Will I ever *love* running?

I was never a runner, but recently started training a running class. The problem most people have is that they try to run too fast. They get winded and don't allow themselves to enjoy it. Start really slowly and your body will naturally pick up the pace. I think then you'll really start to enjoy it!!! Start slower than you think you should. Your body will naturally find it's comfortable pace. Also, make sure you have the right shoes. :0)

Hope that helps!

That's so strange - I have just come back from my run and was thinking exactly the same thing! I am on week 7 day 1 (25 mins).... I completed it but just like you, I don't love it. What I do love though is the sense of achievement I get everytime I complete a run. It's like WOW - did I really just run 25 mins??? Amazing!! I'm determined to persevere and hope that I'll gradually get even fitter and will end up enjoying it a bit more.

Let me know how you get on!!

p.s - I have the opposite weather problem today. 25 degrees and sunny in London - far too hot to run in for me!!

x

Congratulations on running for 25 minutes!! Well done! I can't say that I love running.....however I love the way I am losing weight. I love the continued distance and minutes run I am accomplishing and I love the way I feel when I am done running. I started 4 months ago and could not even run for 30 seconds. Now I run between 40-53 minutes.
Running my first 5k 2 months ago definitely inspired me and pushed me....Do you have a goal in mind?
Poor you and the weather...UGH!! I have the opposite problem here. Its 8am and already 80 degrees outside!
Hang in there!

Is there a reason you can't repeat Week 7 this week rather than moving to Week 8? You can give yourself a chance to enjoy the accomplishment, and maybe by repeating rather than pushing to add more you'll find yourself enjoying the running.

I tried to like running - but I just can't. I'm much happier walking and interspersing jogging and sprinting. Running nonstop just doesn't do it for me. But that doesn't mean that you won't learn to like it eventually - stick with it for awhile. If you don't learn to love it, find something you do love!

Running is like life...you're going to have your amazing days and there's other days where you ask yourself, "why the heck am I even doing this?!?" lol.

I was where you are, all serious runners are. We've all gotta start somewhere! My recommendation is keep it up!! Stop and walk for 10 seconds if it's to the point where you're miserable, I even do that from time to time now.

Keep up the amazing work and as weeks go on and the stronger you get, you WILL start enjoying running!!:):)

I was never a runner, but recently started training a running class. The problem most people have is that they try to run too fast. They get winded and don't allow themselves to enjoy it. Start really slowly and your body will naturally pick up the pace. I think then you'll really start to enjoy it!!! Start slower than you think you should. Your body will naturally find it's comfortable pace. Also, make sure you have the right shoes. :0)

Hope that helps!

This is EXACTLY right. I'm currently not running but have aspirations to run again one day. For me, I worry that the extra weight I've gained over the last few years might cause knee or back injury. That said, once I've shed about 10 more pounds I'm hitting the pavement again (although I hit the pavement every day with fast walking). I wholeheartedly believe if you slow down and enjoy your current pace (no matter how slow) you will learn to love running and you will definitely over time increase your pace naturally. I remember training for my first marathon - when I began I ran about a 9.5 to 10min pace - I was shocked to realize that after completing the marathon I had come within 8 mins of qualifying for the Boston Marathon. Some "calculations" later I realized that I was easily able to run about an 8min mile. I further shocked myself by completing a 10K in like 52 mins as well! While I was never nor will I ever be a "speed demon", what was so notable to me was that this pace felt no different than my 10min miles did at the beginning of starting running. So, long story short.... SLOW DOWN and ENJOY!! Best to you!!

When I first started C25k I hated running -- thought about quitting because it hurt my lungs and I wasn't breathing properly, getting pains in my side, etc. I don't know how it happened but I started to develop a rhythm with my breathing and pushed through the discomfort you get at the beginning and learned to love it. I just feel free and like I can accomplish anything when I'm running.

What do you think about when you're running? If you don't enjoy it then I would say to stop.. but really give it a chance! I think the moment I felt truly like a runner was when I ran my first 5k. Maybe sign up for a race after completing C25k? And I agree with what others have mentioned, if the 25 minutes was hard on you then repeat the week before moving on to running 28 minutes.

I am just starting out on the training. Everything I have read stresses starting out slow and feeling good. It is so encouraging to read the same here from actual runners. Right now a walker could lap me, but it felt good to me. I know I will build slowly, but like everything on this journey it will take time. I don't want to end up hating it. Good luck on your endeavor. Slow down a bit and enjoy what you are doing to make your body the best it can be. I can't wait for the day when I can say I ran 25 minutes without stopping.

