So I graduated in the beginning of December and was really proud of myself. And I enjoyed nearly every second of the c25k programme. Since then I've ran 3x a week for 30 mins. And each run that passes the more I start to dislike it. I find it so boring despite listening to podcasts and audiobooks and running in new places. I get to 15 mins and my mind is screaming at me to stop. I'm not in any pain, or out of breath I think I'm just bored. Every minute that passes seems like an hour. Sometimes I let my negative thoughts win and I slow down and start walking...
Other times I ignore it and carry on.
I don't want to quit running. I just want to know I'm not the only one who doesn't enjoy it and only does it for the health benefits...
Any ideas on how I can get over this hurdle and start enjoying running?
Written by
Mrun1
Graduate
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Although I'm still doing timed runs on C25K, I've found with other activities that having a fixed distance (i.e. a set route) helps. It means that I can focus on the end and maybe reduce the time by putting in more effort.
Alternatively, how about ParkRun or joining a club?
No one came make you enjoy it... only you..Try really new routes... join a club... do Park run... Virtual runs are ace and you get Bling as well as giving to a good cause...Join red January for MIND....keep a log of your runs...
I’d say vary the runs up... try doing a speed interval day... or a fartlek... maybe extend one and feel the achievement of 35 minutes? Go short and up the tempo slightly? How quickly can you go if it’s just a mile? Etc
I'm definitely going to try this. Will the health benefits still be the same as a 30 min run if I do a 15 min fast run or say 2 15 min runs in one day...or do the health benefits come from the continuous 30 min run....?
The health recommendations are for 30 minutes of heart raising exercise 5 times a week I believe. I’m not entirely sure if a 15 and 45 give the same benefit healthwise as two 30 minute runs, but I did read somewhere that two 45s were better than a 90 in that respect (in a marathon training article on running splits)
Someone here may know more about this... I aim for 150 minutes but don’t worry about the individual routines.
30 3 times a week has huge benefits... and if you’re brisk walking warm up and cool down, they’re 40 minutes each... a little cross training and a brisk walk and you’re at 150 with 3 runs!
Any run will benefit you... I run long runs, medium and short runs and pop in 1K runs all over the place.... the longer runs give you the strength and stamina..but every single time you set out for sound exercise you are helping your body.
When you walk briskly,climb, swim or cycle... perform your strength and stamina exercise on some of your rest days..you are helping yourself. So don't worry too much about sticking to 30 minute runs... you may get bored...shake it up
Thanks so much for this! I signed up last night for red January so will be getting in a lot more exercise than I normally do! Plus I think it will help keep my stamina up for when I'm feeling more like doing a longer run.
I'm going to take your approach and mix up the lengths of my runs. Right now I'm beating myself up every time I stop before the 30 mins and it's making me feel bad about the running and myself!
It kinda sounds like its become a bit of a chore and you’ve lost the “buzz”
Why not vary your runs? instead of doing 30 minutes each run, maybe do some shorter runs, with no worries about distance or times, a 10 or 15 minute run still has you off the couch. 👍
If I do 2x 15 min runs, say one in the morning and one in the evening, instead of 30 mins will it still be beneficial health wise? I think that would be a great solution for me to be honest...
I know what you mean. I need a goal. Lost my focus after I graduated and finished the Parkrun on the 22nd. I think as I ran with a group I am missing the others. As we kept each other going when we met once a week.
Though there is no official group for us C25K graduates, the run leader is happy for us all to turn up at the same time as the new group and she will give us drills etc to do.
All the advice given so far is sound. I just wondered if you’re missing having a target to aim for. Could you sign up for something that would need a training programme, maybe ?
I think that's the issue. I miss having a target I think. I'm going to have a look into a few things and see if I can find anything that's more target/goal based.
Is this feeling specific to running or is it a bit of a theme in your life generally at the moment? That could be a pointer to maybe getting some specific support as you are doing really well with self-help measures even though it is tough.
Perhaps you could 'deny' yourself running for a while and do other things. Or set out for a walk (in things you could run in... and really that's anything OK for a walk) To allow the 'itch' to build up so that you rediscover the itch to run rather than it being 'nasty medicine'?
This is a great idea! I will be a lot more active as o signed up to red January so will be doing all sorts of exercise and that way I can keep my stamina up but also test and see how long it takes before I miss my runs! Long walk for me today, as it's a rest day, but in the coming days I may just set out for a walk and end up running if the mood takes me! Thanks for the advice
I've often surprised myself with a cheeky little unexpected run. Dunno why 10 minutes shuffle should feel wild and daring and exhilarating but sometimes it does!
I think you might be onto something here. Maybe cheeky little runs are the way forward for me for a while. At least until I start to feel more inspired to do my longer runs!
Yeah in the same boat to be honest I graduated and kept running but of late I've had a virus and injury that's niggles so in the last 2 weeks only run twice and neither were great to be fair.
I'm putting it down to not having a target and not having that coach in my ear telling me what to do, when and how to do it.
