutes, 31:30, 30:02 (I won my first medal this day! 3rd place in my age group!), 30:30- and this is what makes me really excited! The more I run, the more I love my body because of what it's actually capable of.

    Just do it! You will be impressed with yourself and it will grow to be a mini-addiction! :) a healthy one...
  • DeeVanderbles
    DeeVanderbles Posts: 589 Member
    I also suggest the C25K program. I also want to add that one of my friends just shared this with me the other day - she has been running for about two years and just now started to enjoy it. That's crazy to me. Two years doing something you don't enjoy, but doing it anyway because it's good for you. So just a little motivation for you, if you give it time and dedication and keep doing it, you'll eventually start to enjoy it. Or at least not hate it so much.
  • charlenerock
    charlenerock Posts: 6
    Do you have a babyjogger? That was big for me when our daughter was that age and we got a lot of good father-daughter bonding with me pushing her on my runs. I'd try any starter/beginner running plan/app, e.g. Galloway Easy 5K. Jeff Galloway does run-walk-run systems. I use the Galloway marathon app on my phone. Good luck, have fun! Try to run when you can even if it's just a little here and a little there and build it over time.

    I do not, BUT it was more because I felt my son was too small. Now that he's a bit older I would like to invest in one. Any good brands you would suggest?
  • HannaKathrin
    HannaKathrin Posts: 4
    +1 for the Zombies, Run! 5k training! (I started with this as well....)

    Also, I found that listening to podcasts helps to run at a slower pace. Personally, I enjoyed running with the "Two Gomers run for their lives" podcast .... Good luck!!!
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    Go s l o w! I think sometimes people start out trying to go too fast. Find a nice easy pace. Don't try for speed right now. Music helps too, as does beautiful scenery to run in,

    that may be my problem I try to be fast and when I'm not good at it I start to lose interest in in :|
    Slow is definitely key when you're first starting out. If you're getting winded you need to slow down. :)

    Keep it interesting by setting small goals for yourself. Completing C25K is a good first goal. After that set time goals or distance goals. I run/walk, always have, and have several half marathons under my belt. I push myself during training runs to increase my run intervals occasionally. So instead of running the whole thing at 5 minutes running and one walking I might do an 11 minute run and then go back to the 5:1 ratio. You can incorporate hills, run fartleks... there are a lot of ways to mix things up and keep running interesting.
  • Staniel_2013
    Staniel_2013 Posts: 120 Member
    Dont they make a pill for this yet? :tongue:

Categories