Why Do I Never Enjoy Running? (Page 3)

I was lucky. In HS my friends got me to join the XC team with them. Like most people I asked "Run for fun? Why?" Went to practices, trained. Wasn't great. Then there was a 5K/10K race in town. I used to joke that the XC races weren't long enough for me. I would be tired at the end, but 15 minutes later I would get a major endorphin kick and be super hyper. So after never running more than 3-4 miles on a slow long run I signed up for the 10K to prove my theory. Ran the race at a faster pace than my 2 mile XC races (just over 40 minutes and won the 14-18 AG as a 14 year old).

Only thing I hate now is that the 14 year old version of myself could whoop my butt (moral of the story, don't get lazy in college and then get injured)

Probably nothing anyone hasn't already said, but.....

*Ditch the gadgets--Garmin, the heart rate monitor, even the watch if you want, at least sometimes. Just run by feel, either a known distance at a pace that is comfortable, or a set time on a random route.

*Find somewhere nice to run if possible. Depends on you. Park? Trails? Nice residential neighborhood? Run to a goal like a coffee shop? I know for me, traffic and treadmills are real energy-drainers; I love wood chip trails through the forest.  I also don't like running where there will be a lot of faster runners and I feel like I have to speed up. (There are a lot of fast runners in my hometown, so it's an issue!)

*Maybe reward yourself with something (healthy) you like at the end (within reason). A swim, a smoothie, a nice cold beer.

*Don't expect to enjoy it every time out. Until your body adapts to it, you might not enjoy it much at all. Just accept that.  Like others have said, there's a transition, sometimes a long one, when getting back into shape.  Do it sensibly and expect it to hurt a bit. Even when you're in good shape, not every run is fun, and some are downright awful. After thirty years of running, honestly, I really enjoy maybe one in five to ten. With the others, I usually feel satisfied when I'm done, okay during, and thankful for the peace and quiet, but it's nothing transcendant. Some days I'm tired and my legs feel dead from work or other training, or chronic injury issues flare up and make it less than fun.  Occasionally for one reason or another it's just horrible and an exercise in HTFU. It's just part of my day, like teaching my students and brushing my teeth. But I really miss it when it's not there.

I enjoy running.  Always have.  It was my first LOF since I was in grade school.
Now, if you enjoy swimming, then tell you what - you send me your positive vibes to help me enjoy swimming and I'll send you my positive vibes of my enjoyment of running and then we'll each enjoy them both!  Sound like a plan?

Yes, this. I get choked up when I read that! That's how strongly those feelings are imprinted on my brain and why running is so important to me.

Do I always love it while I'm out there doing it? No. Sometimes it is not fun at all, sometimes it is like torture. But I still love it because of the potential for that blissful feeling.

Oh, and the runners' afterglow is nice, too.

I love to run.  My guess is you are pushing too hard?  I'd second what another poster said and leave all the electronics at home and actually just go out and take a nice *easy* run.  Walk if you get breathless, and go someplace peaceful and quiet.  I love nothing more than an early morning run down the canal bank, just me and the ducks and the occasional dog-walker.

That said, the above will not get you faster   It's about balance, if you really want to enjoy it.

Me, on the other hand, hate the swim.  But that is primarily because I suck at it.  I suspect I suck at the bike as well, but I don't know enough yet to know I suck, so I'm still enjoying that part!

loose weight run more it will get easier but its not a sport for everyone.

i can run but its one of the least enjoyable activities i can think of.  personally i find NOTHING enjoyable about running. there was a moment or two of runners high but that was it.  hate is too strong a word.  there is just no enjoyment out of it.

however when i lost weight went below 165 lbs (i am 6'1) it became EASIER, i was faster but it was still a chore.  i much rather swim and bike. 

hence i quit and started cycling 7 times a week. 

This thread continues to be on my mind and I did a lot of thinking about it on today's run.  I had 7 miles to do and my group was meeting in a location that set me up to go for a run on a trail that has been my nemesis for a long time.  Every single run I'd had for the last year plus on that trail had gone poorly.  And I have a race on it September 3rd.  I started the run with a lot of self doubt but as it progressed I felt better and better and I was getting so freaking excited that it was going so well that I was feeding off of it.  By the time I topped the last hill (this is a course with a big hill to start, then down a creek grade, then turn and come back up the creek grade and back over the hill again) I was so stoked that I caught myself punching the air in victory.  

