What is it about running?

JessicaLG23
JessicaLG23 Posts: 14
in Fitness and Exercise
I am currently doing the C25K program and have my first 5K in a week. I am still not to the point where running has become therapy or this amazing experience. I still dread it. I really want to be a runner but wonder when the "ah-ha" moment will come...any thoughts?
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Replies

  • Lyerin
    Lyerin Posts: 818 Member
    It's probably different for everyone. For me, back when I was a runner, it would come about 2 miles into a run where suddenly I realized that I wasn't thinking about anything hurting or whatever I had to do next in my day but I was just floating along watching my body work like a machine. When the run was done, I would feel completely amazing, but the first bit of the run was always harder for me. Eventually, I think you just get into a groove where your body takes over and your mind is free to meditate.
  • LoosingMyLast15
    LoosingMyLast15 Posts: 1,457 Member
    ah-ha moment for me came when i participated in my first race. i competed in an 8k (yes i know a long race) that benefited toys for tots. it was a closed course to spectators but the military cheered us on. seeing these men and women high fiving us just for running, knowing everything they do for us made me realize running is amazing! i can do this. :) my suggestion pick a race something that benefits a charity you support or admire. trust me you'll get your ah-ha moment.
    I am currently doing the C25K program and have my first 5K in a week. I am still not to the point where running has become therapy or this amazing experience. I still dread it. I really want to be a runner but wonder when the "ah-ha" moment will come...any thoughts?
  • LoosingMyLast15
    LoosingMyLast15 Posts: 1,457 Member
    the first part of my runs are always the hardest too then like magic i just go along. :)
    It's probably different for everyone. For me, back when I was a runner, it would come about 2 miles into a run where suddenly I realized that I wasn't thinking about anything hurting or whatever I had to do next in my day but I was just floating along watching my body work like a machine. When the run was done, I would feel completely amazing, but the first bit of the run was always harder for me. Eventually, I think you just get into a groove where your body takes over and your mind is free to meditate.
  • DisneyAddictRW
    DisneyAddictRW Posts: 800 Member
    I still struggle to get started wi most of my runs. My moment comes apx 1.5 miles into my runs. I feel like I can go forever. I didn't love it till after my first goofy challenge when I realized if you believe you will achieve. Not sure how else I could get through 39.3 miles.
  • czmmom
    czmmom Posts: 236 Member
    It came about 9 months after I started running... before that usually about a mile into my run I would feel better like I could run forever. But the truly wanting to go out and run was about 9 months after I started...what kept me going was how my body was feeling/looking after running.
  • LoosingMyLast15
    LoosingMyLast15 Posts: 1,457 Member
    you ran 39.9 MILES! WOW! amazing - i'm competing in color me rad this weekend. :) (based on your pic i assume you ran it)
    I still struggle to get started wi most of my runs. My moment comes apx 1.5 miles into my runs. I feel like I can go forever. I didn't love it till after my first goofy challenge when I realized if you believe you will achieve. Not sure how else I could get through 39.3 miles.
  • annieu613
    annieu613 Posts: 143 Member
    It definitely took me a while before I was excited to go on runs. The first 1-2 miles usually sucks for me, but once I get in a rhythm then it's all good. And runner's high is real and awesome.
  • jlcl119
    jlcl119 Posts: 51
    I dread running and absolutely hate the first 1-1.5 miles of it. Every time, I just wonder why I'm doing it, I hate it, it's uncomfortable, it's tiring, and I'd really rather be lifting weights, eating food, or doing about a million different things.

