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

[FruitBasedDrinkForALady]

So I did c25k and I can run 5k albeit slowly (approx 35mins). Thing is, I really, really, really hate it. It's so bloody boring. I have tried different routes and different playlists. I still hate it. Someone suggested signing up for a race, but ugh, I can't think of anything more tedious. Is there any way of making myself like it? Or at least dislike it less? I do bootcamp twice a week and 2 more 30 min runs is the only other way I can really fit in the exercise I need, so I have to find a way of making myself keep going. Please help me!

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?

Give parkrun a whirl :)

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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!