when does this get enjoyable?

Zak Flaps

Hi, I'm 39....Been running 7 weeks now (after a failed attempt earlier in the year)...doing the C25K...currently running for 25 minutes straight...

when did you guys begin to really enjoy your running?

I've found the last couple of runs tricky...pretty tiring...i finished them without too much trouble....but i thought to myself, what's all the hype about?
is it too early for me to really start to love it? when will i start feeling really good? I don't want to get p*ssed off with it so soon...

zak.

az2wp0sye65487

It's obviously different for everyone. But ask any runner and they will all agree that you are going to have an off day. For me personally, I love the feeling you get when everything comes together and that particular run just feels effortless. It's as if you're running on air. You'll know this when it happens, and it will come in time. Just stick with it and best of luck!

ronnie085

Zak Flaps wrote: »

Hi, I'm 39....Been running 7 weeks now (after a failed attempt earlier in the year)...doing the C25K...currently running for 25 minutes straight...

when did you guys begin to really enjoy your running?

I've found the last couple of runs tricky...pretty tiring...i finished them without too much trouble....but i thought to myself, what's all the hype about?
is it too early for me to really start to love it? when will i start feeling really good? I don't want to get p*ssed off with it so soon...

zak.

I found changing routes helps, bit of variaty gives a fresh boost when i'm struggling plus dont be afraid to take it very easy the odd day, even if it feels like your running at walking pace, just getting out without pushing myself clears my head and prepares my mind and body for the harder days.

RubyK

You're doing really well, stick with it, and some day soon from your first mile to your last, it will all just feel right. And that will be it, you'll be hooked

Personally, it took me a good 3 months of plodding along, wondering why I was torturing myself, before I entered into a charity fun run with a couple of friends, and that first race did it for me, I was bitten by the bug.

Best of luck with the training. You won't be sorry you took it up, I guarantee it.

maria74

Well done on getting to 25 mins!
I followed c25K and it took me at least 3/4 months before I actully enjoyed my runs. Before that it was just about getting it done. The only thing I enjoyed initally was the feeling of accomplishment afterwards. But stick with it and it will come and be worth all the effort!
Check this out for tips but also some motivating stuff to get you out that door
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=2056049754

itsalltrue

a very good runner told me once if you are enjoying training your not going hard enough". You seem to be going well so keep it up. For me i don't enjoy training but i do enjoy the races. The satisfaction of completing them is what makes me go back time and time again. A little over 18 months ago i starting running and went to run a 2 mile loop. I had to stop after a mile and walk home. Last month i finished the Dublin marathon.

Like you i didn't enjoy training and had plenty of bad days but you just have to push through because the satisfaction at the end of these races is fantastic.

RoyMcC

A lot of the enjoyment comes in knowing that you're progressing and achieving. It's no so easy to enjoy the process itself unless you understand that each step is of benefit to you. Then you can take on the discomfort knowing that there's a payoff.

And one of those payoffs is (as itsalltrue rightly says) the races.

So persevere with a positive outlook. 25 minutes straight is great when you've started from zip. Once you get beyond 30 then you'll find the next 30 will come in no time at all.

jb-ski

itsalltrue wrote: »

a very good runner told me once if you are enjoying training your not going hard enough".

Like you i didn't enjoy training and had plenty of bad days but you just have to push through because the satisfaction at the end of these races is fantastic.

I would have the exact opposite opinion, i enjoy all the training, (of course it can be tough at times), i don't particularly enjoy races; shorter distances can be very tough and for marathons it's such a thin line between a PB & burning out.
However, the satisfaction at the end is fantastic.

@ Zak, I would suggest you find a few running partners for some of your sessions, the time will fly by.

Join a Fit4Life group in your area, or post here for suggestions.

But most importantly don't give up yet, even if it's hard to believe,
we really do enjoy this running lark!:)

shels4ever

RoyMcC wrote: »

A lot of the enjoyment comes in knowing that you're progressing and achieving. It's no so easy to enjoy the process itself unless you understand that each step is of benefit to you. Then you can take on the discomfort knowing that there's a payoff.

And one of those payoffs is (as itsalltrue rightly says) the races.

So persevere with a positive outlook. 25 minutes straight is great when you've started from zip. Once you get beyond 30 then you'll find the next 30 will come in no time at all.

+1
and the good thing is the bad runs do get better

Zak Flaps

ah great, lots of positive replies, just what i needed!! thanks guys...i plan on entering a 5km race in January sometime...hopefully that will give me some extra motivation...i'm looking forward to that day when a run feels effortless...until then, i will soldier on....

zak.

Ruu_Old

Race day or the night before! All the preparation involved for a race and then going out there and giving it your best.

RoyMcC

Zak Flaps wrote: »

i'm looking forward to that day when a run feels effortless....

Don't expect too much though - if running was effortless then everyone would be doing it. Even Heile, Paula and them are hurting though you'd never know it.

airscotty

I defo think having a goal to aim for such as a 5k race is the way to go. Hopefully you will really enjoy the post race buzz and want to improve for the next one...thats when it gets attictive!

Cabaal

In February 2010 I started couch to 5km, the first time I ran for 90sec non-stop I nearly killed myself, I had awful shin splints and often I could barely walk the next day.

