How did you overcome anxiety of running in public?

13

Replies

  • saraj9999
    saraj9999 Posts: 18
    I wonder if you have anxiety regarding other situations in your life? If you don't and it is just when you are excercising, why on earth would you care what anyone thinks about you and your possible labored breathing?

    When I go out walking or ever-so-slowly chugging away at my wog as I am doing my C25K training runs, I KNOW it is not a pretty site. My face is as magenta as my shirt. I have to double down on the sports bras to keep the girls in check, so I rock that loaf-like uniboob. I pant like I am fleeing from a grizzly bear up a mountain. My shirt rides up and settles in the belly valleys. My shorts start riding lower and I get the progressive baggy butt. Ugly. Straight up pitiful.

    And every.single.person. I pass who is excercising says hello to me. No exceptions. It is like that secret hand signal that all the Harley riders give each other - a measure of respect and camaraderie.

    I have never had nasty comments yelled out car windows. No teenagers on bikes have made smart remarks. Nothing like that. I am out there. I am trying to improve my health and my life. I think people see that and at least give me a mental 'atta girl'.

    When you are excercising, even if you are not looking your vogue fresh best, you are standing up for your future and your life and your health. I don't think you would stay in a burning building just because you couldn't find any clothes to put on. Being outside, attempting to reach your best potential may not be as urgent, but it is as important. You have as much right to be who and where you are right now as anyone else. Believe it. I do :happy:
  • vitolicious
    vitolicious Posts: 8
    Run blindfolded? Kidding! Most people will respect you just for getting out there - so just do it!
  • just4nessa
    just4nessa Posts: 459 Member
    Yes, people may be looking at you..so what? They're not in a position to judge though when you're out there getting your bad-@ss on and they're not.

    Oh, and you're welcome to come running with me any day. I play air-drums to the music in my headphones while I'm running and I don't care what people think when they see me.
  • H0llyG0lightly
    H0llyG0lightly Posts: 214 Member
    Run with a buddy for the first few times.
  • Sparlingo
    Sparlingo Posts: 938 Member
    What a timely topic! I was literally just thinking about this very thing on my run tonight.

    I used to be VERY self-conscious about what others thought while I exercised, because I knew I was out of shape. I had a friend offer to run with me once years ago, and I nearly cancelled on her several times leading up to the run because I was mortified by the thought of her having to slow down with me and walk with me. The thought of running in public kept me inside many a night before.

    At first all I did was buy some running gear so that I felt like I didn't stick out like a sore thumb in my husband's borrowed fitness clothes. Ha! As if that mattered to anyone - oh well, it was a good start!

    Then I started to just talk myself through several counter-arguments to my negative self-talk while I ran:

    - Most people probably don't notice you
    - If they do, they are likely thinking, "way to get fit!"
    - If they see you red-faced, walking or running incredibly slow, they don't know if you've just run 0.5 km or 20 before they saw you
    - Even if they are thinking negative thoughts about you, you'll never know, so why go there?
    - Okay, you're going there? Sure. Well let's play that out. They're thinking "wow, what a horrible, terrible, awful, slow fat runner that is!" ... so what did that accomplish? Did it physically hurt you? Make you incapable of running? Nope. So keep going. They can think whatever they like.
    - Truth is, they are not likely to tell you what they are thinking. So you get to either block them out, or assume what they're thinking. So just think they're cheering you on! (if you must acknowledge them at all).

    Sometimes I'll challenge that negative thought by making myself show how nice people are - force myself to give them the smile/nod/tiny wave as I run by. 99% of people smile back or say "hello". There - the world is no longer a crappy place!

    My other strategy for getting comfortable with running was just making a fantastic running play list. I'd be so excited to get out there and listen to it that it didn't matter what else was going on around me. Plus, the music usually made me feel happy or bad-*kitten*, so I was less inclined to imagine people mocking me.

