I have a weird relationship with running that i just don't understand. I graduated on Monday. Of course when anybody asks me if I'm enjoying the running I smile and say i love it but truth be told i really don't.
Don't get me wrong every so often i have a fantastic run and feel buzzed afterwards but these are few and far between. Most of the time i get nervous before i leave to go and run then the whole time I'm running all I'm thinking of is why am I doing this to myself. But here's the kicker: once I'm finished all i can think about is my next run and im actually looking forward to it!
Am i the only one? I fear i must be!
Written by
NewDawn00
Graduate
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I get that. Occasionally I have a fantastic run, but mostly I look forward to it, suffer through it, then feel FANTASTIC afterwards. It's the third item that always leaves me wanting more. Plus the way my body has toned up - that's good too
i've just got back from a 3k run to town and back, my breathing was fairly rubbish, legs started hurting and only the thought of back for tea kept me going! it was humid and sweaty but i'm glad i went and now wishing it had been longer, should have stretched it on to 5k ! most people have a up and down relationship with running that i know. Sat here now with a lovely cold glass of water and shower in mind it feels great!! One of our local running clubs proudly wear a t shirt declaring"I don't actually like running!" its definitely not just you!! but we love it really! And it does us good!
Yeah i get that totally! I feel so nervous sometimes and hate the first bit. I put off going sometimes if I think about it too much!!! But when I'm done! Wow! That feeling is fantastic!!! The best shower in the world!!! And I have a little book I write every run in! I love doing that. So satisfying!!! Bizarre!!!!
I keep a running diary too. It's great to go back and see how much better I'm doing than a few months ago. I ran 9.5k today and it didn't feel momentous at all! Cool!
Aaahhh.... "The first bit". Yeah, I hate that too. The only way I can stop the "first bit" being so bad is if I put in a proper warm up. But then the warm is really bad, so I start thinking what's the point? Then i start running and after a mile or so everything calms down and on a nice long slow run, the rest is pretty serene.
For your next run, why not try just going out and run at a very slow pace such that you can do the 30 minutes comfortably? You will still get the warm glow afterwards but without (most of) the nasty thoughts during it. After a few times like that, you might well relish the challenge the next time you feel like pushing yourself to run harder/faster.
I'm with you. Sometimes the only reason I go out is that I know if I don't go that day I will stop altogether and I don't want to do that. I swing from thinking if I really try I could do a marathon to feeling I can't do 30 mins anymore. Bonkers.
All very normal I'd say. I went through the same emotions when I first graduated and then after a while there came a point when I felt "I love running" and it's stuck! You've come so far so just keep going and it'll all slot into place.
I always think that the next run will be the one where everything clicks... When this doesn't happen I just look forward to the next run when I'm sure it Will click
Totally with you on this! I feel great after a run but often have to really force myself to go - especially as I have to go at about 6.30am if I'm going to fit in a run during the week. I hope one day that I will start looking forward to runs and will be able to honestly say that I love it!
the best of these was 2. It turned running from something I had to do to lose weight and get fit, to something I liked doing.
Of course intervals hurt and hills hurt. Trying to get a PB or running further than ever is tough, but the rewards are amazing, even if you don't quite make it.
If running was all pain except for reaching your next goal I wouldn't do it.
I am sure that most of us feel this, but realise that the benefits outweigh the pain. You are still a very new runner and I believe it takes a while, until you are no longer pushing yourself, until you can truly relax into running at a gentle pace ignoring any attempt at PBs or longer distances. Running would never have taken a grip on me if it were a matter of pounding urban streets. I don't know your circumstances, but getting out into countryside and running off road is where the true joy comes.........feeling really alive in beautiful surroundings......that's running.
I did my first 5k for about 2 months on Monday. All my other runs in between have been about 3k. I like you, I can't say that I really enjoy it. So for this reason I just go out 2 or three times a week, and if I feel knackered after say 3k, I just stop. The way I look at is, this time last year I couldn't run for a minute without being out of breath yet now I run fairly regularly for 3 to 5k!
No you're not the only one at all. Don't have any answers for you other than to say take one run at a time and give yourself a focus for your running. I did race for life after I graduated and slowly im registering for runs. It's weird I agree. Take solace in the fact that you are running and there are too many out there who don't.
I think i put myself off more by doing the speed podcast on thursday. I've been listening to my own music beforehand then went back to the structured laura run and i didnt enjoy it as much. I already feel a bit better now I've decided that tomorrow im going to go on a long run (30 minutes but try for longer) with my own music.
I always use my own music, tried Laura the other day and wasn't happy. Mine is probably a little more personal than most, my daughter is training to do musical theatre so I have a lot of her recorded stuff and I run to that, since she's not living at home at the moment it kinda gives me a feeling of mother/daughter time which I find helps.
Almost a year after graduating, I've started to enjoy the running while I'm actually doing it, but it's taken a while..I find I need to have a goal for each run, like one of the C25K+ podcasts, and try to beat my previous distance or speed. If I just "go for a run" I normally don't enjoy it much...
Someone said on here many months ago "I don't actually like running. What i like is HAVING RUN" I always remember that because for me it's so true! Occasionally the weather is perfect and I just feel really happy to be out in the fresh air, but mostly I'm just plodding along, trying to forget that I'm running at all by listening to my Spanish course. Sometimes I might forget for whole minutes at a time what I'm really doing. I think that counts as success! Plus the fact that I'm still running after 2 years.
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