Runners: How has running changed your life?

[Anonymous]

What is "runner's face"/the skin issues?

I like running a lot, it's amazing to be able to just put on your shoes and headphones and go. You can exercise basically anywhere, anytime

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a perennial beginning runner, and I recommend the Nike running club app. It has a lot of guided runs, including some for beginners. The runs emphasize listening to your body and putting forth easy effort most of the time. In the past I injured myself every time I tried to scale up my running, but I am having success now by slowing down my pace and building mileage very very slowly. That's even more important for you if you are just starting.

I love the NRC app too! I would start with a Couch to 5k app and move to NRC if you are able to run for longer periods of time. I have only been running for a year and I love it, I'm like a husky when it's time for a run. But it is hard and I struggle often, especially in the summer heat. At the end of a long run, when I can check my pace, OMG that feeling is amazing.

PP, check out this article about Coach Bennett, assuming you watch Ted Lasso.

https://www.menshealth.com/health/a40130153/real-life-ted-lasso/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is "runner's face"/the skin issues?

I like running a lot, it's amazing to be able to just put on your shoes and headphones and go. You can exercise basically anywhere, anytime

Whenever a post about running comes up on this site, many posters will chime in to say they’d never run because it ages the face prematurely. Is it the sun, the jiggling, the grimacing, the lack of body fat? I don’t know. And it’s not universally true, but it is sometimes evident, particularly in very thin marathoner-types. Personally, I’ve noticed splotchiness/discoloration along my jawline only, where my hat doesn’t cover. Not specific to running, but most of the time I spend in direct sun is when I’m running.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Running wrecked my skin, knees and hips. I don't do it anymore.

Do others agree? This concerns me. You do always hear about runners needing early joint replacements and the like. What about treadmill running so no sun, and not marathon miles, just a few??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m 45 and have been running regularly since I was 18 or so. It is something I have to do, not something I force myself to do. I look forward to it. It sort of feels like the glue that holds a lot of other things about me together. Mental health, weight control, even a social outlet, as I often meet up with a friend to run. It has been the one consistent thing that I do solely for myself, so I try to relish every minute of it. (Even in this heat.) And there are so many life lessons that can be practiced and reinforced through running: learning how to persist through discomfort, how to moderate your pace/effort depending on conditions beyond your control, how to accept your own limitations, to name just a few.

+1

Life long/all-weather runner here too (started in HS). Echoing above.

Yes, there are specific physical (core strength lean muscles, etc) and mental strengths (high threshold for pain, clear your head, etc), but systematically overall it feels right even when I have a sluggish run.

Plus, it's so habitual for me. Skipping a day is like morning w/o brushing teeth.


For you Op - your specific situation is starting to run, right? Youre getting advice fro. lifelong runners here so your experiencewill be different

Find a program/running group. It will keep you accountable, help with suggestions, and help.

Don't let the weather or the longevity (it can seem monotonous and tiresome especially when it seems like you've been running forever, but you're only on mile 1).

NP - this is me, too. I've been running for 20 years so it's just part of who I am at this point. It's helped me to become both physically and mentally stronger.

But I would echo some of the other comments and say not to force yourself to do it just because you think you have to do it to get in good shape. Plenty of other forms of exercise are effective and not as stressful on the body as running is.

I've been thinking a lot about some things I've read recently about how doing too much cardio can cause your cortisol levels to rise which promotes fat gain and also increases appetite. I've been thinking if it would make more sense to switch to more lower impact activities (in combination with weights of course) like walking, biking and yoga and put more effort into fine tuning my diet instead. I love cardio and HIIT but I'm starting to wonder if its counterproductive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Running wrecked my skin, knees and hips. I don't do it anymore.

Do others agree? This concerns me. You do always hear about runners needing early joint replacements and the like. What about treadmill running so no sun, and not marathon miles, just a few??

I've been running for 20 years (i'm 40 now) and run 4-5 miles 3-4x/week. I have no pain or issues with knees/ankles or joints. I've strained things a couple times but I think that was due to having worn out shoes. I also do strength training 3x/week so that's probably helped.

[Anonymous]

I'm 44 and just got into running in my early 30s. I love it. Some days I can run forever, and today I ran and then walked because humidity. I listen to books, work through work issues, and just escape. It's really fun when you travel too, as a way to explore whereever you are.

My miles are all over the place. I usually do 2 halfs a year, and then will run about 3 miles a few times a week.

If you are just starting out, don't have an ego about it. Get some cute run clothes which helps with motivation, and go for it. Shoot for a mile and run-walk it until it's easy and then go from there.

[Anonymous]

I'm in my mid-40s and took up running last year. Did couch to 5k. It was pretty cool to start off barely able to run for a minute straight and eventually manage runs of 90 minutes at a time.

I haven't noticed any joint issues. I was in the middle of a successful effort to lose weight and did not notice any increased appetite (certainly not enough to derail the weight loss).

Did I learn to love running? Eh, maybe not. I took a break when summer hit, so I'm not doing it right now. Maybe you should wait to Fall to start. But I'm glad it's now part of my fitness toolbox. It's definitely worth trying.

