Running - WHY???

[lindata 1]

There are a lot of people in my peer group in town starting running, doing half marathons, etc. I really would like to be this type of person. It would be an amazing achievement. But try as I might I just can't get my head around the point of it all. Maybe it's my laziness factor. Maybe it's because I'm built for durability rather than speed. Ask me to pull weeds and dig out a garden all day I'll jump at it - but ask me to run around the block and you can forget it.

I'm trying to get my butt in gear and start going to the gym again. My body obviously needs it. But once again I have hit the wall in terms of wanting it enough. I'll regret it come bathing suit weather. What is the secret these people have, to go to the gym day after day, or to hit the pavement when it's raining and cold? I'd rather curl up under the covers with a good book. Anyone have any insight? November nymphs especially?

I'm so sick of this on again off again relationship I have with food and exercise. I'm an all or nothing sort of person, but unfortunately the going all out with eating right and exercising is happening fewer and farther in between.

[Jachut 487]

It took me six months to start to get into it, to really not have to dig deep to find the willpower to get out and run. I always liked it becuase of the huge achievement of acctually doing it and in my imagination, that was my goal. It wasnt to be thin, it was to be a runner. I was lucky I had memories of what a runners high feels like and i knew how absolutely exhilarating it would feel to run freely, without lugging the weight of a ten year old on my back.

But for a long time, it hurt, it was hard, it was embarrassing and the lure of the warm couch and TV was strong. I just figured this time was it, how bad did I want this? It was important to me.

also, I really find it weird that people would rather eat less and stay on a stricter diet than exercise. To me, exercise is not something you have to be doing all the time, it takes 40 minutes and its over and I told myself if I didnt have the willpower to do something for 40 minutes, then I might as well give up and stay fat. Having the willpower to stick to a diet is WAY harder!

Now, I simply love it. It is as necessary to my body as food, love, shelter. Its jsut somethign I do every day at one level and its also extraordinarily challenging on another, the lure of that half marathon, imagining the feeling of actually completing it, being in the crowd, being "normal", no better than normal because most people are home in bed too lazy to ever do a half marathon. Its just not difficult for me, its such a rewarding, worthwhile activity. The self esteem it gives you is amazing.

[L12 13]

I used to exercise a lot, and was very much into running; weight gain slowed me down then eventually stopped me due to pain and discomfort. But for me, it really gave me a lot of confidence and a sense of power and achievement. I would set goals for myself for how much I wanted to lift, how many reps, or the distance I wanted to run (I was never fast though--I'm built for endurance, not speed!). My biggest achievement was a half marathon. Besides being beneficial for my health, that's what it was--a way to strengthen myself inside and out, and to provide myself with a way to achieve if I just try. There aren't too many things in life that can give you that freedom and that kind of guarantee.

I dearly hope I can get back to that eventually. It was a good 50 lbs. ago that I had to stop even walking due to pain. I never felt better about myself than when I finished a good run.

[Jachut 487]

Yes, its positive affirmation time isnt it?

I've never been one for therapy and all that stuff. I just woudlnt do it. I dont feel I need it, and I dont feel there's a reason for every negative behaviour I practice. But I'm positive part of my success has been due to the fact that for an hour a day, I'm loving my body. I'm thinking about what it can do, how it is feeling, NOT how it looks. Whilst the battle to get your body to look the way you want is endless, you can get it to DO what you want with running (or any other sport you love). Its a matter of put in the work, put in the practice, you will get there. You have to start small, take baby steps, but it happens in the end.

But you must have that love for it. It was always there in me to do this, so perhaps running was right for ME, but maybe not for someone else. I dont know how you GET the love for exercise. For me it was sometihng that my weight held me back from but something I wanted to do. Not something I had to fight.

[L12 13]

You know, I didn't get motivated to begin to run by running itself. I actually never ran until about age 25; I thought I wasn't good at it (which was sort of true!). All through school, gym teachers would introduce running by having everyone get out there and run a mile. YUCK! I couldn't run it all and had to walk some, and was very slow. Teachers made me feel like crap for it, so I thought I just wasn't able to run. I had no idea that THAT wasn't the way to begin running!

