Do you have a story that can help motivate me to keep running?

Hi :)

I started running/jogging almost everyday for the last week. I've NEVER been a runner. To workout, I would go on the elliptical at the gym or cycle (inside and outside), snowboard, etc. But I would really love to become a runner and show myself that I have the strength and self-discipline to do it!

Yesterday, I pushed myself really hard and ended up with really painful stitches on my left side, and had to walk/limp a few blocks until I could finish my run and so today, I'm really lacking the motivation to get out and do it again!

Does everyone start off like this? What's your "I became a runner" story?

Thanks!! I really appreciate it!

Well, i cant say ive really *become* a runner, but id also like to. And i've definetely improved since I started.

Last year around this time I felt dead after 2 minutes of running. I'd push myself to run 5 minutes and then have to catch my breath for a long time.

Now i can run (well, its actually pretty slow jogging) for over half an hour. Sometimes even close to an hour.

I didnt run too frequently due to busy/constanly changing schedule, but I still improved. So if you try frequently, you can definetely improve too!

We had this discussion at work the other day.

One of our most athletic women (who runs daily) said -

"you should have seen me start, I would run a block and be completely winded"

When we asked her how she did it (became a great runner) she replied "I ran every day, one foot in front of the other"

Having a stich is a fairly comon issue when running, especially in the begining. It's just a function of your fitness level - try deep belly breathing to get rid of it or take a walk break before you develop the stich if it comes at a regular point.

I'd also suggest looking into the C25K programs and not to over do it. If you haven't ran before and just start running every day you will be a lot more likely to develop an injury than if you just add in miles slowly.

For an inspriational story, my bf is pretty inspirational. About 7 years ago he found himself 50 lbs overweight (he had been heavy his whole life) and having just had back surgery to remove a disk (ouch!). He wanted to be more healthy and happened to see someone running on a treadmill at the gym and he thought to himself, I can do that. At first he could only run for about 30 seconds before having to walk, but he kept at it. Not only did he continue on to run a 5K, but after that he kept running and did a half marathon ... then a marathon ... now he runs ultra marathons and Ironman races!

Anyone can run! Just be careful not to over do it all at once and cross train if you have extra motivation to run more than 3 times a week at first.

Happy running!

Make sure you blow out all the air when breathing, even if you have to force it. Then slow down or walk until your breathing is more normal , resume runningand when you can't breathe out fully because you are gasping for air, walk again, etc. I have never once had a side stitch since a high school coach (30+ years ago) taught me this. It's hard to do when you are panting, but it works.

My story might help. I had a really high-risk pregnancy, gained tons of weight, didn't do anything about it, then started smoking for about 5 years, blah, blah, blah. A friend introduced me to soccer, which led to me quitting smoking, and then I discovered a great set of running trails and now I'm as healthy as I've been in a decade, even though I still have lots of weight to lose. I can play soccer with women younger and no over weight (I'm fat and fast!), I can backpack with 11th graders 12 miles a day, I can take 10th graders through Italy, I can do pretty much anything I want. And I turn 50 next month and am just getting fitter with the weight I'm now losing (slowly). It isn't just about now or next week or next year; it's about being able to do whatever you want for as long as you want. I swear I will be running when I'm 80! :)

Best of luck!!

ohhhh i like this one.

k so 2 years ago i wasn't paying attention to my weight....when i graduated highschool i had always casually worked out and semi-watched what i ate....never a runner though i was 5'4 around 120-125 pounds. 

after a 2 years of university i gained 20 pounds and decided to start running.  at first i could only run in 2-5 minute intervals at about 5.2mph........

slowly over the course of the year i could run 6 miles in one hour....

now i can run 7.2miles in one hour and i'm down to 110 pounds...i've completed 2 marathons and i'm healthier than ever! i've even have a time that i can run the next boston marathon!

running is one of the hardest things to work at....it is so much mind over matter...you really have to push yourself (but at the same time know your limits).  It is the best feeling when you accomplish a new goal.....you just can't get dicouraged! best of luck!!

oh by the way...i used to get cramps all the time!!! they go away after a few weeks.......i would either push through them (keep running) or stop and walk...then try to start running again...

