How to like running?

Question

I'm going to be running a lot the next few weeks, and i absolutely HATE it. i try to keep my mind off the work, but i can't stop thinking about how miserable i am. Music helps a bit, but i still hate it so much and therefore have difficulty being motivated to keep going. Field hockey tryouts are soon and i need to be able to run. So please give me advice!

Answer 1

I would suggest running with a friend so you can talk while exercising.

Also running with music helps.  Nothing like some good music with a good beat to get you moving.  

Also maybe you can make a game of it by doing intervals.  Maybe you can run faster for 30 seconds to a minute and then jog and enjoy the scenery for 2 minutes and then go back to running fast and then slow again.

Also, it's important to be realistic with your goals.  Try to look at it as improving slowly week to week and give your body a chance to adapt to it.  If it's a new exercise, it will hurt at first but as your body gets used to it, it will be easier and then you will really enjoy the fun and peacefulness that you can get from running.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Running definitely flies by when you're accompanied with a friend. It's great to simply spend some time with that person, talking and encouraging each other. What also helps make running enjoyable is the scenery. Mix it up! Run at a park, explore with a friend, run at the beach before hitting the water. Don't force yourself to like it; wait patiently and things will get easier. Good luck at your hockey tryouts!

Answer 3

First off, great question.  I absolutely love it.

for my answer:

Running is a hard thing to grow to like, let alone love.  In fact, i used to hate, no, despise running.  There are a few ways to get over this.

First, as you've found, there's music.  on a competitive team, there's no place for this, but for a casual runner, there's nothing better.  Music can help take your mind off of it, help push you with it's beat, and just make you happier if you love the song.

Next, there's the "training buddy", or a good friend.  Its always more fun to run trails or roads with someone else.  You can talk about anything, be it how much you hate the run, what tv shows are good, what music you want to listen to, nothing at all, or (in the case of me and one other guy on my team), pretend to be a band and "play" (sing) the parts.

let's see, what else is there?  Ah, time and distance!  A lot of people, myself included, can't stand to just run for the sake of running.  So, what I do is plan ahead.  I'm going to do a long run today, because it helps my endurance for the race.  I'll run 20 minutes today to recover from yesterday.  I'll run a certain workout because it will help the end of my races.  Having a reason to run helps.

Make sure your shoes are good for running as well.  Even if you aren't a runner, trying to run in your daily sneakers will be painful.  They'll most likely either not running sneakers, or worn in so that the cushion in them is not comfortable.  This leads to you feeling any rock you step on, and let's face it; that is NOT fun.

Hope this helps!  feel free to contact me for any reason at all

~abab

Answer 4

It will keep your body very healthy, especially your heart

Answer 5

Maybe you should try running with a freind.  You'd have someone to talk to and keep you running.

Answer 6

Just keep doing it! You'll eventually like it! It happened to me.  

Answer 7

Find a running partner. It always is funner!

Talk about whatever you want. Or maybe you can run to a friend's house, or jog past popular hang outs hoping to see one of your friends.

Answer 8

Why don't you try something different to get fit.

Swimming is really good alternative. Cycling is not bad but you should really work hard on the bike. I have found aqua-jogging a good equvalent to running, but if can be a bit boring.

Cross country skiing is the best in the off-season.

Given that you are a field hockey player, it is generally an aerobic sport with some sprints.

You could try some sprint training to break up the effect of continuous running. Say running around a golf course and running hard up the hills, jog the flat, stride out down easy hills - have some fun.

You could do 400m repeats where you jog 400, then run 400 faster than your normal running speed. You could modify this to include 50m, 100m, 200m & 400m etc