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I've started running and an unexpected challenge is boredom. The running is challenging as is, but doing it for ~1h30m has been, for me, well, tedious. I guess
by dmos62 4y ago
I've started running and an unexpected challenge is boredom. The running is challenging as is, but doing it for ~1h30m has been, for me, well, tedious. I guess that's a byproduct of always being within arm's reach of a phone.
- chipgap98 4y agoI think that's also an upside of running. It's a forcing function to be away from screens and occupy your own mind. Though music or podcasts can be a nice way to break up the monotony if you are struggling
- fallat 4y agoThis. It forces you to start actually using your imagination again, and your current working memory to work on problems being away from things.
- SketchySeaBeast 4y agoI queue up podcasts or audio-books and use it as uninterrupted me time, though I do find audio-books harder to listen to on 2+ hour runs just because my mind tends to wander by that point. I find that podcasts are easier to mentally tune in and out of.
- yreg 4y agoFor me it's the only time (perhaps other than driving) I can truly focus on an audiobook. Ideally a nonfiction one, so it can be paused until the next workout at any time without creating a cliffhanger.
- hombre_fatal 4y agoWhen I find a particularly engaging audiobook, I reserve it only for running. Works really well. I've done extra laps just to hear more of the book.
- CitrusFruits 4y agoI've been a runner for a long time and this is absolutely a thing, it's not just you. Running do over an hour gets boring unless you're trail running and have different scenery to look forward to. That being said, a lot of people get bored (or worse, are actively displeased) much quicker and can't even run without music to entertain them.
- phasersout 4y agoI run without any noise and sometimes I do when the track goes through a nice forest or so. But for anything longer than 3 - 5 km there is gladly no shortage of music-playlists, podcasts or audio books to choose from.
- peter422 4y agoFWIW I can run without music and find it pleasurable, but I get much, much more joy out of running with music. I don’t think there needs to be any judgement for somebody who “needs” music to run. Music is great!
- kamaal 4y ago>>Running do over an hour gets boring unless you're trail running and have different scenery to look forward to. As somebody into heavy hands walking this is precisely my problem. Urban walking gets boring and tedious quickly. Most people who enjoy these activities are basically looking forward to spending some time in solitude walking in natural spaces where there is much green, sunlight, wind and some scenery to relish.
- jan_Inkepa 4y agoFor me I've always found running outdoors engaging, but swimming laps becomes quickly tedious. I once as an experiment did a half marathon on a circular sports centre track to see how it compared and it was awful.
- BurningFrog 4y agoThat's why I can't do running. I can't get over the fact that it's a painful way to get from A to A. Some optimizing party of me is always screaming WE COULD JUST HAVE STAYED AT A! Now, if they're is a ball to chase and a game to win, I can run until I fall over...
- capableweb 4y ago> Now, if they're is a ball to chase and a game to win, I can run until I fall over... Well, there's the solution :) Make a game out of it. Some find it helpful to reward themselves if they can reach some sort of goal (under X minutes per km) and not otherwise, then you have something of a game. Otherwise, if you're a bit competitive, find another competitive friend and compete who can run for longest without giving up. Loser buys the other one beers for evening.
- BurningFrog 4y agoI run Bay To Breakers done years, and it's vastly easier surrounded by people who also run. Even though they're complete strangers, there is some social pressure to keep going. I'm sure a running group could also work for me.
- zecaurubu 4y agoI'm the same, but I found out I really like rucking (weighted marches). Grab a backpack, put some weight on it, and take a walk around your neighborhood while listening to a good podcast. Currently I walk 4-5km with a 14kg backpack, 3-4x a week. Some more details here: https://www.artofmanliness.com/health-fitness/fitness/the-benefits-of-rucking/ https://www.artofmanliness.com/health-fitness/fitness/the-be...
- yamtaddle 4y agoExactly the same, plus the weird effect that when I finish a run I spend the rest of the day feeling like I'm coming down with the flu, while if I play a ball-chasing game so intensely that I puke, I feel invincible the rest of the day (win or lose). All in my head, I guess, but I can't shake the feeling that one leaves me unhealthy while the other leaves me healthy. Really strange—and that, on top of one being the most boring thing I've ever done on purpose and the other being really fun. So yeah, running... not for me.
- psychomugs 4y agoI run enough for others to classify me as a runner, and they are always surprised when I say that I almost never listen to music or bring anything more than a watch. For me, having to deal with The Suck and be alone with yourself and your feelings is part of the challenge.