Wow, what great responses everybody! Thank you for your responses!

After I wrote my question, I went out and did my run, while keeping in mind that reading the replies to this post will be my reward for when I finish :) I had a great time, ran down to the beach, found an interesting trail and no stiches! Although, I did stop a few times and took it a little slower than yesterday.

kaila_a, your story sounds similar to mine. I'm 5'3, have always been around 120-125lbs and now have gained 15-20 pounds since college.  Hopefully, running will do for me what it has done for you! 

mkculs, that's a great tip! I'm gonna make use of it on my run tomorrow; thanks!

If any more people have tips or motivational stories, I'd love to hear them too!

I'd advise you NOT to just get up and start running every day... that's a good way to overdo things and to hurt yourself. The Couch to 5K program is a great introduction to running and if you do what it says every day, then in about nine weeks you'll be able to run for half an hour straight. You shouldn't really be running every day in the beginning either - your body needs a day inbetween runs to recouperate because it's using your muscles in new and different ways and you don't want to overstrain them. Better to run every second day and do something else in between.

But my little story (so far) is total non-runner attempts to run by herself several times and fails (I'd try every three months and inevitably hurt myself in a few days, so I'd figure I was still too heavy!) I did find it a little easier each time though. Then I decided to do Couch to 5K at Christmas, and I'm up to week 5. I can run 20 minutes in 5 minute blocks and not feel dead at the end! It's hard work, but I actually feel like I'm running now... and if I can run, anyone can.

I think you need to gear yourself up before every run, and decide how long your running intervals will be.  Make sure you stick to it.  I started off running for 2 min at a time.  You start, feel ok for a minute, then get tired in the second minute.  I remind myself over and over and over again that I can do ANYTHING for a minute.  I can hold my breath for a minute, hold something really heavy; whatever.  Like someone else said, take it 1 step at a time, and 1 minute at a time.  Remind yourself how far you've come, and make sure that you're proud of every single min you exercise.  

I started off about 6 months ago and I could honestly run about 30 seconds before I'd get sore and out of breath and start making excuses.  I'm 19, so that's pretty bad.  I started talking to a marathon runner at the gym, and he simply told me that I was doing really well, and should be proud of what I had achieved.  He told me to take it a minute at a time, and to remember that no matter what, I'll always get to keep every minute that I have run, not those that I thought about being able to run.  That really helped me to push myself and realise that I could make excuses all I want, but at the end of the day, if I want it to not hurt so much, I just need to put one foot in front of the other and get on with it, 1 minute at a time.

Have fun, it's such an amazing feeling to look back and realise how far you can go!

I think the key for me is keeping it interesting.  Look for new routes often to mix things up and if you can add something pretty to look at while you run, all the better.

When I arrived at university at 18 years old I couldnt run even a mile without keeling over.

I joined the running club there, and gradually built up my distances by training with them twice a week until I was able to run 6 miles in one go. I have entered numerous 10k races and my time has gone down after each one.

I honestly thought I was never a 'runner' - or that there is some kind of law of nature I'd have to accept that meant that some people just aren't designed to run. That's BS, and an excuse for not persevering in my eyes! I am proof that an unfit person can run 10k's with regular training and pushing yourself hard even when all you want to do is stop.

Never give up - running is really horrible in the beginning stages, it hurts and it is hard work! But eventually you will get to the stage where you can happily jog for longer and longer before you get tired, and once you get there you will really reap the benefits.

