Most enjoyable things for runners

TheRoadRunner

Following the moan fest that was unleashed in the "most annoying things for runners" thread I was wondering what are the most enjoyable things for runners ?

I'll kick it off

-Running in the rain. A great feeling knowing that there are only a select few nutters like yourself out in ****e weather.

-Running in thunder storms. I've been asked by bus drivers did I want a lift in the past.

-Running in the sun. Working on fitness and the tan simultaneously is great.

-Watching the look of shock/puzzlement on fellow drivers as I abandon my car due to poxy traffic and start to run home.

-Early Sunday morning runs in the Phoenix park. I usually finish up at the magazine fort and there is generally no noise from the city. Great feeling that you have ran for 90 minutes in the best park in the world (IMO) and most other people are still in bed.

-Finishing a run strongly that you had to drag yourself out the door for.

-Running a PB

-Pints after a satisfying race

-Being smug in the knowledge that my V02 in my thirties is higher than when I was in my twenties.

-Running fast and feeling like a kid again

entropi

Running on regular overcast days - not too hot or cold but a light breeze feels great:)

Getting a second wind, and possibly third while deep into my run and finishing it strong and full of beans:D

Getting a clear stretch (no families or tourists) on Chesterfield Ave. path/track

Being able to run 1 mile from the city centre and being inside such a wonderful, open park and feeling happy i can run in relative peace.

goofygirl

the clear conscience of a day of rest when you've done a long run the day before

Krusty_Clown

• Running as a form of transportation - Leave the car at the pub last night? No problem. A punishment run to go pick-up your car, work off the hangover and the catholic guilt.
  
• Realizing you accidentally built in a spare week into your marathon schedule, that ties in very nicely with your sun-holiday. 20 Mile run in 32" heat? No. Pina Colada instead. (see my training log!)
  
• Running with friends, when the banter is good, the exercise is strenuous, and the end of the run sees a job well done, and a good time shared.
  
• But the best thing about running, is enjoying the sights sounds and smells of running in a strange and new place, and seeing things from an entirely different perspective. Bliss.

DJS

TheRoadRunner wrote: »

Following the moan fest that was unleashed in the "most annoying things for runners" thread I was wondering what are the most enjoyable things for runners ?

I'll kick it off

-Running in the rain A great feeling knowing that there are only a select few nutters like yourself out in ****e weather.

-Running in thunder storms. I've been asked by bus drivers did I want a lift in the past.

-Running in the sun. Working on fitness and the tan simultaneously is great.

-Watching the look of shock/puzzlement on fellow drivers as I abandon my car due to poxy traffic and start to run home.

-Early Sunday morning runs in the Phoenix park. I usually finish up at the magazine fort and there is generally no noise from the city. Great feeling that you have ran for 90 minutes in the best park in the world (IMO) and most other people are still in bed.

-Finishing a run strongly that you had to drag yourself out the door for.

-Running a PB

-Pints after a satisfying race

-Being smug in the knowledge that my V02 in my thirties is higher than when I was in my twenties.

-Running fast and feeling like a kid again

Just the sheer feeling of speed... Knowing you going into a race fit and healthy and running well.. nothing better!

The pb one and the pints after a race tho are my favourite things about running!!

--amadeus--

That feeling about half way through a training cycle where it all clicks. The week(s) before it was all oh so tough, there was no speed, it hurt, your legs ached. Then one day - for me usually on an easy day - you're running along. legs powering away so that you can feel the effort but you're not *really* trying, you feel like you could run forever and you realise that - without even trying - you are cruising at a speed you thought next to impossible the week before.

I was doing a run a few months ago, can't rem what race for. Set out to run (I think) 7 min/miles. Mile 1 was something like 7:15. I got really stressed and annoyed. Mile 2 - downhill - was further out, 7:30 or more. Got pee'd off and frustrated but my mind started to wander, was thinking about work and when I "tuned back in" I realised I was at the top of a hill having done a 6:45 (or whatever) mile without even noticing.

