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Original poster

Has anyone grown to enjoy running outside?

44 replies

yellowpolkadots101 · 30/12/2019 17:35

Just that really, I usually go on the treadmill at the gym, unfortunately I am no longer a member so went on my first run today in a very long time!

I managed 30 mins but stopped quite a few times! I have never really enjoyed running and I find myself getting more out of breath running outside than I do on a treadmill which is strange!

I want to continue as it really does help me lose weight and I know it is also good for my mental health!

Any success stories?

OP posts:

Hollyhead · 30/12/2019 22:37

I only run 1-2 times a week at the moment but this will increase with longer days. 3-4 times a week is my ideal, well probably 5 days a week if I was a lady of leisure!

Original poster

yellowpolkadots101 · 30/12/2019 22:55

Glad I started this thread, I feel inspired for sure!

I can imagine you must all feel better too after a good run mentally?

The worst part for me atm is feeling out of breath so quickly (I am late 20s so very embarrasing) and I get a stitch sometimes too! I need to practice though to over come it!l.

Jealous of you all who live in the beautiful countryside!

OP posts:

fastliving · 31/12/2019 01:18

Love running outdoors (hate the mud)
I am stuck running on pavements at the mo - can't wait for the lighter evenings and the mud to dry up a bit then I'm back running around the woods.
I have a dog so it kills 2 birds with 1 stone, she loves it when I run rather than just a walk (I'm only a 5ker).
I am not athletic but running is so amazing and just getting outside and appreciating the natural world & and fresh air is what makes it for me - I will probably never run in a gym ever again, it's like eating junk food verses eating home-cooked food made with love!

Interested in this thread?

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fastliving · 31/12/2019 01:20

I do listen to banging music while I run too, which again gives me a massive feel good boost.

ShinyGiratina · 31/12/2019 07:11

I fell in love with it while doing C25k which surprised me as I started it as a means to an end, and I had history of being the beyond hopeless runner staggering and wheezing my way round the school field hundreds of metres behind everyone else.

Outside is more refreshing, varied, in touch with nature, potentially more social or personal depending on where you go.

Why not try a few C25k sessions from partway through as your muscles adjust to the difference.

ChilliandLemon · 31/12/2019 07:22

If you’re getting out of breath and a stitch you’re running too fast. You should still be able to talk a bit. Pace yourself.

I much prefer running outside, especially with other people. Is there a local running or C25K group near you, it’s the best way to learn to pace yourself. And I find that talking to others means I don’t notice the running as much.

BuddhaAtSea · 31/12/2019 07:27

I run once a week with a club, sometimes we run, sometimes we train (intervals etc).

Midweek I go to a Pilates class, but I run there and back.

Saturday is parkrun.

Divebar · 31/12/2019 07:32

I sustained an Achilles injury and had to stop but was really getting into my running. I was using a couch to 5k but it was Zombie themed so each time I went out I was following a story and needing to run from zombies... great in the woods. My sister has really got into it recently and has just bought a dog harness to wear round her waist. I can really see that having a dog with you would enhance the experience ( especially when you might want forewarning of zombie attack). I’m going to give it another go when I’ve got some decent shoes.

Pippioddstocking · 31/12/2019 07:33

Running outside is harder due to the mud, uneven terrain, hills, wind, puddles.
Find the prettiest route you can or the most interesting . If you've got a dog you could even give canni cross a go.

boredboredboredboredbored · 31/12/2019 07:38

Me! Had to force myself, this time of year can be tough but nothing beats the feeling after. I started maybe 12 - 13 years ago and have just got into the habit. Just waiting for sunrise then I'm off out!

FrangipaniBlue · 31/12/2019 07:51

Definitely find your local park run there are a couple near me that include roads, bridleways and even one that's a trail through a forest.

Also look up your local running club - most people don't realise that they're only about £10/£15 a year for membership and they will do a few sessions a week ranging from social runs to set training plans.

They also will be running beginners "learn to run" sessions at this time of year !

YorkshireLawyer · 31/12/2019 07:53

Yes! I started running in January, on a treadmill at first. I was reluctant to run outside because I felt self conscious being slow and having to stop and walk and I dreaded the hills (there’s not really any getting away from them in Yorkshire). At least on the treadmill no one could see me and I could be certain it was dead flat! I did C25k on the treadmill, which I loved, then was cajoled into entering my local 10k so knew I’d have to start running outside to train for it. I started off with my local Parkrun which is amazing - definitely start there assuming there’s one near to you, it’s fun, supportive and takes away the feeling self conscious. I’ve since grown to love running outside, despite the hills, and today I’m about to do my first fell race. I’ll be honest, I’m shitting myself - hills, mud, more hills, more mud, moorland, a bog, a stream, more hills and more mud... (my seasoned ultra marathoner, fellrunner DH and his friend who runs up mountains in the Lake District for fun both say it’s hard...) but determined to enjoy the experience! I still do run on the treadmill at home sometimes as I have DC of 7, 4 and 1 so getting out just isn’t always possible (I try to run 4 x a week) but I can’t do any more than 10k on it without being bored to tears. Outside, I can go further, the time passes quicker, especially off-road where you have to pay more attention to what’s going on under your feet so you’re sort of distracted from being out of breath, and the boost you get from being out in the fresh air is incomparable to being on the treadmill. Go for it - getting into running this year is one of the achievements I’m proudest of in my life.

