So You Hate Running?

For some reason, people seem to hate running. And by that I mean, "because it's boring." The number of times I've been told that! It thoroughly surprises me, because I enjoy running and sometimes have to stop myself when I get to a certain point and my knees and ankles feel a bit creaky. A good, long dash makes a great start for stretching even if I end up putting that stretch off to run "one more song."

So, you hate running?

"Imagine: Running to Ethiopia"
(c) 2010 By Lululemon Athletic
CC Attribution 2.0 License

Dance it! The last few runs I've done on my treadmill and in my neighborhood I've considered why I enjoy running, and I think "dancing" has a lot to do with it. As the beat changes, I change my pace; as the music crescendos, I tend to make bigger steps. Add a little hand flourish. Hey! I jog before it's light out or at home so no one sees (if they do, they have been too afraid to approach me lol!) On the treadmill you can whip out some fun moves like high knees where the music pops, do a little sideways run, let yourself slow to the back part of the treadmill for slower/quiet parts of the song and then back to the front as it picks up. For classical songs I maybe I pretend to conduct the song, maybe. ;) Rule of thumb: move to the song! (And don't fall.) Soon the songs will go by one after another and you'll forget to check the time and distance displays. 

Love a particular type of weather? Perfect! My favorite is fog, nice thick fog, and drizzly rain. One advantage is your lungs feel great pumping cool, wet air and another that you overheat less. The trick here is to be alert to your environment and notice how the weather affects the sound or lack of sound you make, the wind on your skin, or the heat of the sun. Feel it, love it.

Some of my my hardest runs occur when I am stressed, depressed, or angry. At times, I let all the words fall away. Disappear. I am alone with my emotions and no one can judge them. Just run, and run to music that reflects your state of mind; get all the poison out. Other times I sort through all buzzing I have put on the back burner and sort through the chaos of problems at hand, both past and present. It gives me a chance to focus on the issues, troubleshoot them, and come up with solutions or at least work at them until they sting less. 

Whatever you choose to do and whatever it is that makes your mind sing when you run, it will pay off. People are not making things up when they refer to a "runners high." After running for stretching and staying relatively consistent with it for about a month I started to crave my run. I still start, sometimes, with a feeling of drudgery at the prospect of running over a period of time but I tend to hit that "zoning out" time faster, when it all runs together, if you'll forgive that pun. Running might not be for everyone, but I think it is for more people than they themselves might believe.