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Running isn't boring, boring is just an excuse. If you were really running or if you were really exercising you'd be in too much pain to be bored. Running is a

Running isn't boring, boring is just an excuse. If you were really running or if you were really exercising you'd be in too much pain to be bored. Running is a form of self torture pure and simple. The people who tell you they enjoy running are really saying that they've disciplined themselves to master the pain. I mean, sure you get endorphins when you run, but the pain component of long distance running is far more intense then any high you can receive from endorphins. In essence people who truly exercise have conditioned themselves to the point where the negative effects of exercise become inconsequential and the benefits begin to outweigh the pain. Make no mistake. Real Exercise isn't about finding something you simply enjoy and love. It is very intense work and something that you need to learn to love; kind of like programming.

hkmurakami 12y ago
With that definition, aren't all forms of exercise self-torture? After all, they all destroy your muscle cells.
- crimsonalucard 12y ago
  Yeah, all forms of EFFECTIVE exercise are self torture. But I'm not talking about it in the physical sense where they damage your muscle cells. I'm talking about psychological pain where you get tired, out of breath, and your muscles begin to ache a bit.
  - Dewie 12y ago
    > Yeah, all forms of EFFECTIVE exercise are self torture. It seems effective enough for LaurensBER already, judging by all the benefits he/she lists.
sliverstorm 12y ago
Real Exercise... is very intense work For many of my favorite forms of sport, sure, this is true, but it isn't the case for everything. At least according to Training for the New Alpinism, Zone 2 is the best place for cardio training. [1] Per that book, however, novices don't train there because they share your belief. Zone 2 doesn't feel like intense work, so novices think they are doing something wrong when they train in that zone. something that you need to learn to love Nah. It isn't like brussel sprouts (IMO). I don't think I will ever grow to love the exercises I hate, and the exercises I enjoy I have enjoyed since day one. Or maybe day three- the first couple days of a new sport can be rough as you wake up forgotten, dusty muscles. [1]: Assuming your sport is mountain climbing, or sports with similar cardio demands
- crimsonalucard 12y ago
  Sure maybe there are things that you hate about certain exercises that are unrelated to intensity or hard-work. But I was mostly responding to how the original commenter said running was boring. IMO it is virtually impossible to be bored with running simply because the pain involved is too high. I find that the people who say running is boring are people who never pushed themselves to the intensity required for effective exercise/running. They probably ran a mile and got bored. I tell them run at least 5 miles on hilly terrain and tell me if you're bored when you're done.
  - Dylan16807 12y ago
    I've certainly been both bored and in pain before (especially when sick). Are you saying that's not possible?
    - crimsonalucard 12y ago
      Being uncomfortable/sick is not pain. I'm saying you can't be bored and at the same time, have your heart racing at 200 bpm or gasping for air like you're drowning. It depends how sick you were but for me running a marathon is pain, getting a fever is just being uncomfortable.
      - Dylan16807 12y ago
        Fever is not usually pain. Headache is pain. Fever ties more into the boredom. But heart racing and gasping for air sounds more like discomfort to me... Actually I have better example. I've had highly painful things done to my teeth while very much being bored. And while relatively comfortable outside of the pain.
      - alahache 12y ago
        The topic is about exercising, and I don't think it means running a marathon. Exercising is about regularity and pain should be considered very seriously.
- 12y ago
crimsonalucard 12y ago
I got voted down for this comment. Please let me know if you ever ran 10 miles and was totally bored by the experience.
- baddox 12y ago
  For about three years I was running 4-5 miles three times a week (except for approximately two months in the winter), and I always found it quite boring. Challenging, yes, and sometimes rewarding, but still quite boring.
- hawkice 12y ago
  I ran cross country in high school, running for about an hour 4 to 6 times a week. Extremely boring, pretty much only did it because my parents forced me to do _a_ sport and I didn't want my suckage to hurt a team (I skipped a few grades, and not inflicting this on others was a pretty good diplomatic move).
- crimsonalucard 12y ago
  Unfortunately I can't relate to the responses. It's hard for me to comprehend how you can be bored and in total pain or out of breath at the same time. It's like saying there's a knife in your shoulder and you're still bored...
  - sliverstorm 12y ago
    No long distance runner I have ever met has described running as "total pain". Several look brighter and clearly feel happier after running 2-4 miles. It's nearly rejuvenating for them. Unless they are quite literally masochists, I don't think they spend those 2-4 miles in pure misery.
    - crimsonalucard 12y ago
      You're right poor choice of words I'm just trying to emphasize that there's enough misery to prevent you from being bored.
- 12y ago
seanflyon 12y ago
