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That'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 J

That'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 ago
  I 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 ago
I'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 ago
Exactly 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.
- ryeights 4y ago
  You might be overtraining! While a more intense run can certainly have that effect, especially to a new or infrequent runner, a light effort jog (zone 1 heart rate or below) usually leaves you feeling better than you started.
  - sirsinsalot 4y ago
    This. When I over train my body just rattles with impending doom anxiety for days while I feel like I have a bad cold.
onychomys 4y ago
I love long bike rides, I do 40 miles most weekends. Then when I occasionally try running, all I can think is how incredibly slow it is. It's all the pain of exercising without the fun of actually going anywhere!
bumby 4y ago
I was the same way, but it helped that I've more recently made a conscious effort to be process focused instead of outcome focus. Oliver Burkeman's book Four Thousand Weeks was good at reframing for me.
ThePadawan 4y ago
> 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! I feel absolutely the same... about taking a walk. That seems incredibly pointless, as you say. However, if I jog the same route, I burn X kcal, and after dieting for a while, I know how much X is, weighed in food. Very tasty food, this long into a diet. That makes it incredibly easy to instead go for that jog. It's incredibly weird. I can also take a 1h walk no problem to go buy milk at a shop 30min away. That ticks a box, so it's a Job Well Done for my brain.
oliwary 4y ago
Have you tried something like Zombies, Run? It is kind of a gamified running game, with audio clips and interactive elements. For example, at certain times zombies appear and you have to increase your pace for a bit. In the meantime you follow a story about a post-apocalyptic world, with characters etc. I tried it for a while, worked pretty well! https://apps.apple.com/us/app/zombies-run/id503519713 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/zombies-run/id503519713
kiba 4y ago
You're running way too hard. Focus on zone 2, and it ain't so hard. Of course, you do want to go faster, but these training should be the minority of your run.
igouy 4y ago
Run faster. That will be different.

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 ago
I 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 ago

I'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 ago

Exactly 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.

ryeights 4y ago
You might be overtraining! While a more intense run can certainly have that effect, especially to a new or infrequent runner, a light effort jog (zone 1 heart rate or below) usually leaves you feeling better than you started.
- sirsinsalot 4y ago
  This. When I over train my body just rattles with impending doom anxiety for days while I feel like I have a bad cold.

onychomys 4y ago

I love long bike rides, I do 40 miles most weekends. Then when I occasionally try running, all I can think is how incredibly slow it is. It's all the pain of exercising without the fun of actually going anywhere!

bumby 4y ago

I was the same way, but it helped that I've more recently made a conscious effort to be process focused instead of outcome focus. Oliver Burkeman's book Four Thousand Weeks was good at reframing for me.

ThePadawan 4y ago

> 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! I feel absolutely the same... about taking a walk. That seems incredibly pointless, as you say. However, if I jog the same route, I burn X kcal, and after dieting for a while, I know how much X is, weighed in food. Very tasty food, this long into a diet. That makes it incredibly easy to instead go for that jog. It's incredibly weird. I can also take a 1h walk no problem to go buy milk at a shop 30min away. That ticks a box, so it's a Job Well Done for my brain.

oliwary 4y ago

Have you tried something like Zombies, Run? It is kind of a gamified running game, with audio clips and interactive elements. For example, at certain times zombies appear and you have to increase your pace for a bit. In the meantime you follow a story about a post-apocalyptic world, with characters etc. I tried it for a while, worked pretty well! https://apps.apple.com/us/app/zombies-run/id503519713 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/zombies-run/id503519713

kiba 4y ago

You're running way too hard. Focus on zone 2, and it ain't so hard. Of course, you do want to go faster, but these training should be the minority of your run.

igouy 4y ago

Run faster. That will be different.