Would it be fun to run?
in Blogs
By Jamie
I weighed in at 225 this morning, a loss of one pound, but my measurements are all the same as last week. I’m not sure what that means. Was it a phantom pound? Did I lose it from a place I don’t happen to be measuring? Like my knees? I guess it doesn’t really matter, a lower number is a lower number and I’m not about to complain about that.
Things are going to get a little tougher for me because due to financial cutbacks in our household, I’ve decided not to renew my gym membership which expired this week. My plan is to continue to walk the dog in the mornings, and now that the weather is getting better, I’ll be taking the boys to the park more often, my plan is to walk for 30-45 minutes (or however long I can before the boys start going crazy in the stroller) before I set them loose on the playground. My mother was also kind enough to give me her treadmill. I’m hoping that all the walking and doing 30 Day Shred a few times a week, I’ll be able to stay as motivated in my exercise as I have been.
The thing is, one of the main reasons I’ve been so motivated to go to the gym is because it was MY time. It was an hour out of the day just for me. I looked forward to that hour every day. Now, instead of looking at my workout as a break from kids and housework, it’s something I have to work in to my schedule. I’m worried that instead of being enjoyable me-time, it will be stressful and easier for me to skip out on.
We’re putting the treadmill in a room in the basement, along with a TV and DVD player so I can do 30DS in the same room. The idea is that room will become “the gym” and no one is allowed to come in while I’m working out so I can keep that me-time and my motivation.
Another thing I’ve been thinking about to help keep me motivated is training to run a 5k. Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do? Loose weight and then run a 5k? Everyone I know who’s lost weight has a picture themselves with a number pinned to their chest crossing the finish line of some 5k or 10k race. I’ve walked a 5k, that’s easy, but I can barely get a block away from my house at a slow jog without feeling like my lungs are going to explode. It seems to me that if I can get myself to the point where I can run a 5k, that would be quantifiable progress toward my fitness goal.
The problem is, I truly, deeply, with all of my heart and soul, hate running. Unless I’m being chased by a bear, it seems to be an utterly pointless activity. I see people jogging around town and I think they must be crazy. To run for FUN? Huh? I don’t get it, but I think I’ll give it a try anyway. So what say you? Any runners out there? How does someone like me start out? Aside from doubling up on my sports bras (to minimize bounceage) and finding some good jogging music, I’m at a loss as to where to begin. Obviously I want to minimize the chance of injury if at all possible. Do I just run until I can’t run anymore and collapse, hoping to make it further next time? At some point will endorphins kick in and make it so I don’t hate running with the fire of a thousand suns?
March 2nd, 2009 at 4:47 pm
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml – the best plan going. It’s called Couch to 5k.
March 2nd, 2009 at 5:04 pm
I was just going to recommend the couch to 5k.
March 2nd, 2009 at 5:39 pm
Running is hard at first, but after awhile you will love it and wonder why you never did! That is what happened to me
I always recommend the “6 weeks to a 5k” program – you can search for it on the fitness magazine website. It starts off nice and easy.
And you should do a 5k! You’ll feel so proud of yourself when you cross the finsih line!
Good luck
March 2nd, 2009 at 5:46 pm
I started the couch to 5k last summer when I hated running. Now I love running so much, I’ll do it in the snow. I recommend using podcasts, like these: http://www.ullreys.com/robert/Podcasts/
It starts out slow – in the beginning you aren’t running for more than 30 seconds at a time, so there is less of a mental hurdle. My two tips: Don’t try to do more than the schedule tells you to do. Get too cocky, and it will bite you in the ass. Also, if you can find time, I like running outside much better than a treadmill. You can look at stuff. Although, I guess running on a treadmill in front of a tv would be fun, too.
March 2nd, 2009 at 6:18 pm
I agree with the Couch to 5k recommendation as well as using the podcasts. I checked into the program and found it to be kind of a pain to time myself through all of the intervals, but then I found the podcasts that Sally mentioned and it was so much easier. You just listen to the guy talking and he tells you when to speed up and slow down and also includes some motivational “your doing great” stuff. I can’t say that I love his choice of music, but at least he takes all of the work out of the program. Just turn it on and follow the instructions. Good luck!
March 2nd, 2009 at 6:32 pm
I was ALSO going to recommend the Couch to 5K. I hate running, personally, but I find Carrie’s weight-loss/running story so inspiring: http://www.redhairedgirl.com/main/how-i-lost-the-weight/
March 2nd, 2009 at 6:41 pm
I used to hate running and I remember seeing people run and was so glad I wasn’t them. It seemed like tortuous craziness.