So how does this relate?  I realized that I went into today's run so determined for it to go well that it simply did.  Mind over matter.  I think many (not all) of you who say you hate running would do yourself a world of good to just quit going out for a run thinking you hate it and just go run.  Open your mind to the freedom, peace and power that running brings many of us and I hope you'll find it can do the same for you.  

I love running, especially trail running.  I even love running on the dreadmill, that's how much I love running.  I love the #s and consistency of my treadmill pace workouts (I own a treadmill).

I love biking.  I smile when I even think about it.

My motto with swimming: "If you haven't learned to do something well, at least learn to enjoy doing it poorly."

Wish I could find the love in swimming.  I tried many many years ago - even swam over 10K a week for 12 months and still didn't find it.  So now I swim only 2-3 DPW.   But it's okay!  You don't have to LOVE all three sports, you just have to do them.

Andi

I have been following this for a few days now and my view is a little different. I have always hated to run. When I decided to do triathlons I was VERY worried about the running. I tried running in the park, running on jogging trails, running on the street, running out in the middle of nowhere. Hated them all. I would find myself slowing down, speeding up, slowing down. My heart rate would spike and I could never get into a groove.

Then I discovered the treadmill. I know the dreaded treadmill. Now I run 100% of the time on the treadmill. I can let the machine control pace. I don't have to focus on the road ahead. I can just zone out and run. This has been my program all this year. The only outside runs I have done have been at races. ALL PR's. I can go and do an hour and a half on the treadmill and almost enjoy it.

My advice. Zone out and let the machine take you at a nice slow pace.

^^^

Awesome post! Running can be so uplifting (but sometimes its a real love/hate relationship).

omg the only thing I can think of worse than running is running on the dreadmill!!!!

Wow, that is powerful.  And I can see how effective it can be.  When my 23 year old cousin passed suddenly almost 2 years ago I had just joined a running group 2 weeks before hoping to like running one day.  Their friendship and support in both my personal life and in running is part of what got me through those dark times.  I remember how life affirming every step, every breath was.  I truly believe there was a higher power that pushed me to the group just before her death enabling me to find the relief I did in running.  

You learn to love running by actually running. Your logs are either woefully incomplete, or you do so little running as to be non-existent.

I was a lifelong hater of running. It was not something I enjoyed, so it wasn't something I did. One year to maintain some hard gained fitness when I was almost 45, I started running. Hated it, but kept doing it to keep my fitness. Gradually, the more I did it the more I started liking it. I just kinda dinked around for a few years with no real purpose.

Then I started setting some running goals. They were personal and mostly based on seeing how much I could do in a week/month/year. I went from running a couple hundred miles in a year to over 3100 miles last year. This year my goal is to run every day. Along the way all that running helped improve my race times and results - and that made it even more fun.

Get out there and do it. Challenge yourself to run 500/1000/2000 miles in a year. See if you feel different after you actually do it.

When I was a kid I planned to run from San Francisco to Miami, but it never happened

I will say its odd and somewhat odd that so many people dislike at least one aspect of triathlon;  all 3 sports alone have alot to offer.  I think I'd rather be 'chicked' than passed by someone who doesn't even like running!

That right there is partly why i dont like running, too much time with just my own thoughts drives me mad (i'm hanging out for my new phone armband to hurry up and arrive from Hong Kong so I can listen to some tunes whilst i run). My own thoughts are my own worst enemy.

Cycling on the hand i find so relaxing and unwinding and my thoughts dont get in the way. With swimming i'm too focused on my stroke or i'll drown (really not a good swimmer lol).

I use to hate running because my fitness wasnt there and i just couldnt seem to run very far. Now that i've been working on it over winter in prep for my first City to Surf I am growing to enjoy the endurance of it and the freedom. But my own thoughts are an absolute killer.

Nothing.

You like movies and ice cream and long walks on the beach and bike rides and bench press. You don't like running. Pretty simple.

If we all liked the same things, the world would be a boring place, no?