m0therofdragons · 31/12/2019 08:05

I told myself I'd do 7 park runs and if I still hated it as much as the first time I'd stop. I'm now running be a week - 5k and a 10k - and am signed up for a half marathon. I don't love it but I don't hate it and I do love my new body shape!

Spudlet · 31/12/2019 08:09

Trail running is the best, although I did decide to try a new path the other day only to find it was a path in theory only and ended up wading through a big patch of brambles to get to the real path (public access land so wasn’t trespassing all over someone’s land!) I laughed.... afterwards! I also ran part of my old school cross-country course over Christmas and was amazed at myself as I hated PE at school but there I was, wading through the mud and loving it.

Mentally, running has saved me from a breakdown, I reckon. I was that close to one in the summer. It feels a good few strides further away now.

I recommend Anna McNuff as inspiration for outdoor running! She is a bonkers adventure lady who recently ran around Britain barefoot She’s on social media or she’s done a few books - I enjoyed The Pants of Perspective (which is about her running the length of New Zealand along a long-distance trail) very much. It is probably her fault that I ended up in the brambles

iheartspiders · 31/12/2019 08:19

I'm just psyching myself up to getting out from under my lovely duvet to go for a little, slow run.

I do enjoy running, but I find it hard to get myself out. I've spent a year doing a long (for me) distance challenge. I've had difficulty because my HR shoots right up to terrifying levels, I'm asthmatic, and I get really cold! But I've done it, and I definitely prefer running outside to on a treadmill. Things that have helped are:

• Low HR training (I've followed bits of the Maffetone Method - not the diet, but I've substituted running fasted in the morning)
• Jeffing - to keep my HR down (aiming for 138-143) I've had to use some extreme intervals. Starting with 20 seconds running and 30 seconds walking, and over several months gradually increasing the intervals.
• Learning to run S L O W L Y. As in, slower than I normally walk.
• short runs - I haven't got a lot of time to run, but I can do 30mins x3, and frankly anything is better than nothing.
• Virtual Runner monthly challenges to help with the motivation to actually get out and do it. It's the only reason I'm going this morning - I need a final 3km to complete the month & year.

I don't win any records on Strava, but I have made progress over the year without hurting myself or putting myself off. I'm back on to a normal C25k program again, this time with a HR that stays (mostly) down, and I don't feel awful after a run. It's slow progress, and for a long time it didn't look like I was making any progress. But I have.

You can do it, OP!

TheWeeMacGregors · 31/12/2019 08:26

Me too. I went through a phase years ago, pre kids, of running outside and then lost it somehow, and switched to gym, thought would never run outside again. Then stopped running completely for about six years. Recently got back into it, started outside, with loads of stopping / walking. Took about five or six weeks to cut the walking out I think. I love it now. Don’t always want to go or massively enjoy it but it feels so good afterwards! And I’m not very good and am out of shape so not super confident. The NRC app is my lifeline, absolutely love it, quite evangelical about it.

kirinm · 31/12/2019 08:44

I find running on a treadmill harder. There's no allowance for going downhill and I don't stop and start like I do when outside. I'll be honest, I've got a love / hate relationship with running. I'm currently training for my third half marathon but am concentrating on getting my fitness levels up by running on the treadmill. I know I'll walk more if I run outside and i need to prove to myself I can run a decent distance without stopping before I go outside.

Notso · 31/12/2019 09:07

I can't run on a treadmill for more than five minutes but can run outside for much longer.
I hate running though, really hate it. I never get much better, lose any weight or inches or feel good at all during or afterwards. I've given it several good chunks of time to get into it, including couch to 5k three times and never feel motivated to carry on afterwards. I just feel achy and knackered for the rest of the day when Ive been running.

pickingdaisies · 01/01/2020 08:36

Use the NHS couch to 5k app to pace yourself, and go 3 times a week. Leave at least one non running day between runs until your body adjusts to it. When you feel like you're getting a stitch, you're going too fast, so slow down! It will take nine weeks, the early weeks may feel far too easy but it builds up your body's tolerance really well. I've gone from hating running to loving it because of this program. Give it another go with the app or with a running club, they often use the same program for beginner runners. Which I suppose you are when you're outside. Good luck!

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