Last May I started running, spurred on for some reason by a local anchorwoman who was training for a 5K. DoctorMama
http://doctormama.blogspot.com/
also provided some good advice for starting: go really really really slow at first. Like, run slower than you might even walk! It worked for me. I’ve been running for almost a year now and still rarely go more than 4 miles but I love it. I’m so happy to be a runner now. Get good shoes and tunes if you like music. Runner’s World magazine is fun too. Good luck!
March 2nd, 2009 at 7:26 pm
I have to second Doctor Mama. I’m pretty sure she wrote the perfect start-to-run guide. Here’s the direct link:
http://doctormama.blogspot.com/2006/05/listen-up-maggots.html
I’m another one who hated running but loves it now. It’s become my personal definition of “me time.”
March 2nd, 2009 at 7:50 pm
Oh, and while I’m at it: this post, about weight and running, should really be required reading for everyone:
http://doctormama.blogspot.com/2006/07/weighty-issue.html
Best of luck!
March 2nd, 2009 at 8:39 pm
I really hate running. REALLY HATE IT. I’ve decided to walk a half marathon instead. Prevention magazine has a easy program that I can stick to.
March 2nd, 2009 at 10:03 pm
I clicked over here to tell you to try the Couch to 5K program, but I guess so did everyone else! I enjoyed doing this program, and also thought using the podcasts made the whole program even that much simplier. Good luck!
March 3rd, 2009 at 3:42 am
I also used to HATE running. However, I wanted to really try it, so I signed up for a 5K. I also told everyone I knew that I was running a 5K (That way I couldn’t back out) I followed a training program from a fitness magazine and I trained all summer for it. I did it and I completed it without dying…which was my goal.
That was about 6 years ago and I still enjoy running today. Good luck!
March 3rd, 2009 at 5:51 am
I’ve always wanted to do a 5K too and I can run pretty decently on the treadmill. I can make like 2 miles before I die.
I’ve heard great things about the couch to 5K program and plan on starting it in the spring when I can run outside. I can’t breathe in the cold; I just can’t. I want to rip my lungs out and stomp on them.
If you try it before me, I’d be very interested to see how you do!
March 3rd, 2009 at 7:05 am
I just started training for my first 5k three weeks ago. I’m doing the couch-to-5k. I have never ever in my whole life been sporty or a runner; this is all new to me. I definitely LOATHE running on a treadmill, though! As boring as watching paint dry. My motivation shrivels up into nothing. Get outside and go!
The things that I would most recommend:
ONE good sports bra. I went to a sport supply store (it’s alled Academy Sports, but I don’t think they are everywhere) and purchased a sports bra that clasps in the back. I got the band and cup size MUCH smaller than my actual size – I wear a 34E, sports bra is a 32D. It has made running (and jumping jacks/jump rope with Jillian!) SO much better! That sports bra cost about $32, and was worth every penny.
If you have an IPod, get the Nike+ chip. It keeps track of your runs, calories burned, distance, etc. Lance Armstrong will come on and congratulate you for your longest run yet. The chip costs about $30, and you can buy a little pouch for it for under $10 (OR you can buy the Nike+ shoes for over $100…ew.) that you lace onto your shoe.
I think if I can do it, anyone can do it. I just decided one day that I really wanted to do *something*, and pinning a number to my shirt and crossing a finish line sounded great.
Oh – and if you really, really hate running, even after giving a training program an honest try? Most metro areas have bike races, too.
March 3rd, 2009 at 7:35 am
I am also an advocate of the couch to 5K program with Robert Ullrey’s podcasts. I highly recommend getting professionally fitted for running shoes at a real running store. The wrong shoes will cause you pain and make you want to quit running before you even start.
Once you train your body to run, you may even find that you enjoy it. I did the C25K two years ago and next month I am running in my first half marathon. You can do this!
March 3rd, 2009 at 7:47 am
Kudos to you for giving it a shot. But I say if you still hate it after a month or two, for the love of God, stop. You don’t have to do exercise you hate, and if you don’t like it in the end, there’s nothing wrong with that. The more you force yourself, the more you’ll associate fitness with misery, and the more likely you’ll be to stop eventually and get mad at yourself.
It may be that you hate it because you’re not good at it yet. If that’s the case, it probably will get way, way better once you get into it. If it’s the isolation you don’t like, maybe your city has a free jogging club with a beginner level?
March 3rd, 2009 at 10:21 am
Yes, Running can be fun!
Start with 1 min walking, 1 min running. Increase by 1 minute of running every week until you are at 1 minute of walking, 5 minutes of running.
As for the sports bra, wear two. Seriously I’m quite large chested and I run a lot of half marathons, two sports bras get me through. I wear them a little snug and that helps hold everything in place.