But in 1999 my then boyfriend/now husband trained for and ran the Chicago marathon. I sat at the finish line and waited for him for hours. I also watched thousands of other runners finish, some graceful, many more awkward, all ages and sizes, and MANY more slow runners than fast. And I also saw the world record broken! It was all very inspiring.

So I started running and walking, until I could run a mile without stopping, and just continued from there. I also did a lot of reading, and started treating myself and my body like an athlete. After a while, it became a very regular, positive cycle; run and feel good, feel good and run.

[lindata 1]

Thanks Jacqui and L12. Jacqui, I really appreciate you saying it took a good six months of pushing before you finally felt good in your body and heart about it. I think that's my thing - it just doesn't feel good! I don't get that runners high. But I would like to BE a runner, to have that achievement. I used to be athletic when I was younger, in baseball, and I was damn good at it too - better than some of the guys I played against! So I just have to tap into that good feeling I used to have, to remember that feeling, to get inspired to exercise again. Six months, huh? Yikes. That's a pretty good commitment to do it that long without it feeling good. You got some willpower, girl!

[Foofy 0]

I think it really helps to have someone to train with. It gets you over the hump when your evil voice says "stay inside and eat Oreos today." I walked a full marathon when I weighed 250 pounds - so I know it can be done. People cheered and I cried. It was fabulous. I still look back on it as a MAJOR acheivement.

I will tell you that (in the beginning) I HATED the training walks. It was early, the walks were long, I had better things to do, it hurt, yada, yada, yada. But, as time went on, I started noticing that it really didn't suck as much as I thought, and then I even started to like it! I started noticing how pretty the sunrise was, how nice the air smelled, which houses had lights on in the morning. Also, I met a whole subculture of walkers who were out on a regular basis in the morning, while I was normally in bed.

Also, I am sure I have bored people with this before, but I noticed something amazing about exercise. At the start of each walk, it would REALLY suck. I live at the base of a hill and I HATED going uphill at the start. Then, it would get worse, and I would want to quit, but my wicked witch of a walking partner wouldn't let me. By about the third mile, I noticed I started getting in a groove and things got much better - all my parts were operating as designed and I was like a well-oiled machine. By five miles, I was enjoying myself, and by seven miles I was downright giddy. It amazed me that sticking it out got me to a better place. Before, I would have always quit when it hurt and I would never got to the fun place. I found it to be somewhat of a metaphor for life. Stick it out - it gets better and then it gets great.

You can do it, but you should really find a friend to walk with to get you started. Best of luck.

Edited January 20, 2009 by Foofy

[Jachut 487]

Really true. The first 3kms of any run, I'm always having this internal dialogue - "you need a rest, go home, dont overtrain, your'e obviously tired". Then the legs and lungs get in sync and suddenly I'm grinning like an idiot. Running and trying to dance and sing at the same time to whatever's on my ipod does get a bit embarrassing, I get some strange looks.

And if you've ever doubted the ability of music to motivate, I took DH's ipod the other day because mine needed charging. he had the best of ACDC on it. I swear my heart rate hit 250 that day. I was running like a mad thing, dripping sweat, gasping for breath, lol. ACDC would definitely get you a personal best in any race!

[lindata 1]

So I'm still fat - how do I get over the embarassment of my super jiggly (remember I've also had a baby) stomach going up and down when I do this in public? I can visualize myself in slow-mo and it's not pretty.

Am I making excuses? Hmm, I think I am. But seriously how do you get over that?

[Foofy 0]

It is human nature to think of some excuse why you can't exercise in front of people (hair looks bad, get too sweaty, run like a girl, fat flops around, etc.). At some point you have to say "screw them all" and just get out there and do it. Worrying what other people think is what makes people fat in the first place.

Do it for you! Don't worry about the rest of them.