So, you want to get into running, but you actually hate it. That means you’ve probably never seen me, never been on this channel before. But I’m Jesse Funk. This is a show I call a Runner’s High where we talk about everything running. And today, I’m going to help you get into running if you actually still hate it.
Now, normally, the first thing I do is try to tell you to subscribe because I want you to stick around, I want you to learn about running. And if you’re in it for the long haul, do subscribe. But the first thing I want to say about getting in running if you hate it, is the same thing that I said to people who were trying to get their kids into running. Don’t do it. Don’t do it. If you hate running, don’t do it. I’ve been consistent about saying this for years. There are a lot of people that come up to me that I know because I run so much. I’ve run for such a long time. I run all the time. It’s kind of the thing I do. And they go, man, I wish I could get into running. I wish I liked running.
If you don’t like it, that’s perfectly fine. It’s okay. You don’t need to like running. Find something you do like. It doesn’t have to be running. It could be getting into karate. It could be doing a community soccer program. It could be woodworking, not quite as physical as running. But finding something you enjoy is going to be something that makes you be consistent over time. So, whether it’s workout videos, karate, running, volleyball, whatever it is that you find, find something you enjoy doing. Because being consistent is going to be more important than the particular activity when it comes to your long term health. So, that’s my first thing.
But if you still want to stick with running, now we’ll get to the actual tips on how to do it. If you really hate running, my guess is you’ve probably been spending time on a treadmill. If that’s you, get the heck outside. Stop, stop with the treadmill. There’s a reason that there is slang for the treadmill and it’s called the dreadmill because people dread getting on it. It has some very particularly good uses when it’s winter, and you want to do speed work. But that doesn’t apply to you. We’re just trying to get you into running. There’s no reason to be on a treadmill. Get outside. There’s something so much more engaging about being outside, seeing your surroundings, and you also run a little differently.
One thing that you’re going to want to avoid is overuse. And treadmills are very, very prone to this because of how they make you use your body. You don’t actually run quite the same on a treadmill as you do outside. And when you’re outside the terrain varies, so you help reduce that overuse of particular muscle firing patterns. So, get away from the treadmill, go outside, that’s tip number one.
Tip two: get good shoes. You have to get good shoes because if your feet hurt, you’re going to hate running more. Nobody wants to do something when you don’t feel good. We push through it, we learn to deal with it. But inherently, it doesn’t feel good. It is what it is. It’s axiomatic. It doesn’t feel good because it doesn’t feel good. So, if you’re wearing cheap shoes, and they make your feet hurt when you run and that makes you not want to run, get good shoes.
Go to your local running store, find some shoes there. They’ll guide you. And if that means that you’ve got to find something off the sale rack, they will help you do that. It isn’t the most optimal strategy for finding the best pair of shoes for you. But I also understand that if you’re on a budget, or you aren’t sure if you’re going to stick with it, you want to get cheaper shoes, okay, I can get it.
At the same time, if that is your big thing that’s holding you back, if you feel like that is the one singular thing that’s holding you back, my feet hurt when I do this over and over and over, invest in the good shoes. Even if you don’t continue running, you’re going to have those nice shoes you can wear around. You’re going to get your money out of them. So, that is a big, big component of being consistent with running over time and learning to enjoy it is not having your feet hurt. Get good shoes.
Much like with the theme of going outside, it’s staying engaged. Tip number three is stay engaged. Figure out how to stay engaged. And that for you can be a number of different things. But often people end up going to trails when they go outside or they listen to music or listen to a meditation or listen to a podcast like mine, the Smart Athlete Podcast you can find on this channel and any number of podcasting platforms. So, if that interests you, hit the subscribe button, stick around with me. But whatever it is that keeps you engaged, keeps your mind going so that you can enjoy the run or in some cases help time go faster, that will help you stay with running if you previously haven’t enjoyed it.
Number four is find friends. It doesn’t matter what speed you are. If you are what you consider slow as a slug or fast as a rabbit, or somewhere in between, it doesn’t matter. I guarantee there’s somebody else that’s going to be about your speed that runs and would like to have another running friend. There are plenty of running groups in your city, I’m positive of it. And if you go to one of these, you’re going to find a group of people that can help you stay engaged, just like the previous tip, stay engaged.
It’s so much faster on runs when you’re talking and laughing and having a good time getting to know people. And in the cases where you’re going hard, suffering together. Being social helps you stay with running and make it fun because it’s not just you out there alone. And some of us thrive when we’re together with other people. So, if you can add that component in, it can help bring up the joy so you stay with running.
This is more of a technical tip and it’s take it easy. There’s a shirt we had when I began running in eighth grade, my coach made this shirt for us. And we thought it was super cool because we’re 12 year olds, and we didn’t really understand at the time, but it stuck with me. And the shirt said, ”Go out like a dog, die like a hog.” Now, as mean as that maybe to swine, it is somewhat accurate, in that dogs like to sprint, and they die off quickly, they slow down. So, if you go out hard, you’re going to get slaughtered. That’s the other kind of not so fun part of that phrase.
But in any case, it still is accurate. You want to take it easy because when you go out hard you’re going to die off, you’re going to slow down because you aren’t able to sustain that pace. When you start out, you want to feel like I can do this forever. Now you can’t, you’re going to do it for a period of time and then you’re going to get tired. But that’s where you want to feel when you’re starting out and doing those runs is this is easy enough, I can keep doing this. And maybe that means you also feel like I’m not going fast enough. And that’s okay. That’s absolutely okay. If you feel okay, you feel good at the beginning, that’s going to help you stay consistent. You’ll reduce the amount of suffering you’re doing and the feeling of like, why can’t I do it, because you’re finding the appropriate pace for you for a long distance run.
My last tip really kind of goes with the first one. So, we’ll sandwich this altogether. And when I said don’t, the thing that you have to think about is, why do you hate running? If you stuck with me through this video, it’s something for you to think about. To think about what is it that makes me hate running. You know, if it was a diagnostic thing, like your feet hurt, we can get good shoes. If you’re bored by yourself, then you can listen to music or get friends.
But if it’s something deeper, if it’s something that running was a punishment, and it reminds you of all those times in your sport where you had run and you hated it because you did something wrong. Well, then that’s a relationship you have to examine by yourself and see if you can find a place of joy to overtake that, you know, what was a punishment. Runners thrive on that idea. But also thinking about that flip side can make it difficult.
So, the running culture is my sport is your sports punishment. And we flip it on its head so that we can take enjoyment out of it. So, feel free to co-op that if you’d like. But it is something that you have to figure out for yourself, that particular reason why I hate it. And if you can’t come to the reason why you hate it, maybe it’s just not for you. And that’s okay. Like I said in the beginning of the video, find something you like, find something you want to do.
I’m a big believer that there is probably something for almost everybody that they can want to do. Whether it’s playing beach sports. In my case, running and endurance sports, playing community soccer, doing karate. Whatever it is, there is something out there for you that can keep you active, keep you healthy and that you’re going to enjoy. So, if it’s not running, that’s okay. If it is running stick with me on this channel. Hit that subscribe button for more videos in the future. Hopefully, I’ll see you on the next episode of Runner’s High.