[Anonymous]

One benefit to starting now, in the heat of the summer, is if you can slog through the next few months, once fall hits and the humidity breaks, you’ll feel like superwoman out there.

[Anonymous]

It game me solid confidence and a feeling of accomplishment. I was the fat kid who could never run the mile when we had to do it in school, and was always the last 1-2 kids every single time.

As an adult, I couldn't run around a block, and was still obese. But in my 30s I slowly got in shape, took up running (shoutout to couch to 5k!), and then was able to run my first continuous mile without stopping. Then 2. Then a 5k. Then 10k. then 10 miles without stopping even for a sip of water or to check my phone. The confidence that it gave me was incredible, and running (and exercise) became a form of therapy. I lost a ton of weight, and have maintained it many years later.

I mean really, I truly couldn't run a single minute in the beginning. I was as red as brick after 30 seconds. Then I was running TEN miles without a single break? If I can do it, anyone can.

These days I just don't have the stamina to do the same non-stop mileage (I crosstrain and do other things), and a 5k may be my long run, but I still run 3-4 days a week doing a couple miles. I do it, because I love knowing that I can run faster and longer than I was when I was 1/4 of the age I am now. I chase my former fat kid at the end of the mile. I'm extremely proud of how far I've come, and the sense of accomplishment I gained from doing something I could never, ever imagine doing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It game me solid confidence and a feeling of accomplishment. I was the fat kid who could never run the mile when we had to do it in school, and was always the last 1-2 kids every single time.

As an adult, I couldn't run around a block, and was still obese. But in my 30s I slowly got in shape, took up running (shoutout to couch to 5k!), and then was able to run my first continuous mile without stopping. Then 2. Then a 5k. Then 10k. then 10 miles without stopping even for a sip of water or to check my phone. The confidence that it gave me was incredible, and running (and exercise) became a form of therapy. I lost a ton of weight, and have maintained it many years later.

I mean really, I truly couldn't run a single minute in the beginning. I was as red as brick after 30 seconds. Then I was running TEN miles without a single break? If I can do it, anyone can.

These days I just don't have the stamina to do the same non-stop mileage (I crosstrain and do other things), and a 5k may be my long run, but I still run 3-4 days a week doing a couple miles. I do it, because I love knowing that I can run faster and longer than I was when I was 1/4 of the age I am now. I chase my former fat kid at the end of the mile. I'm extremely proud of how far I've come, and the sense of accomplishment I gained from doing something I could never, ever imagine doing.

I am an earlier poster and I love this! Go you! Rock on!

[Anonymous]

Running changed my life. I started when I was 13 and randomly decided I wanted to run cross country in high school. I went from not being able to run one lap to winning trophies each year for having run the most miles on my own during the summer. I was never a super fast distance runner, but it made me feel like I could be an athlete, and that gave me the confidence to find a sport I really was great at.

It also saved me during the first year of the pandemic, when I couldn’t go to my bougie fitness classes anymore, and went back to running instead. Running is the thing I keep coming back to, and will be with me always. It’s my ride or die workout.

I’m 45 now and definitely slower than I was, and do have to really tend to recovery, stretching, etc. I agree with others not to force it - which is true of any sport or athletic pursuit. Some things are just not for us, and that’s fine. I’ll never love soccer; oh well.

As my high school coach said, anyone can be a runner!

[Anonymous]

You know OP if you want to like, run 5k and not feel like incompetent, you could try a different cardio thing that is less hard on your body.

I also had that goal like 'i need to be able to run a 5k without stopping to walk and I felt like a total loser not being able to pull it off. I ran like 14 minute miles, blah blah. Anyway I got sick at sucking at running and got a peloton and got in like, crazy good cardiovascular shape (and relevantly lose a significant amount of weight) and then did a bunch of weight training. And then I went on vacation after like, a year of all this, and went for a jog because no peloton and like. NIGHT AND DAY. I flew. Now I jog occasionally and I can run for an hour without stopping to walk! Like literally me from three years ago would have found that LAUGHABLE. And I do not run much, but I bike A LOT. And that translates although I'm sure I'd be a stronger runner if I was putting all my effort into that. But honestly I have bad feet (flat, prone to plantar faciitis/other stuff) and so running I was always in pain in some way. Even now I can really feel it in my feet if I've been running too much.

So this is a way where I now know I can 'run a 5k without embarrassing myself' but I don't have the injuries that came with running. And I get all that endorphin, working out my issues etc. I do my long rides on Saturday night watching netflix. Just a different path to the same goal!

[Anonymous]

I’ve been a runner most of my adult life. Was very unathletic and uncoordinated when I was growing up. I really took to running though. Realized I was pretty good at it and began doing marathons and ultra-marathons. Ran Boston several times and placed in a few races. Gave me a lot of confidence that I lacked from being ridiculed as a child for my awkwardness. I’m in my 50’s now and still run 40-45 miles a week. I live close to beautiful shady trails and running is meditative and healing to me. The bonus is that I’m in great shape, but it’s not my primary motivation. I just love running. Thankfully, I have no injuries. I am very careful with sunscreen, hats, and sunglasses so that I don’t age prematurely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Running wrecked my skin, knees and hips. I don't do it anymore.

I'm 44 and my joints are fine ...to counter

But your skin is awful