> Real Exercise isn't about finding something you simply enjoy and love. Unless you find exercise that you also simply enjoy and love. That's even better. I love rock climbing and do not consider it boring. Climbing is painful, especially when I climb with friends that encourage me to push myself, but pain does not prevent it from being interesting and fun. > It is very intense work Yup > and something that you need to learn to love; kind of like programming. I didn't need to learn to love climbing just like I didn't need to learn to love programming. I did need to learn to push through the boring parts of programming (such as fixing my build environment which I should be doing right now) but the fundamental act of programming (building something out of logic) has always interested me. Just as I push through the boring parts of programming I push through the pain of climbing.
- crimsonalucard 12y ago
  Pain isn't fun, that's all I'm saying. When I said you need to learn to love it, all I meant was that you need to condition yourself against the pain. If you didn't need to do that, all the better to you. The main point is, it's not the type of fun that requires zero effort or zero pain; and exercise is definitely not boring.
  - seanflyon 12y ago
    > Pain isn't fun, that's all I'm saying If that is all you are saying now then I agree with you. Earlier you were saying that "Running isn't boring" which is a very different statement. I don't find running as boring as some do, but I find the notion that you cannot be bored while in pain to be quite alien. If you work that way then fine, but neither I nor anyone I know who has been stuck doing something boring while in pain has had the same result as you.
  - crimsonalucard 12y ago
    @seanflyon I don't think we're in agreement. You can't be bored and be in pain at the same time. You're either bored, or you're in pain, you can't be bored while getting punched in the face or running 100 miles.
dmoy 12y ago
This sounds like exactly what my highschool track coach used to say about [long distance] running. As a sprinter only for conditioning practice for competitive fencing, I don't know that I agree completely. It is true that in fencing, you have to condition yourself to ignore pain (being stabbed kinda sucks). Also maybe sprinting/fencing isn't as good exercise as long distance running, I have no idea. It is really fun, and you do sweat a lot.
ZoF 12y ago
In the last three weeks my shortest daily run was six miles. Even on long/fast runs I don't _usually_ feel pain and I absolutely disagree with your sentiment here. If you run regularly it is no longer painful by any definition of the word. Quite literally I feel no pain from a run, unless I'm pushing myself harder than usual. Running ten miles at an ~eight minute pace would definitely leave me winded, and could strain my legs. Running six miles at ~eight thirty literally does not hurt. The worst part, from where I'm standing, is the time consuming and boring nature of the task. I've rationalized it away as necessary, but it doesn't get any less repetitive and the time doesn't go by any faster.
- crimsonalucard 12y ago
  Well if you trained to the point where you don't feel pain anymore then my point is irrelevant and of course you'll be bored. Also I think your abilities are outside the spectrum of normal. If you ran 6 miles a day for a week that'd be 42 miles per week. If you look at this article http://www.active.com/health/articles/why-too-much-running-is-bad-for-your-health http://www.active.com/health/articles/why-too-much-running-i... 20 miles per week is the recommended sweet spot. I think if you can hit 42 miles per week without accumulating any wear and tear on your body then you're one of those people genetically predisposed to for cardio.
ineedtosleep 12y ago
I've downvoted you as well, but mostly because you're framing your comment as fact, which, according to all these replies, is not the case. I run regularly up and down steep hills and go cycling ~15 miles at least once a week. I also do bodyweight workouts and do bodyline drills which can consist of keeping a position for 60+ seconds each time. Out of all of those in the list, running bores me the most. If I'm running just for the cardio, it's boring.
- crimsonalucard 12y ago
  Ok I respond to all comments as fairly and as honestly as I can. This one is just bs. I never framed anything as a fact. If I did I would explicitly say it's a fact and at least reference something legitimate to back it up. This is just my opinion, which I believe in very strongly. Can I not be voted down for a differing opinion? Psh. Much Thanks doing for that btw. Additionally you should note that none of the replies, yours included is a fact either. It's just their opinions which I respect even though I don't believe it.
  - Dylan16807 12y ago
    Telling other people what they find boring is not opinion, and rather insulting. That's why you got downvoted.
    - crimsonalucard 12y ago
      I'm not intentionally insulting people, but sure I can see why it is insulting. Still, it is an opinion. Tell me that you voted me down for being insulting and I won't call bs on that, this guy said I framed what I said as fact.
      - Dylan16807 12y ago
        The implication that you know the opinions of other people better than they do is more or less the same thing as phrasing your opinions as fact. Though I haven't personally downvoted you.
oliv__ 12y ago
I used to swim pretty intensely every other day and I remember it being hard exercise but I loved it and never found it boring: you just get into this flow and forget about everything but the water. Frankly, the hardest part was getting out of the house and just going and getting in the water (especially on cold winter days) but after that it was almost automatic.
agumonkey 12y ago
I tend to reject pain and train by stretching my limits enough to feel smooth but also active. I want workout similar to taichi in mind. When I went back to running it was more pain than pleasure, but after a while it became 50/50. When you forgot you're running and feel like flying over the ground .. I couldn't be further away from a form of torture.
- crimsonalucard 12y ago
  I agree. The pain component can't be totally ignored though. It seems you're just restating my point in a different way.

