Running...anyone?

[Nick]

I have run hills, including the boston marathon twice I still run, I just did five miles on Saturday. But I still don't get the same benefits (even close) as I do with p90x. I do love running though. It's just, if it's my only thing I don't make much progress .

 

[skiNEwhere]

How do you make running enjoyable??? That's the $1,000,000 question for me. I do it, but I hate it! Listening to music helps, marginally at best though

 

[hammer]

How do you make running enjoyable??? That's the $1,000,000 question for me. I do it, but I hate it! Listening to music helps, marginally at best though

Best advice I have is to mix it up, try to run different routes each time. Also realize that some days will feel good (especially a cool morning like today in NE...nice conditions to push the pace), some days will be just OK, and some days will just plain suck.

 

[moresnow]

How do you make running enjoyable??? That's the $1,000,000 question for me. I do it, but I hate it! Listening to music helps, marginally at best though

Stay off the roads, run trails.

 

[skiNEwhere]

Been doing that, sort of. Running dirt roads

 

[moresnow]

Been doing that, sort of. Running dirt roads

Meh. For me that counts as a road. Run a trail you would hike. I find that much more interesting because it forces you to focus on the terrain. Not much time to be bored because if you stop paying attention the trail has a way of reminding you.

 

[Nick]

Running on dirt roads is OK too. the scenery is usually better than the paved paths.

I think you burn more calories on actual trails as you need to expend some extra effort with adjusting your gait depending on where you want your foot to land. It's not as rythmic as a road.

 

[xwhaler]

So I've been running a few times/week since 4th of July wknd and along with cutting out the beer during the week I've managed to lose 10 lbs.
I'd like to keep at the running but with the days getting shorter its a challenge to run after work...especially on the 3 days/wk my wife works and I need to watch my son until she gets home (7ish)

I really want to continue with it but am worried that once its too dark I will not be motivated to drive back out to the gym and run on a boring treadmill. Do folks run at night outside?
I know in cities where its well lit they probably do but I'm in rural NH and I dont think it would be the smartest idea even if I got a small blinking light to attach to my waist.

Maybe I can run in the AM before work? However that poses the same issue where it doesnt get light until after 6:30 and sunset is before 6 at night. My standard work day is 7:30-5 ish with a nearly 1 hour commute on either end so doesnt leave much daylight.

Suppose I'll need to either suck up the treadmill or run just on wknds.

 

[hammer]

Maybe I can run in the AM before work? However that poses the same issue where it doesnt get light until after 6:30 and sunset is before 6 at night. My standard work day is 7:30-5 ish with a nearly 1 hour commute on either end so doesnt leave much daylight.

Hear you on the morning daylight issue. I'm a morning runner but I have a flexible work schedule, I can do work from home and show up in the office later. Daylight does become an issue later in the fall and through the winter months, although in the winter for me the bigger issues are the cold (below 20 degrees is tough) and snow (blocks route and forces me on a main road).

How many days do you go out? Can you run shorter distances/times in the week and leave longer runs for the weekends?

 

[xwhaler]

I've been trying my best to get out 3x week but have only been running 3-4 miles each time. I'm trying to work myself back into running somewhat conservatively to avoid injury/burn-out.

 

[hammer]

I've been trying my best to get out 3x week but have only been running 3-4 miles each time. I'm trying to work myself back into running somewhat conservatively to avoid injury/burn-out.

All good...you can always put in shorter runs in the week and make the weekend run a longer one, just force yourself to go slower (I know, easier said than done). I find I get a lot of useful conditioning when I stretch the time spent on a long weekend run.

 

[HD333]

I am on day 2 of a couch to 5k program. I gotta say, running sucks!

 

[Nick]

I like it. With running you have to put your mind elsewhere. It's sort of zen-like for me. I kind of just focus on feet hitting the ground for 30 - 45 minutes or however long I go. If I actually think about the running it gets exhausting, lol.

I did 6.5 miles last Saturday which is the furthest I've run in about a year when I did an 8 miler. Just felt really good.

 

[gmcunni]

if i could lose 40 pounds the running would be a lot easier

 

[hammer]

I like it. With running you have to put your mind elsewhere. It's sort of zen-like for me. I kind of just focus on feet hitting the ground for 30 - 45 minutes or however long I go. If I actually think about the running it gets exhausting, lol.

I did 6.5 miles last Saturday which is the furthest I've run in about a year when I did an 8 miler. Just felt really good.

Doing that plus the P90? Nice...

I've cut back since the HM, long run last weekend was just over 10 miles but this weekend I think I'll scale it back to the length of my regular runs which have been at about 7 miles or so. I'm running a 10K race in 3 weeks and I don't want to short change myself. Figure if I keep the conditioning up I'll be able to run a strong race without getting hurt like I did last year.

 

[hammer]

I am on day 2 of a couch to 5k program. I gotta say, running sucks!

When I started up a few years ago I thought the same thing. If you keep it up long enough and avoid injury it does get easier...but the initial adjustment is though.

 

[goldsbar]

How do you make running enjoyable??? That's the $1,000,000 question for me. I do it, but I hate it! Listening to music helps, marginally at best though

It took me 20 years of on and off trying (tons of cycling in between), but I finally like it. Just ran my first marathon and qualified for Boston. Don't plan on running many more marathons, though. Training gets grueling and I only went up to 50mpw for a couple of weeks.

Best thing is to go out with some sort of plan. Don't just run the same speed all of the time. Even if you just do a few strides, it makes it a lot better. For example, instead of just running 5 miles at a modest pace, mix in 5 sub-max 100 meter dashes. Next time do twenty minutes hard and the rest of the run super easy. Stuff like that will both make you faster and make it more interesting.

Finally, running is not the end all of fitness. It does nothing for strength or general posture. The older runner-only types never seem to look that good.

 

[hammer]

Finished off 2015 with just over 750 miles total distance, ran a total of 5 races (3 5Ks, 2 10Ks). Was up to a bit over 25 mpw in August and September in preparation for a 10K which was about as much as I cared to do. Only PR was in a 5K in November but that time was slower than 5K splits I've had on past 10K races.

Been struggling with trying to go faster...can go a good distance if I go slow but I still feel like my 5K pace isn't all that fast. Would most likely have to run more often but even at 4x a week it was getting old after a while. Might have helped to start up when I was younger...

Cold temps and ice will likely force me to scale back for a while.

 

[bigbog]

In the early AM it's somewhere in between a walk and jog, at short intervals, right now...

 

[jonsnow20]

Running? Always up for it! I’ve been running daily, but with winter coming, it’s getting harder. Mornings are tough to wake up, and my evenings are packed with sports activities.