I've never particularly enjoyed exercising, as I have rarely (if ever?) experienced that flood of endorphins that others go on and on about
I think I caught a glimpse a few weeks ago, once, but then it was gone. I'm on week 7 (on a break as my previous post explains) and although I can do the runs, they're hard and I get through - my hubby (doing it with me) is telling me he's feeling great, and I'm just concentrating on my breathing and not really enjoying it! I get satisfaction from having completed the run, but am not really feeling a rush... should I be pushing myself harder?
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BeckL
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I am much the same as you - running is hard work even though I mostly manage to get done what it is that I want to do ( or what the programme demanded of me) . No rush as such -- but there is great satisfaction.
I must admit I feel really good after I've completed a run and especially if I've felt I didn't have to exert myself too much. Maybe you are not experiencing the 'high' because you are placing too much pressure on yourself to complete the programme? Maybe once you have graduated and reached that goal, you can relax a bit more and start enjoying the running. I hope so. Good luck
My buzz comes mainly after I've achieved the run but I also find I enjoy it when I find my pace and relax into the run almost. Maybe you could be over thinking it?! I can get like that about things at time - then one day you just realise your just getting on with it and how enjoyable it was! Xx
Hi Beckl, I'm wondering if your hubby is quite fast (men tend to have an unfair natural speed advantage!) and you are pushing yourself too hard when you're running with him. It is tough at first too - for quite a long time I enjoyed the feeling of having run, but not the actual running itself! But as I learned to judge my pace, and not go hell for leather all the time, I started to get that 'in the zone' buzz more and more. Once you've graduated, you should try going out on your own and just freestyling with different paces/terrains/distances and I'm sure it'll become much more enjoyable.
I'm in week 9 and only this week did I find myself actually enjoying (part of) the run itself. What I have been enjoying the rest of the time is the sense of achievement each time I move on a stage, and the fact that the blood pressure readings I had to take through last week are consistently much lower than they were for my last review!! I also seem to be feeling less stressed although none of the stress factors have gone away... And thinking "Two months ago, sixty seconds was hard and 90 sounded impossible - look at me now". All these things are the "buzz" for me. If there's more to come, I can't wait
Seconded. The "buzz" comes when I'm drifting into my thoughts then I come back to reality and realise I'm still running! Ergo, it's only really happened in teh past 2 weeks and it's a low buzz at that. I've only one ever experienced a runner's high before after a flukey great sesh on a cross trainer.
I can't remember having highs only a feeling of achievement when i first started out running. It could be a state of mind that you are treating the runs as a punishment. Since i have been able to run 5k fairly comfortably I have had my fair share of ups and downs when i run but have more downs when i don't run. There are two different highs i have; the first when i just go out running in my own time and take in nature and the surroundings, getting last nights alcohol out of my system,detoxing and restoring balance back into my body. The second high is when i really push myself with my body responding likewise. I finish the run in almost total exhaustion but the high i feel after recovery is worth the effort, its just the best. If your finding the runs hard i'm not sure how you can push yourself harder, perhaps hubby isn't the right running partner ?
Some weeks on the C25K I really struggled and had to force myself to go out the door. Sometimes I skipped runs - that's why it took me nearly 3 months to finish the programme. I then took up running again at the gym during the winter just increasing my speed for ten minutes here and there. Some runs I love it - I feel the 'rush' and feel fantastic, others I can't wait to get home and have to force myself and some I actually do just go home... I don't know about pushing yourself harder - that can lead to injuries. I download music that makes me happy, I listen to podcasts from the radio and I jog with a friend. In time you don't really think about the breathing or your pace you just run and it comes quite naturally. To be honest, week 7 is still quite early for a runner - I still hated it 75% of the time, but it does get easier and thus more 'enjoyable'.
Thank you everyone for your thoughts - it's an interesting mix of opinions and comforting to know that not everyone gets that 'adrenaline' buzz (which was what I was most concerned about missing out on) - at least not in the early days...
My hubby is not a fast runner and isn't pushing me at all - but I enjoy running with him for the company/support and it's quality time together - the idea of leaving him at home when I've just come home from work seems silly if he's willing to run with me We're lucky to live right next to a park, and at weekends, we try to get to our Riverside country park, where we love the nature/view. The runs there have been hard, but that's largely been due to the weather being too hot (which is a lot for a beginner like me to cope with!).
I AM getting the satisfaction of advancing, and from what other people have said, I guess I shouldn't expect it to get easier for a while, as the programme seems designed to push you on. I think I'm feeling a bit low because I'm not running at the moment due to feeling under par and have been for a while: come to think of it, it might explain why my last run was so difficult - I'm sure I'm battling with a low grade virus that's making me sleepy (me and quite a few other people it seems)...
The breathing is another thing. I remember (about week 3, I think) Laura saying you need to breathe in on every third step or something, and I tried, and thought "no chance". Today I noticed I was breathing in on every fourth step, but it happened by itself - I don't know when. And then a red car passed me in the last three minutes with a reg no that ended "PUF". I had just enough puff to laugh....
I only graduated Sunday, and have run once since, but I have found that it takes me 20 minutes to get into the run, once over that hump I begin to "just run " and feel good, my high comes after, just a feeling of satisfaction. My sister has just started running and when asked if she enjoyed it she said Im not sure if I hate it or love it but I go anyway, and I think loads of people are like that to begin with, dont worry to much, I know I felt the same as you, but it does come together, and I do think once graduation is reached you can relax with no goals or time limits in your head, you can just run, fantastic ( says this snail who takes 10 minutes to run a km, thats if you can even call it running !! )
I don't feel a buzz as such but when I've finished my run, stretched, showered and settled down with a post run cup of tea, I feel a difference in my mood. Definitely feel better for running.
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