- ericmay 4y agoI don't run as much as I used to but empathize with this. It's fine to mix it up too. When I was doing longer runs I'd listen to a long podcast. With weight lifting and higher intensity exercise I make a point to not listen to music to build up a tiny bit of mental toughness and be stuck with The Suck and also myself. Music is a crutch.
- psychomugs 4y agoI do listen to music cached on my Apple Watch every now and then, but I got it primarily for quick voice note taking. Many an idea - most bad, some great - were birthed from The Suck.
- lotsofpulp 4y agoSame. I do not now what the definition of meditate is, but I imagine I come close to it while running.
- inkcapmushroom 4y agoI don't run but I do a lot of walking. My mind wanders a huge amount during my walks, which I find nice. I am usually so focused on preventing my mind from wandering, even in leisure activities, for example by focusing on a movie or book. Sometimes I stay up later because it means I'll fall asleep quicker and not be alone with my thoughts waiting for sleep for as long. But I think there's a definite need in the human mind for time to sort things out internally, even if (and maybe especially if) there's thoughts you're trying to escape from.
- sz4kerto 4y agoThis is one of the major benefits of LSD (long, slow, distance) running, especially for people who have (a slight) ADHD (like me). It allows you to have solitude. I can't sit down and think quietly for an hour, because I .. just can't cope with the lack of stimuli. Running provides some baseline stimulus at least (plus I always set a specific goal, either a distance or a time goal so that I don't give it up), so I just need to survive the first 30 mins and then I get in the flow to some extent. Most of the good work I've done was actually done during long weekend runs -- then I have the week to actually do what I figured out during the run.
- alar44 4y agoYeah that's why I MDMA (mid distance medium acceleration) I get the same benefits.
- jjslocum3 4y agoYou might instead try THC (technical, high-cardio) running; it takes up less of your weekend.
- edmcnulty101 4y agoCrack is also good for weight loss. The crystallized form of cocaine.
- agumonkey 4y agoThe trend these days is Cardiac Basal Distance. Works best on low altitude.
- kendallpark 4y agoTry a run that is much longer (eg, 3 hours), then see how your 1.5 hour run feels. Usually you need a larger-than-normal stimulus to elicit adaptation. In my experience, the mind adapts to these things and will essentially learn to shut off.
- jinto36 4y agoI treat it as meditative, "connect with nature" time. Treadmills, however, are indeed terrible, but then it's easy to watch things. I was never a fan of listening to things while running, some combination of having to have volume high enough to cover the wind noise, and wanting to maintain situational awareness.
- neilv 4y agoWhen I ran (casually), there seemed to be three non-boring factors: * Running through the city, there's the changing scenery, and also being very careful about constant tripping hazards, cars, pedestrians. * Running on a treadmill or in an empty university track lane, you can hit a sustainable pace in which you can just zone out and think. * The exertion, and trying to manage that and not be injured, while keeping going, wasn't pleasant, but it wasn't boring. When a combination of fatigue and boredom did strike, on a track, I'd stretch the slow jog to the nearest lap mark, then suddenly sprint another half lap just by telling myself I could and this was the time for it, and then be glad everything worked and didn't explode. (I'm not sure this was a good idea, physically, but it was emotionally reassuring and symbolic.)
- Accacin 4y agoThat's one of the things I love about running, after about 12 hours I even stop having things to think about :D
- tibbon 4y agoI joined a Hash House Harriers group, which helps a lot with boredom. It's running somewhat chaotically in the woods, and you're constantly needing to find the trail. Its quite social. There are some cultural aspects around drinking and such that I don't love, but overall it is a net positive and far more engaging than other types of running for me.
- foobarian 4y agoMy problem with running was knee malfunction. I don't know how people do it short of just accepting the damage and/or getting mechanical replacements.
- sritchie 4y agoI wouldn’t say it’s a given that running torches your knees - mechanics, flexibility and musculature make a big difference.
- andscoop 4y agoDamage from running, while not unusual, is not the default. Running does not wear out the knees long term.
- voisin 4y agoGo slower, allow your musculature to adapt. The aerobic system adapts quickly and then beginners go farther or faster to “feel” the same challenge but the musculature adapts more slowly and then injuries occur.
- dilyevsky 4y agoFix your form and/or weight. Unless you’re doing technical trails or sprinting knees should never have any issues
- Dangeranger 4y agoTry going for shorter distances, at slower speeds, with less hills, more often. Make sure that you have 2-3 rest days per week for the first 60-90 days, then it’s okay to start ramping up by adding 10% more miles per week.