    After the first 1-1.5 miles something clicks, my thoughts stop, my body falls into a rhythm, and I feel like I could go on forever, and best of all I _want_ to go on forever.
    I've been running off and on for several years including track in high school. For some people the love/hate relationship is for life, and I know that I will never look forward to a run.
  • taylor5877
    taylor5877 Posts: 1,792 Member
    I hate running.I run 2-4 miles every weekday because I know it's good for me. I hate doing it though. There has never been an ah-ha moment for me.
  • mlb929
    mlb929 Posts: 1,974 Member
    I read an article to smile when you run. I think attitude is everything. If you are telling yourself you love every moment of it you are more likely to think that way. Be proud of yourself, look at the strengths you have gained. The shape in your leg the muscles you can feel. Relaxing in the run is totally important if you are thinking too much about what you don't like it will consume you. If you are proud of being out there running loving it cuz you can and someone else can't or won't you should be happy about it. Wave at people that pass, smile, dance to you music and just tell yourself you love the run.
  • Cwilbanks12105
    Cwilbanks12105 Posts: 99 Member
    I'm glad I'm not alone in absolutely hating those first couple of miles. But like everyone else said after that it stops hurting, I still feel it but not in an oh my God kill me now way, more of a feeling of what my body can accomplish if that makes sense. For me the enjoyment comes from seeing what my body is capable of and feeling it get stronger. Not many 200+ women can run a 5k in less than 35 minutes and that in itself makes me enjoy doing it.
  • Determinednoob
    Determinednoob Posts: 2,001 Member
    Why do you really want to be a runner if you don't like running?
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    I just finished Week 4 of C25K.. and I never ever thought I'd love to run.. but alas I do.

    There is just something so freeing about getting out there in nature and running... you notice different things running outside then you do walking outside.

    I used to run around our local lake but today I took a different route where it was just me, the birds and a random rabbit or two.. and it was wonderful.
  • JessicaLG23
    JessicaLG23 Posts: 14
    Why do you really want to be a runner if you don't like running?

    because everyone that is a runner says that it is great "therapy" and that they feel good after/during doing it. I want to develop a love for it because I know it is good for me...I guess I just needed a little motivation.
  • erinn_leigh
    erinn_leigh Posts: 20
    I can't explain it...

    I did the Couch-to-5K back in 2000, and shortly after finishing I had a lot come up in my life and drifted away from it. I've tried several times since then to get back into it, but life was always so nuts.

    I finally decided I didn't care how nuts life was. I was in the middle of a really, REALLY bad cold when I started the C25K again this time. I get up at 5:25 a.m., M-W-F, while my husband and kids are still sleeping, and go get it done. And I love it. Tomorrow I'm on W6 D3, the 25 minute run. No more intervals! And I am signed up for my first 5K on September 22.

    It's just a part of me.
  • reallyally1
    reallyally1 Posts: 82
    I'm with everyone else here... the first 1-2 miles really sucks. I really dread starting up my run, knowing that I will be at it for at least half an hour. I just tell myself that I'll go for 20 minutes and then I can stop, but by the time I get up to 20 minutes, I've reached that stage where I feel like I can run forever. It works every time! :)
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    I don't really enjoy training runs and probably never will. They are something I do because I love what it does for my fitness and my self-esteem and I love running in races. I can't run the races if I don't do the training runs. I'm always signed up for another race to keep me motivated.
  • redhousecat
    redhousecat Posts: 584 Member
    I hate running.I run 2-4 miles every weekday because I know it's good for me. I hate doing it though. There has never been an ah-ha moment for me.

    This is me, exactly. I only run because it's a good cross trainer for my cycling.
  • Turtle003
    Turtle003 Posts: 133 Member
    I look forward to my runs now...I didn't at all when I first started about a year ago. The first couple of miles are the hardest and then you get into the run and it just kind of takes over. The last step is the most satisfying though! I have never run and felt at the end I wish I wouldn't have done it...I ALWAYS feel good at the end.
  • mjpTennis
    mjpTennis Posts: 6,165 Member
    At 5:15 in the morning, running is the most efficient workout for me so I do it. I have gotten to points in runs where I felt I could go on for ever. I have also made great gains in fitness and my running times that I have even considered training for half marathons or marathons, and then I remember that I don't really like to run, it is just an efficient workout. I run mostly on treadmills so I will frequently vary the workout. If I start out well, I will maintain the run. If I am feeling a little off, I will run for 3, walk for 2, change the pace, all types of things to break up the boredom. So my ahah moments, are ahah - I would rather be playing tennis, but can't find a 5:30 am tennis partner.
  • mrskellit
    mrskellit Posts: 12 Member
    I just wanted to chime in about it taking maybe 1 mile in before you hit your stride. I went from thinking I was dying after 2 minutes of running, to not wanting to stop after about 30. I felt like I could conquer the world. Runner's high!

