Growing up, my dad would take my siblings and me for a “family” run. He would sign me up for races without my opinion. Somewhere in his mind, he probably thought I would become the Mexican version of Steve Prefontaine. For these reasons, I hated running. Now, in my 40’s I love running.
The best way to fall in love with running is to find a running buddy. Start by doing walking-running routines that are easy and pleasurable. Always start slow and increase your pace or intensity as you get better and stronger. If road running is boring, go to your nearest National Park or look for the nearest single-track and run in the woods. Make it fun and exciting by incorporating bodyweight obstacles into every run. Leave your running watch at home, at this point do not worry about time.
If you are reading this article, obviously, running is in your mind. You might need to stop and think about the “why” you feel this unexpected desire to begin running. After all, you hate running. Why do I even want to try it? I have been in your shoes, and I can relate. Hopefully, this post will give helpful tips and ideas on how to fall in love with running.
I hate running
Why do you hate running? These would be my first questions if you and I were having a conversation and the topic of running came up. I would be curious to know why do you hate running so much. Perhaps you believe running is too hard, bad knees, running funny; my sister did run funny.
As I mentioned before, I “hated” running as a young child. As an adult looking back, I believe I hated running because I related running with deeper negative feelings.
You see, the “family” runs were training drills for running competitions. My dad was all about running to perform, and pushing us to be better at running was his main priority. Looking back, I now appreciate what my dad was trying to do. I couldn’t see it at the time.
I remember doing good in my “training runs.” However, when competition day came, I would crack under pressure and lost every match. So, I associated running with losing, and that created another negative emotion.
Do an honest soul searching and ask the “why” do you hate running so much. This simple question/ answer duo will help you tremendously to unearth something more profound than “I am not a runner.”
Things to do while running
It is incredible how we can find ways to trick our brains into liking something. You can use a few tricks as you begin your running journey to make running much more manageable. Here, the critical element is that you must be willing to give running an honest try.
I want to share a few tricks I have tried over the years to make my running days more enjoyable. If you give these tips a try and stick to them, running will become second nature and more enjoyable.
Run in the woods.
At the top of my list is running in the mountains on a single track. When I restarted my wellness journey, I did all my runs on the street or paved greenways. For me, it was the most convenient and the fastest way to get my running in.
However, I founded running on the rod to be boring and monotonous. I want my running experience to be pleasant and joyful. It wasn’t until I ran my first obstacle course race that I realize how much I loved running on rugged terrain.
From that point on, I quickly switch from running on the road to running in the mountains. And I haven’t looked back. Sure, some days, because of time constrain, I have to run on the road. Now, these road-runs are very few.
I am also very fortunate to live in a location where singletrack options abound. As I mentioned before, go to the website, do a quick search for your nearest National Park, and run in the woods.
Get Creative
Another trick that has worked wonders for me to make running more exciting has been stopping every half a mile and perform a bodyweight exercise. You can do your normal push-ups, situps, burpees, or broad jumps. You keep running after finishing the exercise set.
This running/ exercise routine is great to keep you engaged, keep things exciting, and a great workout, especially if you are training for an obstacle course race.
Plug your ears
Not always the best option. As you are running, you want to be present as much as possible. Especially if you are running on the road and crossing streets, you should always be able to listen for cars. However, listening to your favorite podcast or audiobook can help you pass the time and mentally help you with your run until you are ready to run without distractions.
I know David Goggins will disagree with me on this one. But if you are reading thus far, you are seriously considering running as a hobby/ sport activity. In my opinion, do whatever it takes to get you started and moving.
There were times when I had to do 20-22 miles training runs. Sometimes I hated those long runs, especially during the pandemic where running with a partner was not ideal.
This is when listening to your favorite podcast can work wonders and help you in those days when you are just not feeling it. Listening to someone helped me overcome the mental hurdle of running for that long and by myself.
I recommend the following three top podcasts: The Joe Rogan Experience with Joe Rogan. Rock your Brand with Scott Voelker and Smart Passive income with Pat Flynn.
As for audiobooks, I highly recommend ” How to win friends and influencing people in the digital age” and ” The alter Ego.” These two are great reads.
Does running gets easier?
We tend to master the things we do repetitively. And running is not an exception. Without a doubt, with time and dedication, you will eventually get better and more efficient at running. You will be more in the mood and excited when you have a running day coming up.
We all know running is hard on the body. But if you run smart, start slow, and slowly increase your runs’ intensity, you will be okay. Your body will adapt to the rigors of running and you will become stronger and more efficient.
Something that hurt me when I started my running journey was to start too hard. Every run, for me, was a hard run. I had to go as hard and fast as possible. Stupid stuff like this is what gets you in trouble mentally and physically.
Again, to avoid injuries and mental burnout, start slow, take your time and enjoy your runs—no expectation or pressure.
” Repetition makes Perfect “
DeAndre Hopkins
Why should I love running?
I am not going to expand on the benefits of running. You can go to this website to read about the benefits of running. You can also go to this website
and read about some of the adverse effects of running.
Remember, this is my personal opinion, and it’s coming from someone who hated running for many years. I was also overweight, so running was hard on my body. But I knew I had to do something to get back in shape. So running became the “thing” that helped me to get in shape and improved my life in the process.
Mental Toughness.
Plain and simple, running and activities related to running have pushed me way over my comfort zone. I have overcome mental and physical challenges through running that I had never thought possible before. I remember running my first Spartan “Beast,” (a half marathon with 20 plus military obstacles).
This race took place in November, under freezing conditions. I remember crossing the first race’s obstacle, which happens to be an obstacle-filled with freezing water up to my waist. Now I realize five minutes into my run that I am wet, freezing, and running in 34-36 degree weather. And I have 12 more miles and 19 obstacles to go to complete this challenge.
For a fraction of a second, I felt sorry for myself, and I thought, what have I gotten myself into? Up to that point, I had never experienced anything like that. Fortunately, I had my friend running next to me. We pushed through the discomfort and completed the race!
Discipline
I had signed up for one of my toughest races yet. The Spartan “Ultra Beast” is a 50K with 60 plus military obstacles.
This race takes place in Killington, Vermont, hard as hell. The completion rate at the time was 50%.
I had never trained for something of this magnitude. But I knew I did not want to be part of DNF’s. So for seven months, I trained like a man with a purpose. I changed my diet, implemented rigorous healthy habits, really long runs on the weekends, and slept better.
It was hard to maintain this rhythm over seven months. I was surprised and proud of myself for sticking with this hard-to-follow self-imposed program.
On race day, after being in the Killington mountains for 12 straight hours, from daylight to sundown. I finished my race. That has been one of my proudest moments. It was a real-life experience of how my discipline and dedication paid off and helped me be mentally and physically prepared to conquer this challenge.
Get your body moving.
If you hate running, no hard feelings, I do hate it myself sometimes. My recommendation for you is, if you are not an active individual, to pick up a sport or activity that will get your body moving and that challenges you physically and mentally.
Some activities that you can do without having to run are Obstacle Course Races. Click here to read my latest post on the best mud runs to try in 2021. Spartan, Rugged Maniac, Savage Race all have fun and challenging events that you can complete without running.
You can always get into road biking or mountain biking. HIIT workouts are great to get your body moving, burning calories, and they do not take a long time. I sometimes do 15-20 min of these workouts, and they are all good.
Conclusion
I have laid out the reason why I hate running. And why, I love running so much now. The idea here is to encourage anyone reading this post to consider running as your new sport or activity. However, my main goal is to push you to find a workout, an activity that you enjoy and love doing. Stay active, my friends.