If only I could bottle that feeling

Sub430

Having your cake...and eating it.

rainbow kirby

Those days when you just feel like you could run forever, when it all feels right. Love it!

Woddle

I love the runners high I get from a great performance, jumping and singing and just going mad.
I love meeting new people through running who enjoy the same madness as yourself.
I love perving at attractive women while running in the park.
I love my early early lsrs on a Sunday morning when no-one else is up.
I love the fact that since I took up running I can sleep every night without fail within 5 seconds of my head hitting the pillow.
I love the extra confidence that you get in your everyday life outside of running but as a direct result of running.
I and my wife love the fact I can last longer in the bedroom

donothoponpop

Running downhill fast, until gravity takes over, and then realizing you can still put the boot down and run a little faster:)

Slogger Jogger

+1 to that.
Also, getting away from it all. Jogging up into the hills with only the deer, squirrels and foxes for company. The 'at one with nature' bit.
Then theres the social side of running with friends. Meeting people at races and having races within races.
The feeling of wellness that fitness brings.
As Amadeus said too, the moments (sometimes rare enough) when it all clicks and a PB or another good performance is eked out.

BeepBeep67

The freedom of running - anytime, anyplace, anywhere
Also meeting with the club for sessions, etc
Running after work - All my baggage is left on the road/track/grass and I go home a happier person
Being able to eat and drink a little of what I fancy
I'm a numbers guy - so I love the mathematics and analytics of running / training (you should see my excel training log) :rolleyes:
Effort = Reward (I played golf for a few years and that used to frustrate me)
When people say - you're never 42, you look more like 35 or something :cool:
I have a fierce competitive nature whether it's against myself or someone else - running fulfils that
I think I have some OCD tendancies - running productively satisfies those also
Oh and of course the Boards A/R/T community

metamorphosis

Having a really **** session wondering if you will ever improve only to follow up on a savage session where you feel like you are on top of the world and could run forever.

Nothing like crunching gravel for an hour to push a days stress away

Getting and finishing a training session before 90% of people are even up out of bed

ultraman1

Woddle wrote: »

I and my wife love the fact I can last longer in the bedroom

your not trainingg hard enuf then.....

Condo131

Woddle wrote: »

I and my wife love the fact I can last longer in the bedroom

....Marathon runners keep it up longer!:D:D

Woddle

ultraman1 wrote: »

your not trainingg hard enuf then.....

I was probably being purposely misleading. I should have said when we actually get around to it

Gringo78

A new pair of runners.

Puck

This might be hard to describe but try to imagine this:
It's a hot day but there's a bit of a breeze and you're running an out-and-back route going half the route in one direction, turning around and doing half in the opposite. For the first half of the run the breeze is at your back and you don't notice it much. You're running in the heat and it's getting tough. Then you reach that half-way point (I always put out my hand and touch some sort of landmark at my turning point). You turn around for the home stretch and get a blast of lovely cool breeze in your face. Bliss!

shels4ever

rainbow kirby wrote: »

Those days when you just feel like you could run forever, when it all feels right. Love it!

Had one of those days tonight , was a late run for me 9:45 getting out and not a single person in the park tonight, would have kept going if the sun hand not set...

Foxx92

Can't beat that natural high you get after finishing a run.

molly24

Looking gorgeous at 45 without trying.
Going to weddings in figure hugging dress and can still eat everything put in front of me and finish OH dessert.:D

Peckham

- The looks you get from non-runners when you start talking about "an easy 10 miles" or that you go running 5 or 6 days a week

- Being able to have a totally guilt-free pig out ever now and then

- Going for a run at a planned pace, but accidentally going 30 seconds faster per mile and yet it feels so easy

- When you hit the button on the watch at the end of the last interval

- DCM: Running through that short tunnel of noise outside the Mont Clare Hotel

- Running along Nassau Street at the end of the marathon

- Lying on the couch on a Saturday afternoon with a long run done that morning, and Sunday being a planned rest day (not a Tergat rest day )

--amadeus--

Peckham wrote: »

- The looks you get from non-runners when you start talking about "an easy 10 miles" or that you go running 5 or 6 days a week

That's a real favourite! I had to go to Preston (urgh) for a week for work last year and I was working with a team of Americans. I think it was the second night they were all off to the pub for a meal and a drink and asked if I was joining them - "I might catch you later, I'm just going to pop out for a 10 miler" says I. From the look of shock and horror on thier faces you'd swear I'd offered to barbeque bambi! "You're going to *run*?! 10 miles?!? Are you crayzee?!"

