For about a year or two when I was in college, I would commute about five miles on bike to campus, and then five miles more to get home. It is the only time I’ve figured out how to enjoy exercise and it went away as soon as I transferred to another campus.
I’ve tried to recreate it and just bike around casually, but it doesn’t stick.
I feel like finding a local casual sport would be fun too. There’s a tennis court near me with a bunch of Pickleball people playing all the time, and they seem like they’re having a great time, but also they kind of terrify me.
This describes me very well until early last year when I found a local fencing club! I’m hooked!
Ran into a guy at a local dog park with a fencing shirt and asked how he got into the sport. Turns out he’s a coach of a local club; what luck! I’ve been doing it once a week for a year now and cycling on the weekends to raise my endurance. So not only has it opened a door into a new hobby, but actually inspires me to get off my butt on weekends to exercise some more. I’m shocked, coming from someone with your past experiences re: exercise, Brandon.
The club is $80 a month for once a week classes. Not super cheap but I’ve been making it work. I’ve met a lot of great people through the club and it’s something I look forward to every week. If anyone reading this is in the Inland Empire of SoCal and is interested, shoot me a message.
What kind of shoes are you wearing when you run? That’s a big part, before getting into any post run things to do, or entering the wild zone that I recently did (found out I have an “extra” bone in one of my feet impacting my gait and causing pain).
It took me a long time to get a runners high. I think probably at least 6 months of consistent running and then only during long ass runs on nice days where after like 50 minutes my body was like hell yeah lets keep going!!
I did a half marathon years prior and I got about a minute high before I was in terrible pain again. I feel like it’s only really feasible when your body is already in shape to keep going. Like if your muscles are shot they aren’t going to just perk up again.
Running is a weird one cause for me the first 10 to 15 minutes always suck big time and then I guess my body switches its fuel mechanism and it gets better. Also I have some form of ADHD and that certainly has its influences on workouts as well.
if running at an even pace causes pain and you don’t have an underlying injury then I think it’s a matter of general fitness and perhaps weight - I say this as someone who routinely runs off 10 or so pounds in the summer should probably maintain better habits to avoid needing to do that- so eat clean and ease up on running so that you can repeat runs without undue discomfort. I’d advise against trying to power through it otherwise that’s a way to pick up an injury and then you’ll be sidelined even longer
My wife is a runner. I started running in 2023 to share in her hobby and get in better shape. I also started using marijuana more and drinking less. I don’t really do either all that much. Literally the only time I use marijuana is at night to chill with games or to go on long runs. I cannot believe how much easier it is to focus in the moment and listen to my body’s cues this way. I run more consistently and at a better heart range. Consequently, I also enjoy soaking up nature more.
I know this isn’t for everyone. Or for me all the time. But even intermittently, it has helped me learn to love running outside, being present and get out of my head.
I did buy some decent running shoes about a year and a half ago when I started, but what I’m realizing from these comments is that maybe it’s because I’m running on concrete combined with my flat feet. There isn’t a track or trail nearby to use instead, so that sucks. Well there is a track, but it’s also concrete for some reason.
I’m not very heavy either. I’d like to run 3 days a week but I feel like I don’t recover quite fast enough. The injuries are certainly less common now than when I started, but I really thought it would be better than it is by now. I read that carbs and protein right after are good for muscle repair, so I’ve been trying that and I think it’s helping?
To the other runners here, how much pain is normal during a run? Do your calves get sore? I’ve dealt with chronic pain on and off for forever so I don’t really know what’s normal anymore lol.
sometimes get some stiffness and aches in initial minutes of a run, then a side stitch every once in a while. I don’t stretch fwiw just start slow and warm up that way. If you’ve been running for months and still having some trouble maintaining 3x a week then that sounds a bit abnormal. I’d suggest trying PT and they can address individual parts and motions that are causing pain. I used to have IT band problems on runs but working with a PT resolved that in a hurry
This is why I’m asking about your shoes actually. I used to wear Karhu shoes, but while good running shoes they were actively harming my feet because of what I actually needed.
They may be decent/good shoes, but they may not be the right shoes for you. Depending on how committed you are to running as an activity (financially, at least lol) finding a local running store (such as a Fleet Feet) could help - they can measure your feet and check your gait and recommend shoes (and if you have flat feet… probably insoles to start with) based on that. Even if you don’t want to pay, the info about how your foot hits the ground and what kind of support you need can help mitigate that.
Only about 3km (1.86 miles, which is 9820 forearms) and it’s typically a few hours after lunch. I try to get water in an hour two before I head out.
Some back of napkin math is telling me I probably have somewhere in the ballpark of 175km-200km (~108 miles, which is about 6.8 million tips of my index finger).
I’m thinking it’s time to head back to physio after all. I’m also getting some more ideas about what’s going on just from the conversations here.
Tried my best to throw in some helpful unit conversions.
that’s not enough distance to be too concerned about footwear and gear issues. It’s one for PT to help problem solve and get you on a sustainable track
Follow-up question, do you stop and walk much? I’ve had it in my head that if you stop running then it’s harder to start again.
I also haven’t pushed myself too much for a while, hoping to avoid injuries. I’ve been doing intervals instead with slow jogging and faster running to get more out of the route.
I agree with @yeso and @thecianrice. Definitely doesn’t sound like a gear or fuel problem. You shouldn’t feel injured after a run. Next day soreness is normal at first. But if your body is telling you that you can’t or shouldn’t run again after a day of rest, then you may want to consult with a doctor. If you’re lucky, you just don’t have the right shoes for your running style. Having the correct shoes will make a world of difference. I hope some of this was useful from all of us!
Walk/run intervals are a good way to start actually. I used to feel like it was harder to stop and start running, but it’s a mental block i think. It’s a great way to keep your heart rate in a good spot and work up to running more
Last run was Tuesday and I weirdly was thinking just yesterday that I could have done a run then. Knowing my body, I might not be stretching right.
This has all been very helpful and I’m grateful for all of the advice in this thread!
There are a bunch of factors that are starting to make themselves more apparent to me now. I’m seeing some patterns that I can address going forward. I might look into better shoes anyway because the flat feet things sucks hard.
I don’t know that I have anything of use to add, but just want to say that I can strongly relate to having bad pain issues when running and that maybe all of us aren’t quite built to handle it. For me, I ran consistently when I was in college, but the pain was something that never went away. I have flat fleet as well and bad issues with my gait due to problems from cerebral palsy. When I used to run it felt like someone knived me in the knee caps and kicked my shins after every run. I also had to limit myself to about four miles or less or my (gross mental image warning) callouses on my feet that are there from having a terrible gait, would rip open and my socks would be soaked bloody like Curt Schilling. If you can’t find any solutions maybe give biking or an elliptical a shot.