I wish I was a runner.

I suggest "Run Your Butt Off." It's a book from Runners World, and it's the same slow principle as the C25K. The best part, for me, was the idea that your run can be slower than your walk. Give yourself a month or so, and if you don't stop hating it (note I did not say start loving the run), then try something else. Running is great, but it's not the only thing.

The C25K app and program works great

Or you can set a time to get out on the pavement. Start with 20 minutes. Start with 60 seconds of light jogging followed by a couple of minutes of walking. Do that 3 times a week. Every week, jog 30 seconds more and walk a little less until you can work up to 20 minutes of jogging straight. Remember to always start with a warm up walk and cool down walk (both 5 minutes each)

Two years ago I was just like you. I wanted to like running but I really, really hated it. Then, my company offered 4 days paid vacation to anyone who ran in the Marathon they were sponsoring.( Nothing like free time off to motivate you) So I signed up paid my money and then I realized what big commitment I had made. Running for me was like drinking beer to my peers… it’s an acquired taste. I won’t tell that it was easy or quick and after I finished the marathon I swore I would never do another but 4 months later I missed my long runs. I haven’t looked back since then. Some things that helped to make my training successful were: Hal Higdon’s training plan, an ipod shuffle, some good running shoes (Asics gel nimbus) and the fact that I had already paid for the race and wanted to finish. Good luck on your journey, I hope you come to love running as much as I do.

I'm a runner, and I don't really think that "fun" is the word that I would use to describe it. Running hurts, but I have learned to love that feeling. The reason that running is "relaxing" for me is because it is a physical release for my stress.

Nothing else can compare to the sense of accomplishment I feel after I get back from a run and my body is exhausted yet energized at the same time.

I would say start out slow and try to build up to it. If you try to run too far/too fast, it won't be enjoyable at all

It probably sounds silly, but I download audio books to my smartphone and listen when I run. It occupies my mind and I get a good story to boot,

Sure, I still want to stop a lot of times but I know how good it is for me and how good I'll feel about having done it so I keep going. I entered a half marathon which cost me $80 so that's motivation as well, I can't really afford to waste that $. I want to be able to say I finished a half marathon which is quite an accomplishment in my book. Maybe you need a motivational goal.

BTW... once you get to where you can run for > 10 mintues straight you'll realize that the first 10 minutes is the worst, which is quite unfair when you can't yet run 10 minutes.

I've been "running" off and on for about 15 years, and honestly, I STILL have a love / hate relationship with it. I started doing it b/c it pissed me off that I could never run a mile without wanting to die -- and what still keeps me going is just being pissed off that I can't run that NEXT mile, or that I've never done THAT distance yet, or that I'm still THAT slow. And when I actually accomplish a little bit more, I feel like SUPERWOMAN.

Or maybe it's just like that old saying: "I like hitting myself in the head with a hammer, 'cause it feels so good when I STOP." I always feel good AFTERWARD.

And yes, MUSIC is a must.

I keep repeating the advice a long-term runner told me once -- even lifelong marathoners say that the first 2 miles ALWAYS sucks, every time, every run. Even they don't "LOVE" every minute of it. Even their bodies are saying, "WTF are you DOING this for???" We're just living for those moments when it (almost) feels EFFORTLESS. Notice I said A L M O S T. :flowerforyou:

I never dreamed i could run !! I was overweight (still am but not as big) I have had 2 major surgery's on my right knee and now have arthritis in both knees . BUT I run !! i don't run long distance or very fast but i love it. I started off by walking faster and faster, then a very slow jog. I would walk for 2 min jog for 1 min. I did that for as long as i could ( usually 30 - 40 min) Now I can warm up, jog at a 5mph pace for 4 min and walk fast for 1 min and i do that for 30 - 45 minutes. I never jog more than 5 min at a time. i love it !!

I've been "running" off and on for about 15 years, and honestly, I STILL have a love / hate relationship with it. I started doing it b/c it pissed me off that I could never run a mile without wanting to die -- and what still keeps me going is just being pissed off that I can't run that NEXT mile, or that I've never done THAT distance yet, or that I'm still THAT slow. And when I actually accomplish a little bit more, I feel like SUPERWOMAN.