hkmurakami 12y ago

With that definition, aren't all forms of exercise self-torture? After all, they all destroy your muscle cells.

crimsonalucard 12y ago
Yeah, all forms of EFFECTIVE exercise are self torture. But I'm not talking about it in the physical sense where they damage your muscle cells. I'm talking about psychological pain where you get tired, out of breath, and your muscles begin to ache a bit.
- Dewie 12y ago
  > Yeah, all forms of EFFECTIVE exercise are self torture. It seems effective enough for LaurensBER already, judging by all the benefits he/she lists.

sliverstorm 12y ago

Real Exercise... is very intense work For many of my favorite forms of sport, sure, this is true, but it isn't the case for everything. At least according to Training for the New Alpinism, Zone 2 is the best place for cardio training. [1] Per that book, however, novices don't train there because they share your belief. Zone 2 doesn't feel like intense work, so novices think they are doing something wrong when they train in that zone. something that you need to learn to love Nah. It isn't like brussel sprouts (IMO). I don't think I will ever grow to love the exercises I hate, and the exercises I enjoy I have enjoyed since day one. Or maybe day three- the first couple days of a new sport can be rough as you wake up forgotten, dusty muscles. [1]: Assuming your sport is mountain climbing, or sports with similar cardio demands

crimsonalucard 12y ago
Sure maybe there are things that you hate about certain exercises that are unrelated to intensity or hard-work. But I was mostly responding to how the original commenter said running was boring. IMO it is virtually impossible to be bored with running simply because the pain involved is too high. I find that the people who say running is boring are people who never pushed themselves to the intensity required for effective exercise/running. They probably ran a mile and got bored. I tell them run at least 5 miles on hilly terrain and tell me if you're bored when you're done.
- Dylan16807 12y ago
  I've certainly been both bored and in pain before (especially when sick). Are you saying that's not possible?
  - crimsonalucard 12y ago
    Being uncomfortable/sick is not pain. I'm saying you can't be bored and at the same time, have your heart racing at 200 bpm or gasping for air like you're drowning. It depends how sick you were but for me running a marathon is pain, getting a fever is just being uncomfortable.
    - Dylan16807 12y ago
      Fever is not usually pain. Headache is pain. Fever ties more into the boredom. But heart racing and gasping for air sounds more like discomfort to me... Actually I have better example. I've had highly painful things done to my teeth while very much being bored. And while relatively comfortable outside of the pain.
    - alahache 12y ago
      The topic is about exercising, and I don't think it means running a marathon. Exercising is about regularity and pain should be considered very seriously.
12y ago

crimsonalucard 12y ago

I got voted down for this comment. Please let me know if you ever ran 10 miles and was totally bored by the experience.

baddox 12y ago
For about three years I was running 4-5 miles three times a week (except for approximately two months in the winter), and I always found it quite boring. Challenging, yes, and sometimes rewarding, but still quite boring.
hawkice 12y ago
I ran cross country in high school, running for about an hour 4 to 6 times a week. Extremely boring, pretty much only did it because my parents forced me to do _a_ sport and I didn't want my suckage to hurt a team (I skipped a few grades, and not inflicting this on others was a pretty good diplomatic move).
crimsonalucard 12y ago
Unfortunately I can't relate to the responses. It's hard for me to comprehend how you can be bored and in total pain or out of breath at the same time. It's like saying there's a knife in your shoulder and you're still bored...
- sliverstorm 12y ago
  No long distance runner I have ever met has described running as "total pain". Several look brighter and clearly feel happier after running 2-4 miles. It's nearly rejuvenating for them. Unless they are quite literally masochists, I don't think they spend those 2-4 miles in pure misery.
  - crimsonalucard 12y ago
    You're right poor choice of words I'm just trying to emphasize that there's enough misery to prevent you from being bored.
12y ago

seanflyon 12y ago

> Real Exercise isn't about finding something you simply enjoy and love. Unless you find exercise that you also simply enjoy and love. That's even better. I love rock climbing and do not consider it boring. Climbing is painful, especially when I climb with friends that encourage me to push myself, but pain does not prevent it from being interesting and fun. > It is very intense work Yup > and something that you need to learn to love; kind of like programming. I didn't need to learn to love climbing just like I didn't need to learn to love programming. I did need to learn to push through the boring parts of programming (such as fixing my build environment which I should be doing right now) but the fundamental act of programming (building something out of logic) has always interested me. Just as I push through the boring parts of programming I push through the pain of climbing.

