Help me run...I really hate it...

I use audiobooks or podcasts and a 5k to 10k app and actually found I enjoyed it more after I moved on to that after c25k as I felt I was really achieving something. Also you get walk breaks earlier than 5k in, so it doesn't seem such a long slog from the moment you get out the door. And yy to parkrun!

Can you join a running club? Run with a friend? I didn't use to like running much when I did it on my own but took it up seriously a year or so ago when I joined a local club (I live in France) and am now running half marathons and trail races regularly. When I joined I'd never run further than 5kms but after a couple of months I was doing 10k races and after 6 months a half marathon. I particularly like trail racing in the forests, hills and often mud and streams.
You are lucky in the UK to have Parkruns - we don't have them here.
I listen to radio 4 podcasts and audio books when I run alone, but prefer training with other people as we can chat all the way.
I don't get the endorphins from other sports that I get from running, particularly after a race.
Good luck! The more you push yourself, the more you will get out of it.

If you hate running, do sth else!

On the other hand running is the easiest and quickest thing to do - even with a bike you have to go out to the garage, get your lights out and bike shoes on etc and find your helmet.

I do think once you finish c25k its really hard to keep motivated as you lose the automatic structure. There is also a big hurdle between 5k and 10k, it seems so hard.

If you want to keep going you need to sign up to a 10k race and then get a training plan that exactly fits the time you have available before the race.

I used to run. Although I liked the results I did have to steel myself to do it and inevitably it petered out for me (and the weight has come back). I think I'd like walking a lot more. But am I likely to get much of a noticeable result from just walking? And would I have to do that strange fast striding/arms swinging about type of walking?

I really want to be a runner. I've got into it a few times and also do enjoy the feeling of increased fitness and change in body shape, but it never sticks. I end up finding reasons why I can't do it this week, or that session, etc. and a couple of weeks down the line it's back to being hard work and even less fun. In contrast I go to a dance class which I love and would never miss if I could help it.

However, running is the simplest kind of exercise to do - as you say, on with the trainers and out the door, so I'll keep trying to stick with it. I do find listening to something that actually takes your mind of it makes it easier. Music is no good as you still end up thinking, god this is hard, god this is boring, perhaps I'll cut that corner off and head home from here. I subscribed to the ted talks podcast and really enjoyed it last time I went out.

People who know me would probably say i 'love running'. I don't really. I run for fitness, and I do enjoy the social live it gives me because I run with a club , and I enjoy going to races with friends, and i enjoy seeing results, either in terms of improving times, or in terms of being in shape.

Do I enjoy the actual run? Not usually. It is hard work. But I feel good afterwards, and I won't stop because I don't want to not be a runner. I rarely run alone as it is boring and hard.

I think you need to find a way to make yourself run regularly, find a friend to chat with or a group to join. Parkrun as has been suggested is fab. Or sign up for a 10k and follow a training programme. Then your runs will have purpose, and you can tick them off as the race approaches.

Stick with it, it brings huge mental health and physical benefits.

Give parkrun a whirl :)

I'm not a runner either.
I can tolerate 30mins of intervals on a treadmill three times a week, followed by 45mins of weights which I enjoy.

Could you joint a netball club, hockey, rowing?

I have come to love it! I listen to music on longer runs, but am also trying to write a cycle of poetry based on a year's worth of cross country running, so am observing and trying to work up pithy phrases.

Find RunMummyRun Facebook page (sorry FB isn't that liked on here!) excellent motivation and 'all in the same boat' mentality.
And do try a Parkrun.

But if after all that you still don't like it then it's not for you.

If you can run and swim why don't you look at doing some Biathles or Biathlons?

I agree, don't do it if you hate it.

If you insist, then don't plod on for 5k. Mix it up with speed and hills. E.g. an easy 2k warm up (the hardest bit!) then do 200-400m at top possible speed, then recover - slow jog, walk, or bend over trying not to throw up - for 3-5 mins. Repeat 3 - 10 times. Or, 2k warm up then find a hill - run up it as fast as you possibly can, walk back down, do again. Or, a mix of these. You'll push your body much harder and increase your cardio ability massively...

It'll make the next 5k easier, too. Promise!

don't do it. Does nothing for your fitness anyway, slogging away at low to medium intensity for hours on end. Oh except wrecks your knees, and shrinks away whatever muscle you have. For mental wellbeing, running outdoors on your own is amazing, clearing your head and endorphins and all that. But low intensity long time domain cardio is generally pointless when it comes to fitness or weight loss (plenty of research on this, don't just take my word for it!) unless you have so many hours in your week to do it that the sheer volume (combined with diet) will produce the results. strength training - and I mean proper strength training, not swaying 2kg dumbells that weigh less than your handbag - combined with high intensity, short time domain cardio that is constantly varied to avoid plateaus, is it. So don't run, especially if you don't enjoy it!

I was running last year but it really isn't for me.
I walk/hike for miles now though.
I love it, I'm much more inclined to get out and I include plenty of hills so I get the heart rate pumping.

If you hate it so much, why do it? There are loads of other free, cheap, outdoorsy ways to exercise.

I've given running a go, can't get on with the c25k thing, I clearly prefer cycling, walking, team sports etc. no point making yourself miserable.

I smile btw. When I pass a lovely summer garden, or think something I see makes me think of a funny thing that happened - that's the release you see. For me :)

I love running too but I agree, if you really don't like it it's not going to work.

I like it because I have to concentrate somewhat on the physical thing I am doing, but my mind can still wander. I find it really clears my head if I am niggling at something or stuck in the middle of my marking.

Swimming is the same for me - I think it is the repetitive physical action. I think if you swim for half an hour OP it is going to have a fitness benefit - unless you are one of those people I see in my pool who are going so slowly they are almost standing still! I am sure you are not.

Yy 35mins is not slow. It's a lot faster than a lot of folk could manage.
Have you tried the Race for Life (in my mind as I am running it tomorrow) - there will still be some to sign up for and the atmosphere is so amazing, it might inspire you.

There's someone near me who does speed walking.

It looks like it'd elevate the heart rate without being so completely jiggly as running.

I like what Joan Rivers says about running...that she'll give it a go when she sees a jogger smiling.

I run too, but it's a chore. I do believe there are natural runners, and then there's the rest of us.

I go with my friends and we chat all the way!

Have you got anyone to run with? I found an informal group locally so I don't have to think about the route or distance and can manage a bit of a chat as well.
I also run with an app on my phone to log how far I've gone which is quite satisfying.

Could you use a running app and set yourself small goals? And do you run various routes of differing lengths? I use runtastic that tracks my km splits so I will try and set different goals each time I go out - it could be to PB a certain km, or get an overall PB for a route. I know how you feel - I run 3 or 4 times a week and I find it a real struggle sometimes, but I lost a lot of weight last year and I know I need to keep it up to keep the weight off. I just have to keep going on different routes and challenging myself all the time to keep myself interested.

Also look into doing a parkrun on a Saturday morning if you have one near you - they are timed 5k runs and the incentive to PB each week along with running with other people might help you! There is a great parkrun thread on here that I lurk a lot on.