To think I'm just not cut out for running

[Trixiebelle16]

Have embarked on the 0 to 5k challenge which will culminate in a 5k charity run very soon. Everyone is congratulating me on getting fit and taking up a new hobby which is lovely but if I'm honest once the fun run is out the way I don't think I can face any more!! It literally takes me two days to recover after a training session because I just feel utterly wiped out and my knees ache ro buggery. I manage to do the training session which goes up in distance each week but it is such a battle - not to mention a bit dull!! It's a ladies running group which is a bit cliquey too which doesn't help. Has anyone else tried it and not really felt cut out for it or am I giving up too easily?!

I love running but would hate a group run. I like to set my own pace and actively enjoy the peace and quiet. Have you tried just going by yourself?

You don't have to run if you don't want to.

I have never been able to run, but can swim all day

Yeah but I'm overweight and eat too much have got to find something!

YANBU. I've never been able to run: it hurts my knees. I'm moderately fit so that's not the problem; I can cycle for miles. That said, it does sound as though the group is part of the problem: I find I can only bear to exercise if I'm on my own!

How many weeks have you been doing it? If your knees are hurting, do you have good shoes and has the trainer at the club checked how you are running-your gait.

I agree with your friends and family but think it is definitely possible for running not to be your sport!

I did a bit in prep for a fun run and tbh got a bit bored with the longer runs. It did help me build confidence and fitness from being a bit sedentary but I find I prefer high intensity stuff and gym classes - they are quick and you are motivated by people around you.

I think if you want to make a lasting change to a more active lifestyle it makes sense to pick something you enjoy. Running has become trendy but can wreak havoc on your knees! Take care of yourself!

How long have you been training?

I'm a hardened marathon runner but have just started again after over a year off from end of pregnancy/new baby and my repair time was 2 or 3 days for the first couple of weeks.

However if you've been training longer than a month i would look at your pacing. New runners tend to push themselves further then there bodies are ready for, i would try to slow down as your muscles need time to adapt, you'll also find you can then run for longer. Also hydration is important, i'm not good at drinking whilst i run so i make sure i down a pint of water when i've finished.

Do you stretch well afterwards? Esp stretching by standing on one leg and pulling up one heel to touch buttock. That can help with knees.

Also try a sports massage maybe.

Def make sure your shoes are the right ones for you.

But yeah, you don't have to run!

It sounds like the group might be a bit fast for you and you'd be better off going more slowly then building up. I hate running in a group.

The more you go the easier it gets.

The world and his dog seem to love running... parkrun, charity runs , colour dash, couch to 5k, 10k carrying a fridge... but it's not for me. I get shin splints from walking quickly and my hips ache after running 200m on road or paths. Does nothing for upper body strength.
However I love love love swimming. Your body is supported so no strain on joints. Cardio and resistance. Full body exercise.
Running's not good for everyone.

I do think some people are more suited to it than others. I can do 5k - maybe a bit more if I push it. But I really struggle to improve my speed and it never really feels much easier! A friend of mine took up running recently and when I went out with her she is already faster than me which was a bit galling. I do quite like how I feel after running though. I feel more relaxed and sleep better plus it burns a few calories (mind you it increases appetite too so you have to be careful!). So I keep on doing it for the positives I get.

I used to run and could only really do it with any enjoyment on my own. I liked the peace, my own pace (slow) and not having to talk to anyone else and listening to my music (running and talking is practically impossible for me).

But so many people would say ooh I'll come with you and I'd fend them off. I just don't want to do it with anyone else.

Agree with the others- I am hugely unfit but started couch to 5k and noticed a major improvement with decent shoes properly fitted by someone watching my fair etc. And I ALWAYS run alone. I don't want to feel pressurised to go faster. I don't care that I am slow! Try running alone and see how that feels (and don't even look at your pace) but to be honest if you still dislike it then ditch it and do something else- life is too short to do something you dislike!

It's the 'dull' comment that stood out for me.
You won't stick with something intrinsically boring.
I found spin class dull. All that cycling and getting nowhere, no scenery!

But thank you for reminding me. Dance classes worked for me. I liked line dancing and got pretty hot sweaty and breathless during the 2 hour class. It also helped me get to Weight Watchers Gold.

< Goes off to find out if classes are still on >.

What week are you on? I have done C25K several times and it only when I get to about week 5 that the enjoyable bits outweigh the pain. I think the fitter you get the more enjoyable it becomes.
Saying that, if you don't enjoy running, then don't run. Find something else you enjoy and do that instead.
I have read a lot about the benefits of lifting heavy weights and in fact, think that would be better for me than running. So, I've tried it, more than once, and it's as boring as shit and I just can't get into it. So, I run.
It's much more important to choose an activity you enjoy and then stick with it, than do something you don't enjoy as ultimately, you will give up.
Good luck with whatever you do.

Me too - I bloody hate it... I'm overweight and the slowest runner ever. I never get that running high people talk about and I hate running with other people...

But I keep trying because it does, when I do it regularly, help with trying to lose weight and feeling fitter.

I only ever run on my own and find the aches and pains aren't as bad after the first few weeks. Try doing little runs in between the bigger ones, just to remind your body this is what you do!

So if I do a 5k at the weekend, I'll do 2-3k mid-week. That's the plan anyway

Good luck and keep going - it's a bloody nightmare but we have to keep trying...!

Agree with Jeanne. Try a different type of exercise. Running was deathly dull for me, and made my knee hurt, but I go to four intervals groups a week and I love them. They're far more effective at getting you fit than just pounding the trails.

The social aspect is great, it's a very encouraging and non judgmental atmosphere, and I've never been fitter or stronger. Some running involved (e.g. Jogs in warm up and shuttle runs etc) but the sessins are a mix of conditioning and strength and different all the time. It helps that many of our sessions are on the beach, but there are lots of outdoor fitness groups all over the place.

It sounds like you've not been running for very long. It gets easier, the recovery gets far shorter and you feel great for hours after finishing a training run once you get to a certain level of fitness.

Nothing that's worthwhile doing is ever easy. I think you need to persevere a bit.

I'm glad some ones mentioned good shoes and gait and that beginners usually push too hard too fast,

But I'm surprised no one has mentioned that pain while exercising = bad!

Getting sweaty and out of breath and your muscles burning and twitching is fine, sharp, dull, achey, twingey pain is NOT GOOD and will cause permanent damage.

I'm overweight and at over 200 pounds aka just under 15 stone, I couldn't run.
My knees would die and it would not be beneficial. I'd be better swimming, walking, cycling or dancing in the beginning and really having an honest look at what I eat.

When I was about 11/12 stone, running was not as issue, I was running half marathons, my knees wouldn't hurt at all.

So depending on how heavy you are, I'd recommend saving the running when your knees are stronger and you are lighter?

Good luck and remember you're lapping everyone on the couch.

Here is a really interesting article about what happens to our bodies when we start running and how we can get injured. It seems out cardio vascular system gets stronger way earlier than our bones and ligaments, so we think we're capable of more than we actually are. I've run in clubs and in hindsight was doing too much too soon as the not increasing pace or distance more than 10% a week (or somethign like that, I can't rememner) was seen as the goal rather than the maximum. I was gettign injured and fed up. Reading this article was a revelation as it actually explained things that clubs and physios simply didn't.

OP, I have never got on with running - tried it a few times half-heartedly but have found lots of other exercise I really enjoy. So once your run is over, I would try other things - I enjoy badminton which is sociable and a bit competitive, and circuity/HIIT type things at the gym - also sociable and very varied. And a bt of gym weights and cardio. I think all of those are a bit easier on the knees too and you learn new stuff all the time.