So I have formulated a plan I'm doing the bridge to 10k I found in here it looks to be an achievable 8 week plan of extending the distance and consolidation runs. As well as this I've roped in some friends and we are doing the milton Keynes marathon relay where we each do 6.2 or 6.9 miles as a team which is at the beginning of may. It'll give me a defined goal and there will be a bit of training together which is more interesting.
I'm close to MK, but one of the least sociable people on the planet plus just the word marathon sends me into slight panic 😂
Good luck, I'm sure that will keep giving you the motivation to carry on running.
Let us know how it works out!
I agree with you, it's not have a target that has made me lose interest. I thought about the bridge to 10k but to be honest I can barely stand 30 mins of running doing anymore than that is sure to turn me off completely.
I signed up for Red January so hopefully that will encourage me to keep at it!
Ahhh but.... ( there;s always a but) ... the 10K plan mixes it up... which is what I said in my other reply... short and longer... 3K.. then 5K... then 4K.. then 7 K...etc etc ...with strength exercises thrown in Terrific fun... I have done ju-ju- 's Magic Ten more than three times Just for fun
Certainly haven't kicked in yet...but I'm hoping if I keep pushing forward they will. Today when I was walking along the river I saw a woman, must have been in her 70s, she was running and it really inspired me. I felt myself silently cheering her on and then I felt utterly pathetic for being unable to cheer myself on 😂
I to suffer a bit of this. I was hoping to get the 'running bug'. I graduated March 2018 and have really had to push myself to keep going, purely for health purposes. I haven't lost wait doing it and I haven't caught the 'running bug'. I have tried varying my routes. I have done a park run. I am not able to join the local running club. I have listened to music, podcasts, radio and nothing. I feel frustrated when I hear of people who love it and have caught the bug. I wonder what makes the difference. There are however days when it is easier than others. I always feel better for having made the effort to go out and do it. I had a really lull and very sporadically went running. I started back from w6r1 and that was made a difference. I am going to keep going but I am a bit dubious that I will ever love and am jealous of those who do. But you never know. If you get any ideas Mrun1, please share.
I'm exactly the same. Seriously even though I was totally immersed I my audio book, after 10 mins time started to slow down and I couldn't help the thought of stopping and walking from creeping into my head. Same with music and podcasts. I've ran along the river, in the woods (was super creepy and I wouldn't recommend it) in the park and along the road. Nothing makes it less boring. It's like time stands still when I'm running. Although, when I do complete a 30 min run I do feel good about it. However when I quit mid run I spend the rest of the day beating myself up.
It's like I convince myself I'm worn out after 10-15 mins when I know I'm more than capable of running for 30. I dont know why I dislike it so much, but I do
Ive been trying to mix it up in terms of locations and using NRC’s guided runs.
I’ve just started the Zenlabs 10K trainer app today. If you’ve done c25k then you start at week 9 which is 4x10 minute slow runs with 1 minute recovery walk in between. I liked the run being broken up for some reason.
Still new to running here and not loving the running itself yet, but very much enjoying the increasing fitness and endorphin rush after the aerobic exercise. Not running long enough or easily enough to get bored! Also loving the challenge of C25k, so if I get through this I think I will need to look around for some sort of challenge/structure to keep me motivated. We will see.
I hope to avoid injury and keep running, but my main love will always be rock climbing because it is fun, challenging - and social. My climbing partner is my best buddy and there is a great gang of people with a common interest. That never gets old!
Also mixing up your sports - whether its climbing, yoga, spinning, swimming, cycling - might be a good idea? Triathlon?!
Mrun1, I understand exactly how you feel. I achieved W9 R3 mid December and since then all motivation has been lost. Like you I haven't actually enjoyed running, like you I did it for health benefits. I read the link posted about what next, which is to consolidate with 3 x 30 runs a week for 3 weeks, which it sounds as if you are doing. The next step is increasing the time for one run a week by no more than 10% of the total weekly time. So that's my immediate aim, until I can comfortably run 5k, THEN I will do a park run. Like you I don't want to stop. I force myself to keep going for the full 30 minutes as determined that I won't give in to the negative voice in my head. At one point yesterday I realised that I was almost jogging on the spot for a few strides - so pushed forward. Funny thing is that for the final 5 minutes I suddenly don't feel tired and can pick up the pace a little. I don't run fast at all. I cover less than 5k including the brisk walks. I still have Michael Johnson W9 R3 in my ear and some Rock Music at 150 bpm. This seems to help. I also notice it helps if I start to think about a topic as then I am focused more on that than the exercise.
Give yourself a time or distance goal. for instance if you can run 5k in 30 minutes, then see how much more distance you can cover in 30 minutes. There are the Stepping Stones downloads on this site to help increase speed or distance.
It's such a shame isn't it. I loved doing the C25k but ever since graduating the motivation has just vanished. I have even thought about getting a treadmill so I can run at home, I figured maybe running at home will feel like less of a chore. But in reality it probably won't make any difference.