Or maybe it's just like that old saying: "I like hitting myself in the head with a hammer, 'cause it feels so good when I STOP." I always feel good AFTERWARD.

And yes, MUSIC is a must.

I keep repeating the advice a long-term runner told me once -- even lifelong marathoners say that the first 2 miles ALWAYS sucks, every time, every run. Even they don't "LOVE" every minute of it. Even their bodies are saying, "WTF are you DOING this for???" We're just living for those moments when it (almost) feels EFFORTLESS. Notice I said A L M O S T. :flowerforyou:

Best advice so far, though I listen to talk radio when I have headphones on; entertainment is a MUST.

The first 2 miles do suck and you feel like you just can't do it today but at about 2.5 it's like yeah, I can run 3, then I think...I feel great, I can run another. I don't like to stop until I am ready. I always feel like I must run 3, atleast...just to know wherther I am ready to go beyond that.

I feel ya. I'm not one either. And I have always struggled with asthma, so it wasn't something anybody pushed me to do. I always had to take it easy as a kid.

Fast forward ___ years, and asthma control medication is so much better than it was then. I use my inhaler twice before going out. And then I use the "rhythm" method ... meaning I breathe rhythmically to keep calm and help pay attention to how I'm feeling. Breathe in for 3 steps, out for 4. Then as I got more winded and ran longer, it turned into in on 2, out on 3.

Last night was my first time running with music. I never tried it before because I didn't want it to mess up my rhythm. But it actually helped. I wasn't so fixated on how I felt and how I was breathing, which actually made it easier.

Although it feels like my legs are made out of lead by the third or fourth interval, I agree with what I read on someone's blog yesterday: When the only decision you have to make is "right or left?" running can be pretty freeing for your mind. Great time to clear out the noise and buzz and hum of all the things you've been plugged into all day. You may not enjoy the running, but you can enjoy the after-effects: weight loss, endorphin rush, sense of accomplishment, skinny jeans.

Good God I love Running!! It's so freeing! I find at any rate. lol. But I would advise you to start with interval training, do a run/walk program. Listen to your favourite tunes. Find one song that motivates you and play it if your mid run and feeling ready to quit. Good Luck!!

I would rather do anything than run...I find it extremely boring. Cycling is much more enjoyable!!! Good luck!

i wish i was a runner also..but i have mvp stopping me, and I am impatient..what I need to do is try the couch to 5k...I am still active (kickboxing, and walking)...it might help for me to try it, but i don't have anyone willing to jog with me.

the biggest thing is to not start out to fast either. alot of people decide to start running and just go and they go to fast or to hard and can not last. run what feels like ridiculously slow at first because you will be able to go for a longer duration.

I hated running more than anything else but I started slowly after joining a group. I was finishing last all the time and it was awful. But I kept going and finished a marathon with them and again I came last but I was over the moon! This year we are training for another marathon and we have new recruits and guess what? I'm not the last anymore lol
Good luck I hope you get into it!

I use the "rhythm" method ... meaning I breathe rhythmically to keep calm and help pay attention to how I'm feeling. Breathe in for 3 steps, out for 4. Then as I got more winded and ran longer, it turned into in on 2, out on 3.

Last night was my first time running with music. I never tried it before because I didn't want it to mess up my rhythm. But it actually helped. I wasn't so fixated on how I felt and how I was breathing, which actually made it easier.

This is me too. I started C25K a couple weeks ago and have been on Week 1 since then. I tried Week 2's run on Monday, but couldn't finish it. Counting breaths really helps me. And while I do listen to music when walking/jogging, I find that I don't really "listen" to it, but it's in the background as I focus on how good it feels to get my heart rate up, or those last few seconds in the jogging section of my run, or other things from the day that I think about to de-stress. Start slow and don't be too hasty to go faster or longer in the beginning. You'll get there.