I fell in love with running the day I got my first runner's high. Instead of my normal mental 'bonk' where I'd start to get bored/tired/discouraged, I sort of got this second wind. I literally felt euphoric and uplifted. Just give it time and your body will adjust, and soon you will be hooked!

Edited to add: Now I love biking WAYYYY more. But I still like to run.

25C is too hot?
Wow. I'd love to have 25C to run in. Running midday at 35C+ here, and that's Florida with equally high humidity.

"Temperature: 93, feels like 103" Ah thank you lovely Florida humidity.

I have a love/hate relationship with running. Sometimes it takes a little nudging to get me out the door, but I feel so good when I get to that halfway point or when I run a little further or a little faster than I did the last time. I never in my life dreamed that I would be running 4miles without stopping when just last summer I was trying to make myself run from one telephone pole to the next on my walks...it makes me feel good. Music deffinately helps...I need to just run without looking for the finish line and music gives me something different to focus on. The hardest thing for me is telling myself that just because I know I CAN run 4miles...doesn't mean I have to run 4 or push for 4 1/2 EVERY TIME I RUN! There are good days and bad days and sometimes it is just so hot or humid or windy that I have to really push myself and a shorter run is fine...And there are mornings that it is cool with a nice little breeze and I feel like going on and on. Stick with it and you are sure to find something you love about running. BTW-Great job on the 25min!

hi
Congratulations on your first 25 min.

Question, do you know if you are running correctly? Everyone runs different, and if you have not had training or some good advice you may doing certain things improperly. That could include 1) breathing-- If you are not breathing right while running, it could really be an unpleasant task to unertake. I believe breathing is the most important one. 2) your posture, when you get tired people tend to slump forward 3) Is your body lose? May seem strange but sometimes people get really tight when runnung to try and compensate for the pain. 4) Stride, how are you landing on your feet? some people drag there feet, some people stomp, and it could cause discomfort if not done correctlty.
I do not want to sound like its mechanical, because its not, but just like any other exercise you have to have good form to do it correctly and to enjoy it.

I was in cross country and did lots of running while in the military, I admit I love running. BUT that does NOTmean that its EASY by any means. Just like a previoud post stated it can be euphoric, and its my meditation.

And also some people mentioned they do not like running. I say do not give up and try and finish the training. But you may enjoy walking more. And I have tried speed walking and it is as hard as running. :indifferent: I worked up a sweat and lost weight. It hurts in different areas. BUT I love running. Always have.Its peaceful, I love the sense of accomplishment.
I hope things workout, its good that you are trying. MFP is great cause you have so many people that can give you some good advice, or at least their perspective.

I spent 8 years trying to love running. I played soccer in HS and college and through my entire career I tried to love running. I'd go for morning runs and tell myself I loved it. I'd go running in the afternoon and tell myself that I was going "just cuz I loved to run." After 8 years of "fake it 'till you make it" I still didn't love running. I hate to run just for the sake of running. Put a ball in front of me, someone chasing me (or as my coach did in college once) put a keg at the end and then I see a point to it.

Right!!

I have had an up and down relationship with running. I was in track in high school, but I was a sprinter and long jumper. I only ran distances when I was forced to. I hated distance running and couldn't understand why anyone would want to purposely torture themselves like that. In college I started running simply because it was a cheap way to exercise and I needed to get out of my dorm room. I had a "just do it" attitude and after a while I started to hate running a little less and started enjoying the scenery and the rhythm. I especially loved watching the seasons change and feeling like I was a part of nature, not just an observer. Several weeks ago I started the C25K program to get back into running. I still don't love running some days, but I DO love the feeling that I get BECAUSE I run. I love feeling strong and capable. I love the endorphine rush. I love it when my mind goes all "zen" while my body falls into a rhythm. I love reaching milestones and knowing that it was MY effort that got me there and nothing else. It may sound corny, but running is less of a physical activity and more of a mental and spiritual experience for me now and that has made it much more rewarding and enjoyable. I wish I had been able to see it that way when I was younger! Anyway, I guess my point is that not all runners love the act of running. Some of us have learned to love some of the "side effects" of running, even when we don't necessarily love the running itself.