How do I get to ‘love’ running

[MagpiePi]

I’ve done running on and off for nearly 30 years, but have never loved it the way some people do.
I do it because it is a cheap and convenient way of staying fit and I’ve mostly done it alongside other sports (rugby, swimming, rowing, weightlifting) with other people doing the sport, but have also entered and trained for events by myself - 5 and 10ks, a couple of half marathons. I know that I either need to run with team mates or have a goal race in order to give me the motivation to go out. I’ve tried running clubs but could never find a group that was the right pace and distance for me.

I get satisfaction from completing a run, and I appreciate being out in the fresh air, I don’t run too fast and all that, but I don’t love it while I’m doing it.

How do I get to be someone who can’t wait to pull on their trainers and head out? I’m not going to stop doing it, I just wish I could be a bit more enthusiastic about it!

Does anyone else feel like this?

I hate park run too! No one at my speed wants to chat, they're too competitive which makes me competitive, then I get injured. Running club was ok because I could chat, but I ended up being too fast for the way group and not quite fast enough for the fast (mens) group. I've just bought a super duper off road running buggy on marketplace so I'm hoping my new small person will provide entertainment when he's big enough.

Does anyone enjoy the actual run?!

I am in the top ten 5k time for my age group in Britain but I can’t say I ever actually look forward to a run 😂. I love the sense of achievement, love pushing myself to get better, love the social part of my running club but if anyone asked me whilst I was running if I was enjoying myself I would say no.

But ask yourself how you would feel if you couldn’t run? I feel super lucky to be able to run as well as I can and running is a huge part of my life. I got injured last year and it was horrible.

My husband and I travel quite a bit for races. That is a good way to make it fun if you can (my kids are older now).

I ran casually for about 10 years (no watch, no races just jogged as part of my commute for exercise) and honestly hated it. Joining a running club was a massive turning point for me. Any decent running club should cater to all paces and do a variety of training sessions. Keep looking until you find the right one!

Oh that’s a pity. Also that other PPs feel it’s not right. Bushy pr is very inclusive and friendly and non competitive but I appreciate that others might not be so much and bushy doesn’t have pinch points. It’s all very friendly. Hope you get to enjoy running a bit more in the future.

It reminds me of this book!

https://amzn.eu/d/jarKLeo

I enjoy the bit between warming myself up (always panic at the start that I can’t do it!) and starting to fatigue. When I feel bouncy and fast and I’m getting into the music. But after I’m starting to fatigue it’s just hard like any other CV exercise I do. But I get endorphins which I think are kind of addictive? And isn’t it true we forget pain but remember pleasure or something 😂

I’ve been running for nearly 40 years and enjoying isn’t a word I would use about running. The older I get the harder it is to get out there but I still do 4 times a week - it hurts now and the next day I’m sore. But why do I keep doing it - my BP hasn’t changed since 2013, post menopausal my bmi is still around 20 and I am ageing well. I often have to play mind games with myself though to get out - especially in winter. Convincing myself I will feel better if I do and I almost always do. For longevity and ageing well I don’t think there is many better exercises. And sometimes I just think we’ll at least I’m still privledged enough to still be able to run and move in my 60s.

I run but I HATE running. I'm a useless runner and hate every single bloody step. You know when you're driving along and you see a woman plodding along at the side of the road - that's me 😅

So many common feelings, and thank you that nobody has mentioned mindfulness!

@PollyCreo I always assume anyone else running is enjoying it, and wonder what is going through their head, hence my OP! At least you’re beating everyone that’s sat on a sofa smashing chips down their gob.

@idril I don’t see the point of doing lots of races. Realistically, I’m not going to get much faster and win any medals even if I flogged myself. I’m just the wrong shape for running fast. If I want to run 5k or 10k I can go and do it for free, without having to drive anywhere at daft times in the morning (did enough of that for rowing!) or spend the night in a hotel and have to arrange for someone to look after the cat. Maybe it’s different if you’ve got someone to go with but I haven’t.

Saying that, I am entered in the Tissington half marathon later this year which is my current motivation for running. It is reasonably local and flat, slightly downhill even!

I think if you don’t like it after all this time you probably never will.
Running is so boring to me. The only time I’ve ever remotely found a grain of interest was a kind of couch to 5k running club for women and every week was varied but once we’d done the 5k we had to move on to just running and it was boring again.
DH thinks I’m odd because while I love watching people run races and actually get quite emotional about it, for myself I’m not competitive at all. I don’t care about going faster or further or experience any kind of good mood afterwards. I hated Park run and running in an event myself having people cheer me on and take photos was mortifying.
I do wish I loved it though because it’s cheap and you can just go without a faff.