    Well, I still feel that way, but I haven't been able to run in a month (car accident). It's KILLING ME. I want to just sprint across streets, on the treadmill, etc. I'm envious of you all right now!

    I also like everyone's pics of the Color runs. I walked one last weekend. Good times. :)
  • SelkieDiver
    SelkieDiver Posts: 260 Member
    I've been hooked since shortly before my first 5K. The first time I ran 30 minutes non-stop I had such a feeling of amazement at what I did I couldn't get over it! I run to continue finding those moments of amazement. the first time I did 5 miles. The first time I ran for 1 hr nonstop, my first half marathon, etc. During training runs the first 1-2 miles absolutely suck sometimes, but once I settle in and quiet down my brain I find it very meditative. Don't get me wrong, some runs just suck all the way through. Every runner has those days. But some runs are just wonderful from the first step to the last and those are the ones that keep me going.

    I hope you get your Ah-hah moment soon. Look back over what you've accomplished during C25K - did you ever think you'd run that far?
  • SelkieDiver
    SelkieDiver Posts: 260 Member
    I just wanted to chime in about it taking maybe 1 mile in before you hit your stride. I went from thinking I was dying after 2 minutes of running, to not wanting to stop after about 30. I felt like I could conquer the world. Runner's high!

    Well, I still feel that way, but I haven't been able to run in a month (car accident). It's KILLING ME. I want to just sprint across streets, on the treadmill, etc. I'm envious of you all right now!

    I also like everyone's pics of the Color runs. I walked one last weekend. Good times. :)

    I had to take 4 months off due to knee surgery and thought I would absolutely die. I missed it sooo much! Hope you're back at it soon.
  • Roadie2000
    Roadie2000 Posts: 1,801 Member
    Happened to me during a race a couple years ago. I started passing a few people and then all of the sudden I felt invincible, I picked up my pace to something way faster than I trained with and I never got tired. Just felt like I could run forever. Haven't felt it since though.
  • micabrito2012
    micabrito2012 Posts: 103 Member
    I agree with this! I can feel my legs burn and my lungs want to explode at times but for some reason I'm thinking of other things sometimes just enjoying the scenery.
  • phillieschic
    phillieschic Posts: 615
    The first mile is always the hardest, but there's nothing like that feeling when it's over...I live on THAT high until I start my next run.


    :drinker:
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
    You are still in the c2 5k program... your kind of paying the price for greatness.

    I think others said. the first few miles suck! Your just running the first sucky part.

    Only after week 9, and went further did I feel like I could do anything.
    For me, the runners high is basically a wash of Adrenalin that flows over the back of my neck and up to the front of my scalp.

    About mile 4 or 5 I feel fantastic and actually I think I start running faster, till I settle in on a pace.

    Great job on signing up for the 5k. Just stick a bit twords the back for your first time, and remember to pace yourself in the beginning. Your going to want to save a little for the end.
  • mslack01
    mslack01 Posts: 823 Member
    At first I found it difficult. My first race hooked me. I wasn't racing against anyone else....just my self. Just seeing if I could do it. Just seeing if finally, I could be the athlete. Now I put on my music and get lost in my thoughts and I'm in that peaceful zone.
  • _Timmeh_
    _Timmeh_ Posts: 2,096 Member
    Most of what I feel has already been summed up, except I feel great the first mile then all of a sudden I get that WTH am I doing..after a while it goes away I settle in with a pace and motion. Then I feel like superman and can run forever. Eventually coming back down to earth concentrating on my motion. The after run is such a great feeling.
    A few times I've felt a high that no drug or alcohol has ever done for me.
  • szartman
    szartman Posts: 5
    i have yet to find this elusive "runners high". i have been running off and on the past 4 or 5 years, mostly during the spring/summer months. i go anywhere between 2-5 miles at a 8-9 minute mile pace. i've heard great things about this euphoric feeling, but have yet to experience it. i was a sprinter in HS and love that feeling after a 400M race, is that what this high is like? what am i doing wrong?

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