Seres

1. great sence of relaxation directly after a tough session
2. the space it gives me to reboot and transform a bad mood into a good mood
3. that you nearly always feel better after a run than before , unless your sick or something
4. the days you go out and your running at a great pace that feels effortless
5. that you dont have to worry bout your weight.
6. great feeling you get after running a race beyond your own expectations
7. wonderful smell of wild garlic you get from running in the park .
8. the alive feeling you get directly before a race starts
9. running on a cold crisp autumn/winter morning
10. running cross country .
11. finishing your final rep with a nailing time
12. that its so accessable , love that i can run anywhere , all i got to do is have my trainers

great thread , found it much easier to focus on the good aspects of running rather than the bad , has reminded me why i love running so much

How Strange

the phoenix park
the irish weather - in general it's quite favourable for running
the natural high after a good run
the physical tiredness after a good run
sleeping like a baby
being able to eat a little more of what I fancy
the positive mental attitude
breaking through that barrier on a day when you just don't feel like it
seeing gradual improvements
the confidence that comes from training for a goal and achieving it
the comraderie and healthy competition with other runners

Clum

Peckham wrote: »

- Being able to have a totally guilt-free pig out ever now and then

Oh yeah!

messed_up

- Getting caught in one of those torrential downpours when you get completely soaked and you can do nothing but laugh at yourself

- Exploring 'virgin territory'. In the last year, my highlights have been Hyde Park on a chilly Sunday morning in February and while on holidays in Greece I ran up a small trail at the back of our hotel and found a completely isolated, stunning farming valley where the only company I had was the bells from the mountain goats - perfect.

- The amazing regenerative powers of a long post-run shower - steaming hot in the winter and cool in the summer.

- Getting back into bed on a Saturday/Sunday morning after a run smug in the knowledge that you're not wasting the day - and that you so deserve that bacon and egg bagel for breakfast

- new running socks

Abhainn

Those rare sessions that are perfect when you seem to bouce along.

The glances you get from the good looking birds (sorry ladies).

The 16k run to the beach in 30c temperatures and you jump into the green water ... ya and then reward your self with that ice cool pint of stella

Stupid_Private

Woddle wrote: »

I love perving at attractive women while running in the park.

Surely that should read "while taking photos"!!

That 5 miler in the park was a minefield of hot girls - wish I was photoing the ten miler instead of running the damn thing!

lightening

Being able to run. Ever in a situation where you have to run? I have, got chased by a load of scumbags once, being fit and able to run saved my bacon.

Other situations like, running to catch a boat (sailing is my sport), simply running to get somewhere on time. It's a nice feeling to think that you can settle in to a decent pace for a couple of kilometers without breaking in to a sweat. Some people in their thirties can't run 100 meters without running out of breath.

buck65

That feeling when you are climbing upstairs and you feel you could jump about 5 at a time because your legs are so strong!

Frosty morning in Lees Rd wood trail Ennis.

When you are about to be attacked by a little dog and you realise it's a hare!

Up at the crack of dawn, suffering for your art and no-one cares or knows that you're the craziest hardest bastard on the road and you will never stop.

domcq

-good long stretches after a run
-bouncy new runners
-that gulp of water at the end of a run in heat when you haven't taken enough water with you
-how time passes so peacefully when you're really focused on just running

eliwallach

I love everything about it.
The "Most annoying" thread was just there to highlight the 1 or 2 things that were a little offside.
I love the running.
I love buying new running gear.
I love the racing.
I love the preparation and anticipation of the marathon.
I love being outdoors.
I love this forum (* I love you guys*:rolleyes: aw shucks!).
I love logging my running.
I love the 1,000 mile challenge.
I love the early morning LSR.
I love being fit.
I love eating.