I'm not sure i have a very interesting story about it but i'll share it anyway.. I had never been very athletic but i figured i needed to do something to stay healthy so going running was the easiest option - all you need is shoes and some motivation. I'm still not a regular runner, every now and then i get these crazy times when i run regularly like 4 times a week and then i have times when i've gone months without running. But i still think i can share some advice :) First off, at least for me, having too exact goals (like promising oneself to run everyday etc) is not gonna end well.. Secondly i find that i run so much better if i know how far i'm running! If you know how far and how long a route takes you it's very easy to follow your improvement! There are many ways to measure the length, for example www.mapmyrun.com Also, i think running outside is wonderful you get fresh air and a change of scenery. I use the Nike+ with my iPod and i think music plus the information it gives is very cool and often helps me run those extra ten minutes :) Though, I think the greatest thing about running is how it allows me to use my whole body and i just love the feeling when i'm pushing myself to the limits running outside in the rain :D it gives such an empowering feeling like i could do anything!

When I strted running, I liked to run the same routes fairly often.  It really allowed me to see my improvement by how much quicker I could do it. 

I started running a few weeks ago. I started losing weight and doing the elliptical everyday. I always wanted to switch to the treadmill, and after I lost my first 50 lbs. I did just that. It was sort of a rite of passage for me. I now do 3-5 miles per day at about 8:30 min/mile pace. I'm proud I guess that I can finally run like this, and I look foreward to getting faster and faster - and being able to go further and further. :)

Well I can give you my story....

I started my journey in April 2006, my weight was 225 on a 5'4'' frame.  I had been getting my cardio on the elliptical machines and I was doing step aerobics.  My mom kept asking me to go running with her and I kept saying no because I absolutley hated running.  In August of that year I finally gave in to her and told her I'd try.  We ran 3 miles my first time out, without stopping!!  I thought I was going to die a few times, side cramps and all.  She kept talking me through it and telling me to breathe, just breathe.  I remember her saying to me, " There's always a hard part in the run where you feel like your going to die, if you can just push through it you'll make it."  Once I finished the run, I felt so good.  I felt like I could accomplish anything.  I was in love and I still am.  I have been running ever since.  It really helped with my weight loss, the weight just seemed to melt off after that.  I am currently at 141 and I run every day.  In the spring/summer/fall I usually do about 4 miles a day, right now I'm only doing 2 miles a day because I have to run on the treadmill (I hate the treadmill).  My mom and I still run together all the time.  We are running buddies, it's great.  I get to exercise and spend time with her, she's my best friend.

So that's it, in a nutshell. 

WOW, foreverme24! You are an inspiration! Thanks for your post :) 

Thankyou and your welcome.  :)  I'm glad my story helps to inspire you.

No way I can beat foreverme24's story, but I too am someone who used to hate running.  I would go through spurts where I would try to run,  start out getting side stitches, then within a couple weeks I could work past them, but then I would go on vacation or something where I wouldn't work out for a while.  Then it is sooo hard to get started again because you end up back where you started with the side stitches and everything.  Anyway, I read somewhere that you only really start back tracking after a week of not working out (no idea if that's true...).  When I started exercising regularly in September, even if I was having an off week, I forced myself to work out at least once.  And as someone who detested running, I would go on the elliptical so I could watch TV at the same time.  About a month ago, I noticed that I was no longer working up a sweat on the elliptical.  I knew how tough running was for me, so I figured if I wanted to get some good sweat time in, I could hop on the treadmill for 20 minutes then be done.  I think all that time spent on the elliptical really worked up my stamina, because when I jumped on that treadmill, I was better than I could ever remember.  Once I saw that improvement, I was pumped.  I never thought I had the stamina to be a runner. 20 minutes on the treadmill on random days turned into 30, 40, and this week I'm up to 50 minutes at 6mph.  I remember being so jealous of people who said they could run 5 miles in a day, and now I'm right there with them.  I agree with everyone who says it is completely mental.  Running can be boring, but think about the time you spend waiting in a doctor's office, or in line, or driving in a car-- it's like you hit a point where you stop whining in your head about how long it is taking and you just accept it.  If you're just starting to run, I think the best thing is to just force yourself to do SOMETHING, aaanything, even on days when you're just not feeling it.  Even if it is just walking.  It helps build that mental stamina, and it keeps you from back tracking (which was the most discouraging part for me).