5 Tips for Those Who Hate Running but Want to Love It

From someone who went from couch potato to half-marathoner

I used to hate, hate, hate running. More than anything. You couldn’t pay me to do it. My lungs would burn, my heartbeat would get out of control, I’d get side stitches. I’d have to start walking, unsightly grimace on my face, after an embarrassingly short amount of time.

Yet, in the middle of a global pandemic, I became far more health conscious than I ever have been. A few years ago, I was a serious weightlifter. So serious that I thought running or stretching too much would ruin my gains. The thing is, lifting exclusively for aesthetic reasons is stupid and unsustainable. I found that out through a pretty serious injury a few years back.

Regardless of your ultimate fitness goals, cardio is vital to your health. Don’t neglect it for years (like I did) out of stubbornness.

I’ve learned my lesson and cardio has become a huge part of my life. Next week, I’m going to be running my first “official” (virtual) half marathon, via the Runkeeper app, in my backyard (thanks Covid). I’ve got a .13 mile trail in my yard, so 101 laps will be exactly one half-marathon and one bucket list item. I’ve been running 3–4 times a week for 12 months to make this happen! Nowadays, my run is usually one of the best parts of my day.

So how did this transformation happen in just one year? I used the five techniques below to go from hating running with every fiber of my being, to being a long-distance runner.

Don’t even try to go fast.

Seriously. Don’t even try. The main reason I hated running for sooo long is that I was super hard on myself. I beat myself up for being slow, for being winded easily, for not being able to run X amount of miles in Y amount of time.

So I’d run faster, immediately exhaust myself, and then get mad at myself for not being able to run faster or longer.

The thing is, I had it all backwards. You’re not going to be an athlete on day 1. If it were that easy, we’d all be running 5ks on the weekend.

It is okay to run barely above a walking pace. If you do that, your lungs magically stop hurting, you stop needing to try so hard, running starts to feel good. Once running starts to feel good, then you can set a distance or time goal.

Once I stopped trying to run 9 minute miles every day and became okay with 15 minute miles, my running drastically improved. Now, I can run 7 minute miles at my fastest and I run 12 minute miles on my slow runs.

Learn to breathe.

One of my biggest obstacles when I started running was avoiding side stitches. You know, those incredibly sharp pains in your side that happen at the worst times during your run? That makes you want to curl up in a ball and never leave your bed again?

For the longest time, I had no idea why I got those pains. Then, I started running slowly. And when I did that, I could breathe slowly. I noticed that I got less side stitches when I ran slowly.

I did research on breathing techniques for runners and I found what worked for me. If I focused on inhaling deeply with my nose for four beats and exhaling out of my mouth for two, I drastically reduced the amount of side stitches I got. Now, I haven’t had one in months. The only time I get them now, is if I try running too fast for too long. Focusing on my breathing when I run fast usually gets rid of my side stitches in 5 minutes or less.

Learning to breathe properly also prevented me from going to fast and from getting muscle cramps. It was the single biggest game changer that helped me learn to love running.

Find your weaknesses and work on them.

When I first started running and lifting weights, I had no idea what I was doing and I was living a super sedentary lifestyle. So when I started exercising, I uncovered all of these muscle imbalances and weakness I had no idea I had.

For example, I had a pinched nerve in my upper back. I fixed it by fixing my posture, taking long walks every day, and doing corrective stretches I found online.

When I started running longer distances, I started getting knee pain. I did some research and found out that my knee pain was actually from weak glutes and a weak core that prevented me from running with proper form. So I hit the gym and started doing isometric exercises for my glutes and core exercises every day.

The point is, I was not in shape at all when I first started. I could have chalked it up to genetic deficiency, but I would have been lying to myself. Running might expose all of these other weaknesses you need to work on to be able to run without injury. Embrace those challenges. Don’t use them as excuses to quit.

Don’t over train in the beginning.

I always make the mistake of going balls to the wall in the beginning. I’ll obsess about whatever new hobby I’ve acquired for three weeks and totally burn myself out because of it.

At first, I did this with running. I ran like 5 times a week, 30 minutes per day. It was totally unnecessary. It actually prevented me from making steady progress. I should have trained three times a week 20 minutes per day in the beginning, and gradually worked my way up to a 5k.

Even now, as a more experienced runner, I never run more than four times per week. I usually run every other day, and I’ll do two runs on the weekend, including a speed workout and a slow recovery run. Running less often helps you recover and it helps you hit the speed necessary to improve your performance on race day (again, this is after you already enjoy running).

It’s super important to avoid doing overtraining in the beginning. Especially with running. This sport is hard on your body. If you try to do too much in the beginning, you’re just asking to get injured. You are never just training your lungs, you are also training your knees and ankle joints to take a beating. Don’t be like one of those youtubers who tries to run a marathon with no training. That is ridiculously silly and misses the point of running.

Develop a maintenance routine early.

Like I just said, running is hard on your body. So please, for the love of God, spend time developing a warm-up routine. Walk for three minutes. Do some lunges, squats, high knees, and glute activation.

Do a cool down jog. And actually cooooool doooown. Don’t push yourself in the cool down. Run painfully slowly. Follow your cool down with stretching your hamstrings, glutes, calves, and quads. Then, ice your knees, even if they don’t hurt. Massage your muscles, even if they don’t hurt. Foam roll your muscles, even if they don’t hurt. Preventing injuries is 1000% times better than treating injuries. Trust me.

On that note, consider developing a mobility routine. We live an unnaturally sedentary lifestyle. Mobility training gets us back into moving naturally. It prevents joint pain and makes us more flexible. Mobility training is key and will improve your quality of life.

Wrapping things up.

Cardio is a critically important part of your health. Don’t neglect it because you’re overexerting yourself in HIIT sessions, or because you only care about being jacked.

Look, if you clicked on this article and read this far, you want to run. And you can run. Don’t make the classic excuses (I don’t have time/ my body is cut out for it). Instead, follow my tips to incorporate running into a larger plan for a healthier life.

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