Having said all of that I ain't a patch on some of the more obsessive Woddle-esque posters here...;)

thirtyfoot

Some of the things for me are:

-Hard winter sessions with my training partners. Each taking turns to take it out, ripping up the track in single file, feeling great in the early reps, getting past the halfway number of reps, egging each other on in the final reps, getting each other over the line. The pats on the back and well dones as you all are doubled over or lying on the track, gasping for oxygen.

-Late spring and you are starting to get fast, recoveries are shorter, times are great. Everyone feels good.

-The anticipation of the race. You know the hardwork is done and know its business time. The week before the first race of the season or the week before the biggest race of the season.

-The craic. I am lucky, my training group (and those that occasionally hang around and train alongside us) are mental. Many times my warmup time will double as we'll be laughing/slagging/abusing and we forget the time. Not always but sometimes it happens. When you hang around and meet people for 2 hours a day and 5/6 days a week you'll start to get to know them fairly well. This is crucial as it helps in training too. A training group that is a team makes training great.

-The start of a new season and the winter ahead and the eternal optimists that we are says that this season will be even better than last. There is always the next season, the next race. I love that.

Abhainn

The anticipation in the final few minutes before the start of the Dublin marathon .. priceless

spurscormac

Going on two weeks holidays, getting out some mornings to run in the mid to high 20s, only doing 30 mins, feeling like you haven't pushed yourself, eating and drinking what you want, yet still coming back to find you've lost a couple of pounds, but haven't lost any fitness.

Running a race, not felt great during it, but realising at the finish that you've just done a pb :eek:

shels4ever

Tingle wrote: »

Some of the things for me are:

getting past the halfway number of reps, .

Thats a good one actually, did 12 X400 last week and there was something nice about getting the 6/7th rep finished.

RAL3

1. Running in the rain

2. 7am LSR's through countryside on a Sunday morning

Berlin Marathon '08, half way mark, going well, looking forward to seeing OH at finish line.
Unexpectedly see her cheering at side of road at the half way mark and feel like I'm floating along for the next few miles

sweetheart of a moment....

so,

3. Running euphoria

osnola ibax

1. booze
2. sex
3. football
4. running

William72

great thread! as a newbie to this whole running lark I can appreciate some (if not all) of the above... some of my favourites are..

• logging everything and seeing your progress - love the data!!
• feeling like you don't want to do it, then you start and wish you hadn't - but keep going anyway cos you know it'll get better - and you know what - it does (usually)
• the post run buzz - can't beat that physical & mental high
• not feeling guilty about the odd food/booze treat
• not being a fat b*****d anymore
• that halfway breeze somone mentioned earlier - lovely - especially in Portugal

8ofSpades

nice thread - i'm a newbie too

just finshed the 5 mile in the park

loved running with all the spectators applauding you along - especially at the end

loved tipping each of the mile markers with my hand

and when crossing the finish line i jumped and high fived the the advertinsing under the race clock overhead - not sure if its frowned upon etc but I was just so damned delighted to finish my first race, hopefully the first of many

spaceylou

1. the satisfaction of knowing that 6 months ago I couldn't even run 1500metres without having to walk and today I just completed 15km.

2. Post work-out smoothie

3. The natural buzz - who needs drugs?

4. Getting to see a different view of places than I normally would.

5. lots lots more but my lunch is calling.

