Running Help!

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mmanderr18
mmanderr18 Posts: 80 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
One of my biggest goals in getting healthy is to really enjoy running. I've always been pretty athletic.. I played field hockey and lacrosse in high school.. but now that I'm in college I've gained a lot of weight and am having a really hard time pushing myself to the next limit. I always let myself stop running even when I'm not physically feeling THAT tired. How can I mentally overcome this? What suggestions do you running veterans have to get me kick started!

Thanks!!

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  • Hirundo
    Hirundo Posts: 148 Member
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    bump
  • wadesha
    wadesha Posts: 360 Member
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    Put on music and tune everything else around you out. Don't think about running at all just keep moving and before you know it you will be running miles. Good luck and have fun :)
  • Sistersanj
    Sistersanj Posts: 1
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    I run through all the reason why I want to be fit and healthy and visualize them to keep me going.
    If I'm running up a tough hill or something I think of myself holding onto a rope and I am pulling myself up the rope with each step I take. For some reason it helps me feel less tired.

    But sometimes it's just as simple as distracting yourself. Do you listen to music? Get lost in the beauty of your surrounding if running outside or just let your mind wander. One of the reasons that I love running is it's a great time to think about things and process ideas. I have a friend who even does math in her head while running to distract her ...
  • fromaquasar
    fromaquasar Posts: 811 Member
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    Hmm in terms of not stopping I guess some things I do are
    - Listen to great motivating music
    - Run in beautiful places (trails, by the sea) so my surroundings are interesting
    - Have some rules in place (like you don't stop on hills)
    - Pre plan my routes so I know when I set out how far I am going and commit to that
    - Enter races so I have goals to work towards then when I feel like stopping I know I should keep going to I can meet my goals! :)
  • RAFValentina
    RAFValentina Posts: 1,231 Member
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    Use an app on your phone such as Nike+ which incorporates a personal trainer that gives you regular feedback and you can link to facebook..when someone likes your status... it will "cheer" with an applause "woop" noise which is cool and DOES help me! :) Plus you can have power songs that you select when you need a boost and you can play your own playlist through the app too.
  • fromaquasar
    fromaquasar Posts: 811 Member
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    If I'm running up a tough hill or something I think of myself holding onto a rope and I am pulling myself up the rope with each step I take. For some reason it helps me feel less tired.

    I do that too! Or I pick another runner ahead of me and pretend that there is a rope between my legs and theirs so they are pulling me along as long as I am in time with them!
  • carolinedb
    carolinedb Posts: 236 Member
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    I try to appreciate the beauty around me (I'm primarily a trail runner), and I had to throw in "cheats" at first. I ran a half a mile, then allowed myself thirty seconds to a minute of walking. Then I ran the next half mile. And so on, and so on. It helped me feel like I wasn't just trying to conquer miles at a time--I was trying to conquer bite-sized chunks.
  • billythewiz
    billythewiz Posts: 6 Member
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    I've never liked running. I've always done it but never enjoyed it.
    This summer I discovered the secret to enjoying it .... run slowly !

    I often run on a treadmill with a heart rate monitor and let the HRM control the speed. It set a lowish target heart rate (140) and plod along to that. I've worked up from 15 minutes to 60 and over time my speed has increased too (with the same HR).

    What's best is I don't hate it while I'm doing it and I don't ache the next day.
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
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    I had the same problem when I started running. So I gave myself a mantra of sorts. When I felt that way I'd just start repeating in my head "Don't stop because you want to, only if you have to." And I just keep it on repeat in my brain until my body moved past that feeling of wanting to stop or slow to a walk and then pick it back up again if the feeling came back. What I typically found was that once I got through a few cycles of it, it stopped being needed because my body had settled into the run pace and felt better. But it's always there in my head when I need it.

    And I define "need" to as too much pain. Most small aches will actually "run themselves out" in my terms. Meaning that often things feel wonky at the beginning of a run but a mile or so in and everything settles into feeling better. Same with stitches in my side, they usually work themselves through in a few minutes. It's only when the pain persists or gets considerably worse that I'll stop and walk it out. Oh, and I've slowed it down a couple of times when I was pushing pace and thought I was gonna puke. Even then I took it as far as I could, but as someone who did actually puke in front of their entire PE class after over exerting myself in a class competition, I don't take that risk. lol
  • rileysmommyy
    rileysmommyy Posts: 2 Member
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    Hello! I'm not a veteran, but I took up running to lose weight as well. I started two years ago and at that time couldn't even run one block. I started by using the Couch to 5K program. If you Google it you can probably find the podcast that you download to your iPod. It's super helpful. He tells you when to start running and when to stop and walk. You do that on and off until you can run 3 miles without stopping. To be honest though, I still stop and walk. The key is listening to music or focusing on your breath/stride/surroundings to get in the groove. I also have found that running longer distances is sometimes easier (no joke!) than shorter distances. For me, the first couple of miles are always the toughest and I doubt my ability, but 3-4 miles in I start feeling good (perhaps proud?) and the runner's high kicks in. Also, sometimes if I feel like stopping to walk I'll ask myself "what hurts?" Then I'll go through a list- "My legs? no." "My feet? no." "My lungs? no." Sometimes this trick helps me to realize there is no REAL reason to stop running.

    Also, I'd suggest signing up for a race. It's good motivation. :)

    I've lost 30 lbs in total and even ran a full marathon in May! Running is my solace now! Good luck to you!
  • mmanderr18
    mmanderr18 Posts: 80 Member
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    Thanks everyone! Yeah.. music is a necessity!! A big thing for me is that if I have ANYTHING that shows the time I cannot keep my eyes off of it! It's brutal! I really try to keep my mind off of it and I've stopped wearing a watch! I downloaded an app that I set the time and it alerts me when I'm done which is nice! I've just got to keep chugging along I suppose! I need to remember how good it feels after I finish!
  • shippen
    shippen Posts: 1
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    Numbers are your friend. The next time you're out for a run, try to notice a couple of numbers that are calling for your attention.

    How many seconds are you doing per lap or quarter mile? Or, how far can you go in one or two minutes? How many laps or minutes before allowing yourself to stop?

    A couple of these numbers may get your attention, and you'll want to make the numbers better, which makes you a better athlete. Be sure to insert recovery days as you begin to push your running limits. Take a day or two away from running and do other forms of exercise.

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