I love that I CAN run. I certainly don't love running. I do enjoy a chatty run with friends and the friends I've made through running are not people I'd otherwise have found. And it's great for my MH, I appreciate that about it.

I go the gym 3 times a week. I don't love it, don't believe I ever will. I just do it. I think you just accept that you don't love it.

People like you are my inspiration. One of my regular running friends is a 70+ man, older than my dad. Much speedier than the women he choses to train with but great company. I want to age like that

I know it's a different activity really, but I hate running and I love walking. Walking is actually pretty good for you, especially once you get over 15mins or so, so I've just embraced I'm not a runner.

I can go on long walks and really enjoy my books and scenery. Doing the same run, I'd literally be thinking 'Oh I hate this' and 'now I've come this far, I've got to run this far back, damn it'.

I run. I hate it. The only good part about it is when you stop at the end. I also quite like that kind of self satisfied glow you get from actually going out and doing the bastardising thing. The only reason I do it is because it's the cheapest and most effective way of staying fit, for me anyway.

Maybe you're not doing it right. You need to tell at least 50 people a day that you're running, and go into particular detail about where you've run, times, and your progress.

There's a saying that you'll know a runner from a mile away as they'll tell you about it... like vegans.

This actually comes from my partner, who IS a runner, and it's so true!

Also, I'd take some nice pictures of your toes. You'll probably never see them again :).

I am that rare and annoying person who genuinely does enjoy running. There's something satisfying in being able to move through the world under my own power and time to myself is precious. Getting pace right is important as lots of people go too fast for them - I enjoy doing easy pace bumbling along but also enjoy 20sec bursts of going as fast as I can. I don't enjoy longer hard efforts while doing them though, that's definitely just type 2 fun! It's worth looking for different running clubs as you may find one that suits your pace. I also love a good podcast or audio book.

But I think the one thing that makes a run most special is getting out on trails. I've discovered some beautiful places near me that I had never found before I started running. Heading up through the fields with skylarks singing, through a wood glorious with spring leaves and bluebells, or running beside the sea or a lovely river is heaven. The moment I turn off the streets into somewhere green I feel my mind and body relax and I come back refreshed and restored.

Just out of interest how long do you enjoy bumbling along? Would you enjoy it for a marathon?

I do enjoy a Z2 pace but only up to 10 k ish. Then I start to feel tired. And stop enjoying!!

The first marathon I did (trail) I took at a comfortable-for-me pace and enjoyed almost all of it (bar a stretch of shingle which was just cruel!). I did Manchester a fortnight ago and enjoyed most of the first half but was pushing too hard in the heat and found the second half really hard going and far less enjoyable. I also prefer trail to city streets - the support in city marathons is nice but ithe scenery doesn't have the variety of trail.

I ran in my 40’s. Thought I was very slow (34 minute park run). Didn’t enjoy it. But stopped when I got injured. Have tried to start a few times and again had to stop due to injuries. I have now completed c25k in my 50’s and am running incredibly slowly and haven’t yet got to 5k (and if I did it would take me 50 minutes!). But I am enjoying it because I have taken all pressure off myself. I run because it’s good to supplement the other things I do, it’s the best way to build cardio fitness. I am proud of myself for being oldish, unfit and overweight & now beibg able to run for 30-40 mins without stopping. That is enough.

Just hope I don’t get injured (bad biomechanics). But I am also taking time off at the slightest niggle as I reckon my body probably doesn’t like being pushed too hard.

The weather also plays a big part for me. I went out this morning and wasn’t actively looking for excuses not to go, all because it is warm-ish and sunny. I did make the conscious decision to run on a treadmill over last winter instead of trying to force myself out into the cold, wet dark.

Though I hate running, this thread is having the perverse effect of making me want to do it again! Knowing that other people hate it too, and you're not all the bouncy ponytailed non-sweary sort who overtake me as I gallumph my heft along, gasping.

Need a mumsnet grumpy runners club 😂

Get a treadmill!
I’m also not in love with running but, like you, feel a massive sense of achievement when I’ve finished one.
I just ran for 6km (I’m a beginner) in the Easter Islands. By this I mean that, as I run, I’m following a trainer on the screen who is talking about the island and it’s history, the statues and everything that he sees and comes into contact with as he completes the route.
It’s a great distraction.

Not everyone is going to love running.

I used to run and also never loved it. I would tell my younger self not to bother running tbh.
I do enjoy cycling and swimming and used to enjoy tennis .

I feel there is a cult of running with every other celeb a runner etc etc, but its not all that.

We can get t-shirts!