I apologize for how negative that sounds! It’s been 3 months. I unfortunately can’t be as consistent as I’d like because of chronic utis. I currently go about 8-10 km/h for 20 mins at a time, 2-3 times a week when I’m healthy. I keep at it because I’ve noticed a boost in my general energy and mood, but I hate pretty much every second of actually running. I read that that’s normal as you start out, especially if you start from zero like I did. But I’ve also read you eventually start to tolerate and then later enjoy it. How long did it take for you to get to that point?
Edit: 5 month update on case someone stumbles across this. My progress is slow, due to frequent breaks due to my frequent colds and UTIs. I’m at 30min 5k. Running still sucks, in part, but it also feels…powerful? I’ve learned to pace myself and run slower, so I’m not all spent after 10 mins. It’s difficult, but I think running too fast really was the biggest problem. Now what I feel during a run is a mix of ‘ughgh I hate cardio’ and ‘this is amazing, I’m powerful, I can do anything I want’. That’s enough to keep motivated. The reason I keep it up is that the former feeling ends soon after the end of the run, but the latter one persists. I try to run twice a week. If I have the time, I go on a hike instead (I live in the mountains). I enjoy those a lot more, but they take up several hours as opposed to 30mins for a run. It’s helped me tremendously with my depression, so it’s so worth it.
Tldr: I still don’t enjoy every second of running, but pacing myself made it more enjoyable than before. And it’s SO worth the mood boost and extra energy (even on rest days). I have depression and I’ve never felt this good in my entire 10 years of being an adult.
You mean during the run?
A “runners high” is when you run so long, that your body just stops fighting it figuring you have a good reason to be running. So it dumps endorphins and suddenly running is a blast.
Not everyone gets that though. And it may not be what you’re asking about.
For other people, they never enjoy running, they enjoy the results of running.
20 minutes isn’t going to get you a runners high. But it will have noticable health improvements during the rest of the time.
Don’t expect running to become an enjoyable hobby, it’s maintenance that you’re putting in now, and you’ll get the results later.
The people who actually do enjoy it, run ridiculous distance, you may get there some day if you want, and what you’re doing is productive and worth the effort. But don’t expect to start enjoying it unless you keep building up distance till you’re talking about marathons. It takes a very long time before a runners high is possible.
Sounds like I had some unrealistic expectations. I didn’t really think of a literal runners high, just reasonable enjoyment. But good to know it’s worth it either way! Thanks!