CNN
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Another person who doesn’t like running doesn’t surprise me.
“I find it boring and boring, and I feel like I’m always failing because I’m so slow and out of breath,” is how my colleague Madeline Holcomb describes her current state of running as a newbie.
Madeline writes about health for CNN and talks about the many health benefits of running and how it actually requires special equipment (shoes, maybe earphones, maybe a watch to track distance) or a specific space. I am familiar with the convenience (and frugality) of not doing so. Please do it. She is also a former competitive dancer. But that doesn’t mean running is an easy and fun habit to start.
Madeline’s assessment reflects how I felt when I started running 20 years ago, and how many others felt. Now that I enjoy it, even look forward to it, I can articulate how I got from point A to point B. For me, point A was an embarrassing jog with a new girlfriend in her late 20s, and point B was nearing the end. Multiple marathons. Like my running, it was a slow but very enjoyable journey.
Some people enjoy running alone, while others prefer to log miles with a partner or group. I love all of the above. Try each one and you’ll see which one is more fun or distracting.
It’s great to catch up with old friends while running. Organized groups build community and responsibility, and they exist everywhere (check your local running shoe store, gym, or online site). We may continue to communicate after that. On the other hand, racing provides great energy and support, and can also motivate you to do the training you need.
On the contrary, running alone means no pressure to keep up, and the joy of being able to listen to whatever you like.
I started running regularly when I was living in Bangkok, which isn’t a great city for running, so I ran on a treadmill in the basement of my apartment. The only thing I enjoyed at first was a series of music mixes I made to kill time. It was short and fun to curate.
Later, when I lived in Brooklyn, the use of music apps to create running mixes at different tempos evolved and became a convenient way to find more songs for your personal running collection . (You can share your favorites in the comments section!) Since I’ve been running longer since then, my listening library now includes some (but not all) podcasts and audiobooks that I’m particularly into (especially celebrity Memoirs of Guilty Pleasures) now included.
Lately, I’ve started listening to audio from my favorite movies while training for a marathon. Because it’s a movie I know and love, I can “see” it in my head while listening to it or running. What they all have in common is that they distract from running itself.
I know running purists will argue that you’re more in tune with your body if you don’t listen to anything, or that it’s more fun to be alone with your thoughts while running. That’s fine with them. But as one running shoe manufacturer says, if listening to your favorite mix, podcast, book, or even movie is more interesting and distracts you from the less fun aspects of running, then so be it.
With all due respect to treadmill runners (runners who can actually watch their favorite movies while running), another aspect of running that I often enjoy is running outdoors. Trail running and paved paths through the trees also provide another form of wellness. Do you want to feel like a child again? Ride (with caution) in heavy rain or snow.
My first real (embarrassing) run was a quick jog through a beautiful park in Madison, Wisconsin. At the time, I was visiting my girlfriend who is a marathon runner and loves “Chariots of Fire,” and even when she slowed down for me, I couldn’t keep up. He then moved to Bangkok, where he began practicing on the treadmill and spent a year traveling around the world. If, like us, you rarely stay in one place for more than a few days, running was the only exercise we could do besides walking.
And that run was the best one, filled with the joy of living. We’ve discovered that running is a new way to explore the streets of Beijing, the parks of London, and the grasslands of Mongolia.
I still try to schedule runs for myself when I travel. A 10km pre-dawn walk along a deserted canal in Amsterdam, a short run along the Black Sea in Sochi, Russia, and a jingle jog through the snowy, Christmas-like suburbs of Reykjavík are the days of monotony. It is a precious memory of a trip that goes beyond. Running.
I once set a goal to run every trail and dirt trail in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, near my old home. We highlighted them on a map and combined the segments to create the largest Prospect Park Run in history. Your neighborhood or nearby park can be treated the same way.
Lately, I mostly go to coffee shops. I snack on coffee and my journal (which I carry in my running backpack) and run back while listening to my favorite music, podcasts, books, and movies. No one enjoys exercise more than I do.
Finally, we return to the story of Madeline, a new runner who laments how feeling slow and out of breath is a contributing factor to her dislike of running.
First, shortness of breath will go away on its own. The more you run, the more you can run. It takes longer and longer to reach the limit of fatigue. There are techniques that even beginners can use, such as alternating between running and walking. And even if it’s a short victory, pay attention to the beginning when you actually feel the strength and fluidity of your run, even if it’s just a few steps at first.
As for being slow, my advice is to be Zen about it. There is no problem at all when running alone. If you’re running with others and feel like you’re holding them back, find another running buddy, at least initially. In races, runners are grouped into pens based on speed, which reduces the feeling of being too slow. As you find your enclosure and stick with it, know that your pace will speed up, slow down, and even change from day to day. Of course, there’s no need to go for speed unless it’s fun.
Inspired but not sure how to get started? Here are some tips from the founders of the Couch to 5K program. It never hurts to let your doctor know, especially if you have health limitations. But let me also remind you of what every child intuitively knows. Just start running.
Ready to do more? For more ideas to get you moving in 2025, sign up for the LBB Fitness Newsletter. If you need help setting and maintaining fitness goals, try these habits-building tips.