crimsonalucard 12y ago
Pain isn't fun, that's all I'm saying. When I said you need to learn to love it, all I meant was that you need to condition yourself against the pain. If you didn't need to do that, all the better to you. The main point is, it's not the type of fun that requires zero effort or zero pain; and exercise is definitely not boring.
- seanflyon 12y ago
  > Pain isn't fun, that's all I'm saying If that is all you are saying now then I agree with you. Earlier you were saying that "Running isn't boring" which is a very different statement. I don't find running as boring as some do, but I find the notion that you cannot be bored while in pain to be quite alien. If you work that way then fine, but neither I nor anyone I know who has been stuck doing something boring while in pain has had the same result as you.
- crimsonalucard 12y ago
  @seanflyon I don't think we're in agreement. You can't be bored and be in pain at the same time. You're either bored, or you're in pain, you can't be bored while getting punched in the face or running 100 miles.

dmoy 12y ago

This sounds like exactly what my highschool track coach used to say about [long distance] running. As a sprinter only for conditioning practice for competitive fencing, I don't know that I agree completely. It is true that in fencing, you have to condition yourself to ignore pain (being stabbed kinda sucks). Also maybe sprinting/fencing isn't as good exercise as long distance running, I have no idea. It is really fun, and you do sweat a lot.

ZoF 12y ago

In the last three weeks my shortest daily run was six miles. Even on long/fast runs I don't _usually_ feel pain and I absolutely disagree with your sentiment here. If you run regularly it is no longer painful by any definition of the word. Quite literally I feel no pain from a run, unless I'm pushing myself harder than usual. Running ten miles at an ~eight minute pace would definitely leave me winded, and could strain my legs. Running six miles at ~eight thirty literally does not hurt. The worst part, from where I'm standing, is the time consuming and boring nature of the task. I've rationalized it away as necessary, but it doesn't get any less repetitive and the time doesn't go by any faster.

crimsonalucard 12y ago
Well if you trained to the point where you don't feel pain anymore then my point is irrelevant and of course you'll be bored. Also I think your abilities are outside the spectrum of normal. If you ran 6 miles a day for a week that'd be 42 miles per week. If you look at this article http://www.active.com/health/articles/why-too-much-running-is-bad-for-your-health http://www.active.com/health/articles/why-too-much-running-i... 20 miles per week is the recommended sweet spot. I think if you can hit 42 miles per week without accumulating any wear and tear on your body then you're one of those people genetically predisposed to for cardio.

ineedtosleep 12y ago

I've downvoted you as well, but mostly because you're framing your comment as fact, which, according to all these replies, is not the case. I run regularly up and down steep hills and go cycling ~15 miles at least once a week. I also do bodyweight workouts and do bodyline drills which can consist of keeping a position for 60+ seconds each time. Out of all of those in the list, running bores me the most. If I'm running just for the cardio, it's boring.

crimsonalucard 12y ago
Ok I respond to all comments as fairly and as honestly as I can. This one is just bs. I never framed anything as a fact. If I did I would explicitly say it's a fact and at least reference something legitimate to back it up. This is just my opinion, which I believe in very strongly. Can I not be voted down for a differing opinion? Psh. Much Thanks doing for that btw. Additionally you should note that none of the replies, yours included is a fact either. It's just their opinions which I respect even though I don't believe it.
- Dylan16807 12y ago
  Telling other people what they find boring is not opinion, and rather insulting. That's why you got downvoted.
  - crimsonalucard 12y ago
    I'm not intentionally insulting people, but sure I can see why it is insulting. Still, it is an opinion. Tell me that you voted me down for being insulting and I won't call bs on that, this guy said I framed what I said as fact.
    - Dylan16807 12y ago
      The implication that you know the opinions of other people better than they do is more or less the same thing as phrasing your opinions as fact. Though I haven't personally downvoted you.

oliv__ 12y ago

I used to swim pretty intensely every other day and I remember it being hard exercise but I loved it and never found it boring: you just get into this flow and forget about everything but the water. Frankly, the hardest part was getting out of the house and just going and getting in the water (especially on cold winter days) but after that it was almost automatic.

agumonkey 12y ago

I tend to reject pain and train by stretching my limits enough to feel smooth but also active. I want workout similar to taichi in mind. When I went back to running it was more pain than pleasure, but after a while it became 50/50. When you forgot you're running and feel like flying over the ground .. I couldn't be further away from a form of torture.

crimsonalucard 12y ago
I agree. The pain component can't be totally ignored though. It seems you're just restating my point in a different way.