- SketchySeaBeast 4y agoEveryone has had good points about conditioning, but I'm surprised no one has said it yet - fresh running shoes. I go through a pair each year. Until your body has adapted it's very important to have a good pair of supportive but cushioning shoes.
- Dangeranger 4y agoFor the past year I’ve been running a lot, and I’ve found that listening to podcasts and/or audio books is a great way to stay cognitively engaged with something other than the physical sensations of running, as a bonus you get to learn and experience cool stuff. There is also a benefit to running without audio, in that you have a chance to let your imagination go wild, or try to focus hard on your breathing, cadence, and form, but I can understand that being challenging for many people to do for an hour or more at a time.
- __mharrison__ 4y agoI also second running without audio stimulus. Your brain can do some wonderful things when left to its own devices.
- ghastmaster 4y agoI started with this problem when I first started running. Once I was conditioned, the boredom went away. I was only doing 45 min. I was on an outdoor trail with different paths through different environments I could choose from.
- dahart 4y agoFWIW, two things that help for me: 1- trail running, especially longer distances. Spending 4 hours and going 20 miles one way through the woods gives me a sense of travel and distance and freedom I can’t get in the city. 2- listening to something while I run, podcasts or music or language lessons like Pimsleur. For a short 30 min run, sometimes even pace music works for me, even though it seemed like it could be more boring, running to a good 170 BPM playlist is kinda fun. For both of these, mixing things up a lot is helpful for me too, always finding new routes and new audio to go with.
- fritzo 4y agoGosh I find it takes a lot of mental effort to monitor the body while running. I spend a lot of mental effort balancing exertion among muscles (left-right, calf-quad-glut, legs-arms), tuning pace, "shifting gears" in terms of breaths per stride when terrain slope varies.
- Analemma_ 4y agoI listen to techno/EDM-- which in any other context I can't stand context-- and that was the discovery which helped a lot with the boredom issue. I've tried listening to podcasts/audiobooks, but I either lose focus on running or the words.
- ordu 4y agoYou need to repeat it many times. Then your mind will grasp the idea: you run marathon, you get endorphins, you feel good. When conditioning kicked in, it wouldn't be such a boring experience.
- airstrike 4y agoI have a terrible solution for this, which is to run indoors on a treadmill (or do any similar form of cardio) and watch Netflix while on it
- jononomo 4y agoYou get more benefit from just walking, I believe.
- igouy 4y agoWalking is good. Walking doesn't raise the heart rate enough. https://www.ntnu.edu/cerg/personal-activity-intelligence#Better%20than%20recommendations https://www.ntnu.edu/cerg/personal-activity-intelligence#Bet...
- kamaal 4y agoWrong, Walking can be more beneficial than even swimming or running if done right. Please see: https://www.artofmanliness.com/health-fitness/fitness/heavyhands-walking-workout/ https://www.artofmanliness.com/health-fitness/fitness/heavyh... Basically use all your four limbs while working out, even running appears to be a dumb way of exercising since only two limbs are involved at any given time.
- igouy 4y agoAs-it says — "… at certain levels, Heavyhands Walking approaches the cardiovascular workload of jogging" — but not the cardiovascular workload of running. If walking is what you are happy to do, then use resting heart rate and maximum heart measurements to guide your effort.
- kamaal 4y ago>>pumping 3-lb weights while walking briskly generated 2.5-3X the workload of walking without the weights, and at certain levels, Heavyhands Walking approaches the cardiovascular workload of jogging. This the full sentence. The cardiovascular workload of jogging is for sub 2 kg weights. So it depends on the weights and pump levels your are using. 1 - 2 kg weights definitely has cardiovascular workloads of jogging. The >2 kg weights are a different deal altogether. In my experience running doesn't hold a candle to what happens from 3 kg onwards. In a 2 hour walk, you are lifting tons of weights as your are walking(with extra kgs of weight on your body), for like 2 hours straight. It might even be unfair to compare it with running because this is really a very different exercise altogether. Only thing that I found somewhat comparable is swimming. As a general rule never exercise with just two limbs alone. Its a poor return on investment for the time spent. This literally follows from logic.
- cainxinth 4y agoMusic, podcasts, audiobooks, calling a friend… there are plenty of activities that can keep you entertained while running. I like to download comedy specials and rip the audio for my runs.