Running is boring!

[MumJL]

I’ve a friend who keeps trying to get me into running, but I just can’t get on with it! Be it on the treadmill at the gym or outside.

Anyone have any tips or shall I just give up all together and accept it’s not for me 😂

The right music or a podcast can make all the difference. Or a running buddy for (albeit slightly breathless) chats, swearing at hills etc. A picuresque or otherwise interesting running route helps too. Without any of the above, I'd have given up years ago due to boredom

Treadmill is the most boring thing ever invented but I love running. I agree with off-road beautiful route being the best and parkrun is great fun too

I love a running thread! 😁
Firstly, don't worry about treadmill running being boring.... It really is!! I tend to use it for functional purposes only, when the weather is horrid, when it's too dark to be comfy running outdoors on my own (we're very rural with no footpaths or lighting) or if I'm being cautious after an injury.
I find the best way to make it fun, is to run somewhere lovely and/or new. A pretty park, woodlands/forests etc. And see if you can get friends to run with you, it's much easier and more enjoyable if you've got company, even if you're puffing too much to chat!
Vary your running sessions as well, if you always run the same route at the same pace it's bound to be boring, so try a walk/run session, and then a faster pace run, and then maybe some games (run slowly to the first lamppost, then a bit quicker to the next one, and then as far as you can to the next one?) Anything that mixes it up helps.
Lots of people swear by running music playlists as well, I'm not a massive fan as I like to listen to the world around me, but I've lots of friends for whom music and audio books really work.
Lastly, if you DO persevere and get more confident, I can highly recommend trying the odd parkrun, to give yourself a little buzz in company with lots of other nutters doing the same thing. It's free, and you don't have to be a mega athlete!
I really hope you find a little running mojo! 😁

Scenery is a good shout. I’ve not tried park run but there is one local so I might try that.

Thanks this is really helpful! x

Any advice for building up to 5k?

I have a TV in front of the treadmill and watch a netflix show 😂

That or as PP said - a nice rural/park running route rather than urban roads

Life is way too short to try to force yourself to enjoy something you have no interest in. Stop wasting your time and find something you enjoy. If it was so much fun your friend could enjoy it on their own without needing a running partner to distract them.

I used to love running btw.

Absolutely loathe running on a treadmill - staring at the same point for what feels like hours even though you've only been on it for 5 minutes.

Try running with a friend, as that makes the miles go quickly, or go to parkrun, or listen to music or a podcast.

Why is your friend so keen for you to take up running? If you don't like running, then you don't like it.

Yup, agree solidly with all the advice above. Get outside, get some in-ear headphones that don't fall out and some podcasts or music, go.

Yes, I love running to music. God I remember the days running holding my chunky Walkman 😂Bit easier now.

@MumJL re building up.to 5K, I recommend joining a Couch to 5K group or even just downloading a C25K app to do it on your own.

You start off with intervals of running with walking breaks, then as the weeks progress, the intervals for running gets longer but fewer, and the walk breaks get shorter until you're running continously for 30 minutes.

Couch to 5K. There are several different podcasts for it.

Yes it's boring as it takes so long to get anywhere.

Cycling is better - you can go 5 miles in 20 minutes! The world is a lot bigger on a bike

I’m doing c25K on the treadmill at the gym, doing week 5 run 3 tomorrow. The key for me is loud upbeat shouty music, I just have to resist the urge to sing along 😂

I need countryside scenery, sounds of nature and a varied route rather than a long endless road. I hate it on a treadmill, in the dark or in towns where people can see me.

Try the Zombie run app if it's still going for a bit of excitement.

I tried to c25k a few times and just gave up or something came up and then I was back to square one. So I just went for jogs and couldn’t go very far, then went with a friend who recommended slowing right down and then obviously I could go much further. Once I got to be able to do about 4k I just went to Park Run and then did the full 5k.

I also hate treadmills and only use when absolutely necessary and do something like an interval run to make it less tedious.

I also agree about music, hate going for a run without it. I don’t actually enjoy it all that much when I am doing it, but like how good I feel afterwards

Definitely, I know everyone recommends it, but give a Couch to 5k type plan a go. You don't even have to religiously follow the official thing, although I know people have done really well with the app as it gives a clear guide and you can see your progress.
All you really need to do is start small. Try a nice brisk give minute walk to warm up, and then run for five minutes. Then brisk walk again for another five minutes. Then, if you feel up to it, run again for another five. Try to make the running quite steady, so that at the end of the five minutes, you're a little out of breath but not utterly ruined. If you're too puffed, make the run a little slower.
Aim for twenty minutes run/walk if you're an absolute beginner, for a couple of sessions, and try to do three sessions a week. If it feels far too easy, run a little longer and walk a little less. You can build up your running time and overall time over a few weeks.
The idea is that by the time you're running solidly for 30-40 minutes, you're likely to have run approx 5k
The proper C25K app is far more organised, but the above definitely works (it's how I taught myself years ago!) It's a little easier if you've got a sports watch that can track the distance you've covered, but all you really need is a stopwatch or a normal watch so you can keep an eye on your time.

If you're really interested in getting to 5k and have a car, drive from home and check the car mileage to find accessible points that are 2.5k from home, so you know a simple route where you can go out and back to give yourself 5k overall.

Good luck! 🏃🏼‍♀️

Couch to 5k app is good but my running club regularly run beginner sessions effectively doing it as a group which is much more enjoyable
i adore running but know many many people who don’t get on with it at all and I try not to judge. It helps enormously though to find a pretty traffic free trail route, rather than either a treadmill or running on trafficky roads. Wherever your local parkrun is will likely have a nice traffic free route so that’s a great start. And you most definitely don’t need to be able to run all the way round to do run a parkrun. There are always walkers. If you can run just a bit of it you won’t be last (not that it would matter if you were).

I came into running late in life and am totally obsessed, but it’s ok to not like it too.

There’s a great song called ‘I hate running’ by Number One Popstar that will resonate with you :)))

definitely do couch to 5k. It’s such an amazing programme, I’ve done it twice.

I find that slowing right down makes me enjoy running more as it’s easier. When I try to push myself it’s much less enjoyable and I’ve given myself injuries doing that so I’m back to crawling along and and not trying to constantly reach a PB.

I love treadmill running and listen to music and audiobooks. But … not every exercise/sport etc is for everyone, absolutely no shame/failure in trying it once and saying you don’t like it. Try something else!
fwiw, I hate running outdoors and cycling and so much more!

My local running club has a beginners / returners group. You go there for about 2 months before you graduate to the main group. They share the track. It's really sociable. People take it in turns to staff the beginners group, depending on what they have coming up (ie if they are in a rest or taper they help out with beginners).
Couch to 5k is the easiest way then try a park run.
I won't go near a treadmill even if the ground outside is icey. Can't stand them. But I've been to the gym and clearly other people feel differently!