@knedragon29 you sound like the kind of guy that really enjoys shaving his legs. I hope we never meet.
Mix up the running with the bike or an elliptical if you need to. I only got so many miles a week in me.
Trails make runs interesting and less stressful on your joints. As mentioned, take it easy - enjoy exercising your inner animal. You don't see animals preferring a run down the street or sidewalk by choice; you shouldn't choose to run on those surfaces either. "Oh, but I might twist my ankle if I run on un-groomed terrain!" No shit. That's why you take it easy and let your eyes guide your mind - your mind will guide your feet. So what if you're not maintaining a steady pace? Every step is a separate exercise. Do a lot of 'em. Vary your sprinting, jogging, going backwards and sideways with the terrain. If you want to gauge yourself, find a cinder running track. I choose to not run on hard surfaces without a damn good reason, like, a fire starting on my property while I'm down the street with all the other neighbors watching another neighbor's house burn. It's surprising how quickly combat boots and cargo pants can become weightless.
I only run so I can eat whatever I want guilt-free later. Supposedly it's good for the heart and lungs too. Just came in 3rd in a race w/ my pup -raised a few bucks for a local shelter. Otherwise - hate everything about running.
Running my mouth count? If not, fuck running, and the slobbering spandex wearers shitting down their legs while doing so.
I run a couple days a week, nothing competitive, makes me feel good and I sleep better, I also like the peace and no distractions, I don't wear headphones or anything like that, someone else mentioned having a couple pairs of running shoes to switch with, I just started that this year and it's a nice change (New Balance and Asics)
Same here, just trying to de stress and maybe counteract a few extra beers or bowl of ice cream. I alternate running and riding the bike to ease up on the knees. Nice trail system around the bayous takes some of the load off. Also get the occasional boost of adrenaline from an 11 foot gator. Personal best that day.
I don't run but I walk 2 miles every morning unless the weathers shit. Helps the arthritis in my feet not bother me among other things it's supposed to do that's good for you.
Ice cream is the debil. Not sure about beer...I can't be bothered to find any negatives for its "imbibement" as Ben Franklin said it was proof that God loved Man.
My running story - As a (former) Big Guy, 320lbs 6'6", I was never a runner, hated it: knees hurt, back hurt, everything hurt, screw that, give me a bicycle to ride. Then, Orange Theory Fitness happened in 2019. The weight started coming off, the cardio improved, the joints hurt less (or in a different way from use) I could "Jog" one or two times a week (out of 5 days) on a flex deck treadmill. It wasn't horrible but I still didn't like it. I primarily used the stationary bike during the cardio portion of class keeping my "Running" to the days when it was a limited run in combination with a rowing exercise. Worked this way until mid last year and I found myself down to 265lbs. I started to use the treadmill a little more and I didn't hurt when I did run, still didn't like it though. That got me to earlier this year when I ran my best ever mile @ 7:44. Not wining any races but @ 53 yo and having never been a runner, I will take it. At this point I thought what the hell, I can run on a treadmill and almost started enjoying it. And, I was proper running, not just jogging. Well, that all came to painful end about 3 weeks ago. During another Run/Row exercise, I was pushing the run pretty good, for me anyway, 8+mph with bursts to 9mph, when my left knee (complete PCL reconstruction on it in 2009) decided it had had enough of this running BS. Something went "Sproing" and hobbled me.... It has not been right since. Makes nice pooping noises all day, hurts, swollen, etc. Giving it another week to fully calm itself (its slowly getting better) before its off to the ortho. Have been back using the stationary bike and rower which loosens it up but its hindering my workout for sure. This has put an end to my thoughts I could be a runner. The impact, even on a flex deck treadmill, are just not worth the rewards for me when there are other things I can do with the same results. Talking with a neighbor who is a retired Physical Therapist, she says running is one of the worst damaging impacts to the body you can do. For me, that rings true... ...no more running!
The best advice I have is that if you’re serious about wanting to try it, sign up for a 5k/10k/whatever and start training. For me … I NEED a goal to force myself to do something like this. I hate running, but I hate failing at something even more.
I heard the key to reaching goals was not in the setting of a goal. Rather, it was the setting of a habit.
Eek! When @fastfreddie was going to school in Orlando I was training for a marathon. Would get out at the crack of dawn and run in the street, not on the sidewalks. I had my head on a swivel, you better know it…
For those of you that think you cannot run a 5k or 10K, let me tell you a story. Many years ago, I had a co-worker that was a two and a half pack a day smoker. He once commented he could not understand how "I as an athlete, could eat food that I did" - that day being barbecue. Me an athlete? Hardly, I said. After all I was only jogging 30 to 40 miles a week at the time. I laughed at his comment as I told him I could not understand how he a vegetarian could smoke as much as he did. So we made an agreement: he would teach me to eat healthier and I would teach him how to get in better physical shape. Mind you the guy was 46 years old at the time. I was half his age. He started going to the fitness center he'd been a member of for several years. He started on the stationary bicycle, then progressed to walking on their 1/10 of a mile indoor track. Slowly but surely his use of tobacco went down. Also the amount of walking / jogging went up. I would ask for a status report every few days, and encouraged him to keep up the good work. Several months later, I had both of us enter a 1-mile fun run at Inman Park. He finished it with no issues whatsoever. He told me that moment was that one of the happiest he had had in his life, as he had been a smoker for over 30 years. It made me happy too.