I’m returning to running after a pretty serious spinal injury in 2020. I’m pleased to have reached week 7, but am finding that C25K has gone from a challenge to just a dreaded slog. I’m somehow getting slower with every run and the weather is obviously diabolical at the moment.
I’m not excited by the prospect of being able to run for X minutes or X distance anymore; I just keep thinking “is this all it is?”
In theory, I want to keep running but I really hate it. What can I do to make it less boring and awful?
Thanks in advance
Written by
komakechi
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🍏🤗Well done for getting to Week 7 especially if you have been feeling the way you do. The weather certainly doesn’t help!!! On that front hopefully my mantra “And this too shall pass” comes into play as the days get lighter earlier.
We all run for different reasons and it helps to remember why you wanted to run in the first place… this may just be a passing phase! here are a few other things you may find helpful…
Having a few different playlists to choose from… perhaps running at different times … changing your route .. start looking for spring bulbs and blossom … have different rewards at the end of the run that you can look forward to… count things that you will see , red cars, cats lampposts, other runners you may pass etc plan meals, holidays… do a sensory run, what can you hear, smell, feel etc … Read everything you can find on our pinned posts , on the Strength & Flex site, Active 10 site and other runners highs and lows here on this forum.
You are now going into the longer runs which usually are more satisfying then the stop start.. start them off extra slowly for the first 10 mins or more and then toward the end run a bit faster. Never get out of breath!
These are suggestions but at the end of the day it’s why you want to run that will get you out there and keep you going! Please keep posting and let us know how you get on!
Good morning to you and very, very well done to you!
Getting here without , giving up? WOW! Annieapple has given you some great ideas!!! Loads of stuff to keep you motivated.
We do have this question , a fair few times... ! The answer...hmmm.. trickier ! If you have decide, running is the way to go... then think why you are doing it?
You want to keep on running.. so... try to relax... you are following the plan yes, but forgetting the time aspect of it.
It is so, so hard right now. the weather is vile and I too, have been stuck inside... that is where supportive exercise can help! It keeps us going... !
I run and I write... my rambles are , when I get them out there infamous ! I have a log of almost every run I have done since I first graduated in 2015... Quite a few folk keep a running diary... and adding photos, or even drawings can be a super way to keep you sharp . The, looking back too, shows you how far you have come and makes great reading on a cold and wet winter's day.
I have just repeated C25K, again after a period of blip, following my husband's heart attack in July. I log my runs, I poste my comeback and I took photos. My mantra is slow and steady ( also infamous on here) , so I take pikkies as I run!
Give names to things as you run, people ( don't let them hear you), locations... railway corner... funny shop... strange lane...etc,,, Names to trees or bushes... Mummycav has a shrub, in her local park, still called Oldfloss, which she christened whilst having a similar issue to you.
The time will fly and as the lovely relaxed runs continue... you may find they don't feel long enough !
Do pop across to the Strength and Flex Forum too. Loads of supportive exercise there to support your running on some rest days... I did a fun one on Household tasks and exercise... exercise is so useful, because you can gauge too, how it is impacting your runs, mentally and physically!
Keep posting... that is a great way to let us know how you are doing... pop into Catch up Corner too... snacks and fresh coffee ... ( virtual of course). A great place to chat and share how you feel! You can say what you are feeling and folk will respond!
Stay with this... it can be a lot more than just running!
Oldfloss x
PS
I am linking my re-Graduation post... not out of pride.. although I was chuffed to bits to get back to it, just to show you what I mean about logging the run
The best exercise is the one that gets done (and becomes a habit).
It doesn't have to be running. Whatever it is, it should be something that engages you mentally - and absolutely should not be something you 'hate'. There's literally no fun in that.
Why do you want to run if you hate it?
Find something you love! Or at the very least, don't hate.
I'll echo all the good advice that you've already been given, and tell you how I stopped hating running.
When I started C25K it was tough. I actually don't know why I started - maybe something to do with slimming down my chubby legs (yes I am that shallow). Whatever, I started and for the first 3 weeks I absolutely hated it.
By week 3 it must have been slightly easier physically because I was able to start thinking while I ran. I was still hating it, but started wondering how anyone could possibly enjoy this activity. So, instead of dismissing them as weirdos I decided to try and find things I liked.
First was the discovery that I could actually run for a few minutes, a near impossibility in Week 1. Then the joy of being outside with a purpose. I'm lucky enough to live in a lovely place so appreciating my surroundings was an obvious thing. With each little thing I felt a bit more positive.
At the moment the weather has been horrible so maybe only run when the sun is shining? That will remove one of the less enjoyable aspects, plus the extra rest days will do you good, you'll be raring to go after the enforced break.
Another thing to try is examining what you're thinking about while you run. If you've run before you'll know that an awful lot of the work goes on in the brain as well as your legs. A simple thing is to smile when you run. Another 'trick' is, when it's all really hard work, to shout out 'This is fantastic, I can do this!'. If nothing else you'll be smiling at the incongruity of how you feel and what you say, but your feelings will catch up with your words.
Good luck, you've come this far and if you really wanted to stop you probably wouldn't have posted here
Getting to week 7 and those longer runs after a spinal injury just a few years ago is amazing.
I don’t know if this story will help, but perhaps this will resonate. I have had a number of injuries which have significantly impacted my ability to move/run/climb the way I used to. I couldn’t run at all and thought I would have to stop climbing, which felt disastrous. 3 years on, I have improved more than I thought I could and am climbing ok and jogging very slowly again, but there was a long period of time where I really struggled with the adjustment to my new reality. Whilst I tried to tell myself to be grateful that I could climb at all, the loss of strength and grace was really hard to stomach. Sometimes I felt I was just going through the motions - what was the point? Over time, I did adjust my expectations, and coupled with (thankfully) some physical improvement, I regained my love 😍
I don’t know whether running just doesn’t do it for you and you need to look for a sport/activity that excites you; but it could be a phase - a response to injury, partial recovery, comparisons to what was and mourning that loss, wet winter blues - that will pass as Springtime emerges.
Not sure it helps, but listening to music makes a huge difference to me. Without it I can feel like slouching gruffalo, but with music I feel like Rocky bouncing up those steps!
Hope you find something that works for you! Well done for getting to week 7 again!
Well done on returning to running after your injury, that sounds challenging for you and to get to week 7 is great. Do you run alone? If you do, have you considered reaching out to a local running group? Running with other people can be so motivating and joyful. I find the time passes so quickly when running with others compared to running on my own. I can guarantee there will be someone out there, wishing they could start C25K & they would love to run with you. A simple post on local social media can be a great way to start a conversation & you may find a running buddy or two or more! Good luck with the rest of your journey however you decide that will be. 😊
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