    Very soon you will like running and be hard-pressed to care what others think.
  • soultrouble
    soultrouble Posts: 11 Member
    First of all, quit caring what other ppl think and lose yourself in music I'm usually the biggest one when I'm out there pushing myself thru a half marathon...you'll find that some of the nicest and most encouraging people out there are runners. It gets easier...I promise: )
  • pleasepleaseno
    pleasepleaseno Posts: 166 Member
    I used to be the same way. Wear cute running clothes, and pretend you're a pro who's been doing it for years. Fake it till you make it! :)
  • Steve_Rance
    Steve_Rance Posts: 30
    Get a bike and start with cycling instead:

    If anyone does look at you, you're travelling faster and out of view quicker! Plus you get the added benefit of being sitting down most of the time :smile:

    I used to be a little bit fearful of going out and about, then after being overtaken a few times by guys in all the gear on their fancy bikes and pushing to keep up with them I realised I was just as good as them. For a mile or so anyway...

    Now I just pootle around at my own pace, enjoying seeing all the stuff you never notice when driving around, I hardly notice or care about other people now.
  • centaurizoe
    centaurizoe Posts: 115 Member
    Thank you everyone! You all really helped me :) Steve, my sister said I can have her bike when she moves to Ontario so I will be biking as much as possible!
  • Meerataila
    Meerataila Posts: 1,885 Member
    I killed a few people who shouted out their car windows or gave me funny looks. After awhile it stopped happening or else I stopped noticing. I haven't had to hide a body in ages!

    Just kidding. I actually started by walking and running at night. Sometimes very late at night. Will depend on you and where you live whether that's an option for you or not. I wouldn't walk down a public street at four a.m. but this neighborhood is quiet enough.
  • goldmay
    goldmay Posts: 258 Member
    I started out running around my neighborhood early in the morning when nobody was around. Then one day, there was another runner -- much fitter and faster -- on the sidewalk coming toward me. As he passed I checked to see if he was silently judging me. But he said good morning and waved. After that I realized I was worrying over nothing. :)
  • dpwellman
    dpwellman Posts: 3,271 Member
    Running is awesome. Ergo, runners are awesome.
  • JeralynSh
    JeralynSh Posts: 139 Member
    I was just talking to my husband about this. I've been a treadmill runner for years. But lately, I've been venturing outside for runs. (I did 8 miles today - something I've never done before!) But I'm slow. Crazzzzzy slow. Sometimes my run is slower than a fast walk. But I keep going. I know how I look. I'm sweaty, heaving, and flushed from exertion, but I keep on going. And you know what? Every car that passes gives me a wave; several motorcycle riders give me a thumbs up. I'll often get an encouraging beep from a truck driver. Because I'm working. And what I'm doing is working for me.

    I'm proud of my slow runs, because you know what? I'm still running. I'm still losing weight. And I'm still faster than the person who hasn't gotten up off their couch yet.

    Don't sweat your anxiety. (Pun intended.) You keep on going.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
    By realizing you would never worry about what people thought of you if you knew how little they actually DO.

    It's a little bit of an ego sting, but remind yourself that you are pretty much NOTHING to observers as you run. They do not give a flying fornication about you, or your running, or your life. Ouch, you say? Not at all! How much thought do YOU give to joggers-by? None, I'd bet. As a general rule, they will almost always extend you the same courtesy.

    Go run. Do your thing, because everyone else is too busy doing their things to notice you. Take advantage of that.
  • mimiteh35
    mimiteh35 Posts: 486 Member
    I honestly still have issues with running/jogging in public thanks to a "friend" who made fun of me when I tried running a Couch to 5K program, I had my dog with me who is a pug and snorts a lot, and she said, in front of a lot of people, "I saw you running the other day, I don't know who looked worse, you or the dog" and she laughed, and I'm sure it was meant to be "funny" and poking fun, but it really made me self conscious and I ended up NOT running at all for 4 months. Now unfortunately it still affects me as I'm over 200 lbs and 5 ft 1 in and feel like I'm a whale out running, so I honestly started running very early in the morning, when its still dark, or late at night. I live in a small town, though, so its not a safety issue for me. I hope to someday be able to run in public without a care. I have noticed that the few people I see running during the time I run have all been friendly and saying HI and "great morning for a run" or things like that, never heard anyone laughing at me from the fellow runners. I hope you'll be able to find something that works for you! I regret letting that person make me afraid to run, because I had to start over on the Couch to 5K and I could've been doing and ran my first 5K by now if I didn't let her words get to me.
  • Lane1012
    Lane1012 Posts: 211 Member
    You may be surprised that the majority of the people out there are probably thinking "good for her" or "go get it!" I've been running for a long time now and I'm always encouraged when I see runners out running (all shapes and speeds).
  • Lane1012
    Lane1012 Posts: 211 Member
    Running is awesome. Ergo, runners are awesome.