RacoonQueen

Getting up at 8am on a Saturday morning for a long run in the Phoenix park(today is going to be my first in a LONG time, slightly postponed because I forgot to charge my watch last night)

The look I get from people when I say I 'only ran 7 miles last night'

Taking about a week off due to sickness/laziness/other stuff and then still being able to churn out 13 miles on your first day back without a problem

Back to back long runs, amazing

The nod/smile/wave you get from the random strangers you're passing

The way you feel before a race - the nerves coupled with excitement

Not having to worry about what you eat, yet having a naturally healthier diet than your peers just because you run

Cutting a few seconds to a few minutes off a PB

Running in the rain

Running during dark winter evenings

Running during cold mornings when you can see your breath in front of you and it's really fresh out

Getting new running gear and having to go out for a run even when you don't feel like it just to try out the new gear

Really not feeling like going out and having to force yourself then you have an incredible session

Some smartarse deciding it would be really funny to run alongside you and try to rip the piss and impress their mates and they can't keep up with you for 500 meters at the end of a 15 mile run

The runners high, nothing beats it

The post long run meal

Being able to take a rest day at the drop of the hat because you've already trained hard this week

Never actually wanting to take a rest day

I could go on but I really want to get out for that run I mentioned earlier

aero2k

Setting a target for a training session, and beating it!

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Getting up at 8am on a Saturday morning for a long run in the Phoenix park ...The nod/smile/wave you get from the random strangers you're passing

Hi RK,

Was that you with the cap near the Wellington Monument this morning sometime after 11?

+1 on all your other observations, and wasn't this morning just perfect in every way?

RacoonQueen

aero2k wrote: »

Setting a target for a training session, and beating it!


Hi RK,

Was that you with the cap near the Wellington Monument this morning sometime after 11?

+1 on all your other observations, and wasn't this morning just perfect in every way?

Probably yeah. Wonderful morning for runnning, if I hadn't been in agony I'd have kept going.

Which reminds me of another great thing about running, being in absolute AGONY but wanting to keep going and pushing yourself through the pain barrier just to get that extra mile in the bag.

chinguetti

The Phoenix Park
Running in a sunshower in the Park like this morning
The finish line after all the training and effort
When you are crippled and people ask whats wrong with you and ya tell them
The ability to eat 5 big meals a day and still lose weight
The escape from the world and your troubles while you run
The heap of smelling running gear in the corner

TFBubendorfer

• Remembering how I felt after my first marathon, and still I went back for more
• Seeing the photo after last year's Connemara ultra. I look like death, it's the fact that I pushed myself to all that and still want to do it again, and more
• Setting a new PB, especially when it's completely unexpected.
• Running in the dark under a clear sky with the moon and the stars above you
• The bats in the morning
• The hares in the morning
• The deer I saw in Caragh Lake last week
• Running 22 miles before breakfast, and then cycling into work, and knowing that most people couldn't do that

This is all getting rather self indulgent. I could go on but better stop right there.

Slogger Jogger

Enjoying a guilt-free post-run burger and chips in the Glenmalure Lodge having run through the sun, wind and rain to and from Lugnacoille on a non-touristy route, past water cascades and delightful views of Wicklow.

TJC

Rite thats it.. I'm goin for a run...
Hangover not gona get me this time!!!

TJC

Run Done...feel great.. and have tomoro off!!!
Thats what i love about this runnin lark..
I think i'm losin it, like the rest of u!

Will enjoy my pints tonite..

aero2k

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Probably yeah. Wonderful morning for runnning, if I hadn't been in agony I'd have kept going.

Which reminds me of another great thing about running, being in absolute AGONY but wanting to keep going and pushing yourself through the pain barrier just to get that extra mile in the bag.

Well, greetings were exchanged - I was running from the Magazine Fort towards the zoo, and you/random runner were going the other way. It did occur to me at the time "wonder if that's another boardsie" and has she been reading the "to wave or not" thread, hence the friendliness. I was tempted to turn round, chase and enquire but thought that might work out badly:). Also I had stopped a short while before to mess with my Garmin - thought I'd only done 3 MP miles but had actually done 4 - and whatever way I tilted my head I'd managed to get my eyes full of sweat so I was still a bit too disorientated for conversation.
I was on a deadline so stuck to the planned 18 miles despite the temptation of the perfect conditions.
How's the knee?