March 3rd, 2009 at 10:55 am
I love running and I hate running. I love how accomplished I feel when I finish a run, I love how alive I feel when I run, I love feeling my body work as an efficient machine, I love the challenge of running, I love how I have seen it change the shape of my body. I hate how it hurts, I hate gasping to breathe and feeling like I will never take a satisfying breath again (I have exercise-induced asthma), I hate how hard it is, I hate how effort-ful it feels, I hate (and love) pushing myself to run faster and for longer.
That all being said– go for it! Embrace the love and the hate! Just keep doing it! And do the interval thing– so many minutes running/so many minutes walking. After 6 months, I still do that. You’ll get faster and faster, both when you run and when you walk, and it’s easier on your body and your mind.
On the sports bra front– Moving Comfort Maia Bra is what you want. I was a 40DDD when I started running, and that bra strapped them right down. No bouncing! It’s actually like 2 bras in one. It does compress significantly, but without so much of the dreaded uniboob look. You will need to try on multiple sizes– my regular bra was a 40DDD, and I bought a 38D in the Maia (and it was *tight* but in a comforting way). They have also held up well, considering how much I have worn them.
Good luck to you!Keep us posted!
March 3rd, 2009 at 10:59 am
I see that people have already recommended DoctorMama, but definitely check out her site.
March 3rd, 2009 at 12:42 pm
I hated running too. Then after coming on here and reading all the BIM blogs, I decided to finally get off my duff and get in shape. That was on January 24th, and that same day I signed up to run the 5K in a local marathon on March 2nd. Did I mention I hated running? I started the Couch to 5K program, did the first 3 weeks on my treadmill (it’s easy to keep track of the intervals that way). Then on week 4 the weather was nice enough (60′s) to start jogging outside during my lunch hour using the podcasts. Six weeks into the program (I think it’s nine weeks total) I jogged/walked the 5K. Let me tell you…it was an EXHILARATING experience. Originally my goal was just to finish it, and then it was to finish it in less than an hour (because there’s a pretty steep climb uphill in the second mile, and I hadn’t done any hill-work in my training). My time was 34:19. I cannot even begin to tell you how amazed and proud of myself I was. Two days later and it still brings tears to my eyes thinking about what I accomplished. Last night I got back on the treadmill and completed my longest run to date, 20 minutes. I’m slow as heck, but I can’t believe I went from barely being able to jog 60 seconds to going for 20 minutes (and feeling like I could have kept going).
My next goal is a half (or full) marathon, which I’m in the process of signing up for. (yikes!!!)
I’ve started several exercise programs in the past, and then gave up after a week or two of not seeing results (weren’t they supposed to be immediate? what?). This is the longest I’ve ever been on any kind of fitness program, and I credit it solely to having that goal – running the 5K. Since you’ve had to give up your gym membership, I highly recommend signing up for a 5K. You don’t have to run the whole thing (I only jogged half of it), and it’s such an amazing feeling when you’re done. That high alone makes me understand why people get addicted to running.
Good luck to you!
March 3rd, 2009 at 2:44 pm
Oh, hi; you are me. I have walked two marathons but I loathe running. My husband decided that we were going to run a 5k this summer and I am preparing to start the couch to 5k program once it is warmer outside. I am so interested to read about your journey.
Thanks for sharing!
March 4th, 2009 at 10:55 am
Nothing makes you want to cry tears of pride over your own accomplishment like finishing a road race. The first road race I ever did was a 10k and I still mist up when I think back on how awesome it felt to cross that finish line (with a time of 53 minutes – not too shabby!). I used to HATE running but being able to comfortably run 5 miles became my holy grail of fitness and eventually I smashed that goal. Once your cardiovascular system gets used to the challenges of running it WILL become enjoyable or at least tolerable ; ) FWIW I am short and have stumpy legs and pathetic lungs but at one point I was running 12-13 miles for FUN in the Massachusetts winters. Seriously, if I can do it anyone can. Good luck!
P.S. an ipod with a great dance mix will get your blood pumping. PPS – get fitted for a good pair of running shoes at a specialty store.
March 4th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
I can really relate to this because I also hate running/jogging, but I do love walking. I’ve done the Couch to 5K thing on and off…my husband and I did it last summer, outside, but only on days we could squeeze it in.
Now I’ve been doing it regularly indoors, since we got our treadmill set up. But seriously, I’ve been doing it about 2 months and still haven’t gotten past week one (60 seconds jogging, 90 seconds walking) without feeling like I will die by the end of the 60 seconds. I always feel good when I’m done but I still haven’t gotten to the point where I’m enjoying running or it’s getting easier.
I’m still doing it but I think I may be one of those people that just can’t stand to jog. LOL