    QFT
  • Meerataila
    Meerataila Posts: 1,885 Member
    I honestly still have issues with running/jogging in public thanks to a "friend" who made fun of me when I tried running a Couch to 5K program, I had my dog with me who is a pug and snorts a lot, and she said, in front of a lot of people, "I saw you running the other day, I don't know who looked worse, you or the dog" and she laughed, and I'm sure it was meant to be "funny" and poking fun, but it really made me self conscious and I ended up NOT running at all for 4 months. Now unfortunately it still affects me as I'm over 200 lbs and 5 ft 1 in and feel like I'm a whale out running, so I honestly started running very early in the morning, when its still dark, or late at night. I live in a small town, though, so its not a safety issue for me. I hope to someday be able to run in public without a care. I have noticed that the few people I see running during the time I run have all been friendly and saying HI and "great morning for a run" or things like that, never heard anyone laughing at me from the fellow runners. I hope you'll be able to find something that works for you! I regret letting that person make me afraid to run, because I had to start over on the Couch to 5K and I could've been doing and ran my first 5K by now if I didn't let her words get to me.

    Your friend suffers from both mouthitis and thinkshefunny. As a longtime sufferer of both afflictions, I urge you not to take her seriously. Besides, none of us looks as funny running as we do when we're so out of shape we wheeze just walking up some stairs.
  • AllieLosingIt
    AllieLosingIt Posts: 150 Member
    I used to be worried about walking around in public for exercise (I don't run yet) but I'm noticing that nobody pays attention to me at all, except other people who are out doing what I'm doing. The kicker? They've all been fairly fit and always pass me with a wave or smile.

    Just get out there and do it, don't worry about what anyone thinks because the majority of people are going to be thinking 'good for her' and not 'ew, look at her...'
  • Swiftlet66
    Swiftlet66 Posts: 729 Member
    I honestly still have issues with running/jogging in public thanks to a "friend" who made fun of me when I tried running a Couch to 5K program, I had my dog with me who is a pug and snorts a lot, and she said, in front of a lot of people, "I saw you running the other day, I don't know who looked worse, you or the dog" and she laughed, and I'm sure it was meant to be "funny" and poking fun, but it really made me self conscious and I ended up NOT running at all for 4 months. Now unfortunately it still affects me as I'm over 200 lbs and 5 ft 1 in and feel like I'm a whale out running, so I honestly started running very early in the morning, when its still dark, or late at night. I live in a small town, though, so its not a safety issue for me. I hope to someday be able to run in public without a care. I have noticed that the few people I see running during the time I run have all been friendly and saying HI and "great morning for a run" or things like that, never heard anyone laughing at me from the fellow runners. I hope you'll be able to find something that works for you! I regret letting that person make me afraid to run, because I had to start over on the Couch to 5K and I could've been doing and ran my first 5K by now if I didn't let her words get to me.

    Terribly sorry to hear that happened to you. Your "friend" might have been joking/playing around or thought she was being funny BUT that was a damn rude comment that was obviously meant to make you feel self-conscious and put you down from your efforts. Even if they didn't mean it, they should have assess the person's self esteem first before making those comments! I've heard bitter comments like that before from co-workers/friends/family. Not gonna lie, some people are indeed *kitten*. They're going to talk, joke and bully, especially the mean sarcastic ones but your own efforts into fitness should be top priority. As a runner myself, everyone I see outside walking/running along with me is friendly and always greets me politely. In my neighborhood, it's especially rare to even be going for a walk or a run outside because the norm today is to drive around or sit on the couch at home watching TV all day. You should be proud that you're trying and doing something most people probably would never put the effort into (ie. running Cto5K or more or even sticking to losing weight)!!

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