I think you're totally right about thinking about something else rather than listening to the voice in my head telling me to stop. I have a run today so will see how it goes.
Good luck with your runs and future park run!! I'm sure sooner or later we will get the "running bug"
I got a watch that tracks my heartbeat etc just before Christmas and I’ve found that a massive motivator! I feel bad if I’ve not logged any activity for that week - it’s become a bit like competing with myself?
Varying my runs helped too. Rather than a general plod for 30 mins I would sprint for as long as I could and then walk for a minute before jogging again to get my breath back. Or start a running photo diary on Instagram! Even if it’s a private one. Might make you more engaged with “being in the moment” if you’re keeping your eyes open for a fantastic or fun photo.
I thought about getting a fitness watch, but I know anything that tracks my heart beat would send my health anxiety into action 😂 I'd be worrying anytime my heart beat got too fast or too slow, I'd become obsessed with monitoring it. Which is a shame as I'd really like one to track how far I've run. (Right now I do it on the phone but not sure how accurate it is)
I like the idea of varying the runs. Because that way I do t have to feel like I'm running for 30 mins. Even a 1 min break every ten mins might make it all seem a bit easier.
I think as well its learning to not listen to the voice in my head telling me im tired and bored and should stop running! 😫
You’re not wrong though. Running can just be plain boring! Especially the longer runs. But it can be really enjoyable too. Just think how far you’ve come and maintain what you have.
I stopped last year and lost so much of what I had developed. Am starting again from scratch and hoping to remain more engaged once the programme is over. I’m following this thread with interest!
It's just strange that I acutually used to look forward to my runs before I graduated. I was so enthusiastic about it, telling all my friends and family how much I was enjoying it, bought new trainers and running clothes, and discovered new podcasts. Now just a few short weeks after graduation all that enthusiasm has gone. I think maybe a running buddy would help. I think I'm going to get my 13 year old son to do the c25k programme and then we can run together...
If not I fear like you I might end up taking a long break and losing all the stamina I built up...
Good luck with the programme, maybe this time round you will get bit with the running bug!
After graduating I did a few weeks of consolidation and have now started a new 9 week coaching plan for 5 to 10K and a 10K event at the end. That keeps me motivated. The program mixes up runs with walking, jogs, tempo runs and steady runs. This has me motivated and fired up again. There is a free app though it is not as good as the C25K one. No real people!
Sorry to be late to the discussion. Firstly, you are NOT the only one who does it only for health benefits. Include me in! Overwhelmingly the comments above are about how to become a better runner (longer, faster). If you are like me all you want is to find a way to tolerate enough running to gain the health benefits. Don't hate it. Like me you may resent the fact that you don't have the pleasure that many report here, but that's life. My reading of the literature supports my belief that 2x30 mins of SLOW running a week is enough for health. OK so that may not be fun for us. However there are 168 minutes a week of which we are are awake for >100 minutes. 1% of your waking hours is not too bad even if they are not your best minutes!
Fyi I'm a week into the 10k bridge as part of my prep for this relay I'm doing and I'm loving the running again. I think it's a combination of something aim for and being stretched again. I ran for 40 minutes last night mad was knackered but I knew it had a point and was part of a plan I have to do rather than it's just a run and if I can't be arses I can just sack it off. Seems for me anyway I need the runningbto have a purpose other than fitness.
Just a little update. I didn't run for 10 days. And yesterday I told myself that I'd try and run for 20 mins.
Went out and ended up running for 32 mins. It felt so much easier than before. I wouldn't say I was enjoying it, but it wasn't a struggle at all. My mind didn't tell me to stop, it kept telling me to keep going.
The only difference with this run to all my other's is I didn't do the full 5 mins warm up walk. Instead I did a few warm up exercises at home. (simply because it was cold out side and I figured if I get straight to running I'll stay warmer than walking)
So maybe it was down to skipping the warm up walk or maybe I just needed a long break from running to enable me to be able to get through the 30 mins without struggling...
I was finding it difficult at one stage too (and not so long ago) after such great experiences. And for a while, I just couldn’t pin point what was different 🥴. In all honesty, I think I was just exhausted and I tried to fight that for a bit, because I certainly didn’t want to stop. But, I wasn’t really doing life as a whole with the right balance, so I did have a little spell off.
The desire to run never left me and not running became a frustration too, but the time away forced me to re-evaluate a lot and give myself a little priority too. 🤔
Having little expectations from my runs has always been a good way forward for me. It’s ny time to run free. So, I use my App (Nike+) where the runs are so aptly named, you can almost pick a run that describes how you’re feeling or suits the time you feel you want to be out there. There’s even a “don’t wanna run” run 😂 and it’s brilliant coaching. That’s been a great motivator, along with my running buddies. 😍
We are human and so these things will happen from time to time, but I hope you find something that helps to turn back up the barometer on the mojo to high!! We can keep do this!! 🤗🤗🤗❤️
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