Roll forward 9 months I did my first event which was the Dublin Half Marathon which I finished in under 2 hours, I'm now looking at signing upto the Connomara Marathon in April 2011

Keep at it its all worth, right now your thinking 5km is a very long distance keep it aniother whole and you'll view it as a walk in the part and 16km as a long distance

Mr Slow

Racing is the runners reward for training. It doesn't matter how fast you race or how far down the field you are, taking part in a race is magical.;)

Oldlegs

At the risk of opening a "never wear headphones when training" discussion ....

I find that getting some good music in your MP3 player will help you to a) keep a tempo, and b) provide a distraction. It also has the advantage of breaking your run into 3-5 minute sections for each song. {My training song mix includes everthing from Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, U2, Altan, Davy Spillane, Proclaimers and so on. I get VERY funny looks when people see or hear my workout playlist }.

After a while you will stop thinking about the effort and starting enjoying the running feeling.

I also focus on the accomplishment of getting out training in the 1st place. Great feeling when you get back knowing that you could have spent the last 30-60 minutes doing f-all but have actually achieved something with the time. Funnily, this is even better when the weather is crap outside.

Patrick_K

As a couple of people have said already - the day I ran my first race.
Don't worry about where you finish, how long it takes etc just do a race soon.
You'll love the buzz, have a PB to beat and be looking for the next race so you can knock a chunk off that time ....

AntiVirus

I only enjoy my runs when running with my girlfriend, she runs at a nice relaxing pace. Where as I go out and always end up running at a max pace, I always want to quit at about the half way mark but I love the feeling when I get home knowing I didn't quit!

Its also great to be able to see my progress online and compare my runs to my previous bests :pac:

So maybe try running with some one who runs at a bit slower pace?

brownian

When does it start to feel good? I've been off the shoes for a few months and got myself in gear again about three weeks ago. It took six or seven runs of varying levels of discomfort, discontentment and "why do I feel so sh1te?", before yesterday's run, when all of a sudden my legs were strong, my lungs were happy and I felt there was plenty in the tank.
What's the trigger ? I haven't a clue 8-]. But eventually it just clicks.

A quick fix, at least for me, is to run somewhere different, especially off-road, in a forest or up a hill. No speed work here, but mud, wet feet, trees and nature make for a great change from the concrete/tarmac/gravestones of the usual Deansgrange linear park circuit.

Keep it up - it gets MUCH easier over time, and (to disagree slightly with above), running is its own reward, when you get that extra spring in the step.

kincsem

Greg Lemond, cyclist
"(Training) doesn't get easier; you just get faster"

kincsem

I have just started jogging. My goal is to do the Goal Christmas mile. I might not even do it as I have to travel a bit on Christmas day, but the target keeps me going. If I do the goal mile I want to be able to do it.

Zak Flaps

great stuff...cheers for all the input guys...

--amadeus--

That Greg LeMond quote kinda catches it for me. Every now and again I'll come in from a run absolutely buzzing; the other night was my first decent run in weeks, cold sharp night, great weather & felt good so I was on a high afterwards. Most of teh time though it's a real battle to get out the door, especially for speedwork or LSRs. They are never as bad as I expect them to be but they are rarely "fun". I began running in 2005 by the way and when training properly would run 5 - 6 times per week.

Which does beg the obvious question why do I still do it. And to be totally honest I'm not sure. I get a real kick from the races and I want to see how fast I can go I suppose. But mostly I enjoy the side effects of running - being lithe and athletic (NOT skinny!), eating like a pig without worrying about it, feeling fit & able to keep up with the kids, the people I've met through running, enjoying the fact I am able to run a given distance in a certain time & that I've got some small measure of achievement to look back on when I'm dribbling in my soup. I dunno really.

I'm off for a run to think about it

The Bad Pawn

I find that it's when you stop running for even a couple of days that you realise what you enjoy about it. At the end of the day running can be a lifestyle choice so the longer you stick with it the more of you'll get out of it.

Personally I love arriving home after an early saturday run - nothing beats the sense that you've done what you set out to do and the rest of day is still ahead

Fluorescence

Zak Flaps wrote: »

Hi, I'm 39....Been running 7 weeks now (after a failed attempt earlier in the year)...doing the C25K...currently running for 25 minutes straight...

when did you guys begin to really enjoy your running?

I've found the last couple of runs tricky...pretty tiring...i finished them without too much trouble....but i thought to myself, what's all the hype about?
is it too early for me to really start to love it? when will i start feeling really good? I don't want to get p*ssed off with it so soon...

zak.

I'm in the exact same position as you! In the middle of week 7 and starting to get disenchanted... But then I remember that rush of accomplishment I got after doing the 3 min runs of Week 3 or the 20 minute run of week 5 and think "I want that again!" We can't give up now!

opus

The Bad Pawn wrote: »

I find that it's when you stop running for even a couple of days that you realise what you enjoy about it. At the end of the day running can be a lifestyle choice so the longer you stick with it the more of you'll get out of it.

Definitely agreed! Did something to my left hamstring recently so had to take a bit of a break from running. Went out on Monday night (complete with head torch) for the first time in over two weeks and after a while realised I was feeling like a kid in a sweet shop