I hate running. Any advice on how to get me started?

I need to condition not only for softball, but for my general health, and running is the best way. I hate running with a passion. Does anyone have any advice as how to get me motivated to run, or how to get me to enjoy running?I hate running. Any advice on how to get me started?
Here is a new idea, you should check aroudn to see if there are any local swim clubs that you could join up with. Swimming is a great low-impact, high result substitute for running.





If you are set on running then you need to stop looking at the run at the time before you get to the finish line. In eastern philosophy it is called a state of zen. You should be running to be running (if that makes any sense). You already are going into the excercise thinking how much you hate it. Every time that you muscles start to burn or your shins start to ache, you will think about how much you hate it, and this will make it that much worse. If you think that you have to do something you hate to so something you love, you need to forget about the part you hate and focus on the goal you love.





A way to overload the antagonistic internal dialogue, try doing this, every time you catch yourself thinking how much you hate running, keep running, but activily imagine winning a softball game, and remind yourself about the benefit. If you need to (and you are not to concerned if the people you work out around you think you are wierd) then, out loud, tell yourself how much better off you will be after you have gotten the benefits from the running.I hate running. Any advice on how to get me started?
start with a power walk, or drag a friend
How to Start Jogging


Updated on October 18, 2006


If you want to start jogging, don't expect to walk out your front door and job five miles. You have to build up slowly, and it's easier than you think.





Always see your doctor first.


A basic physical exam should help you find out if there is any reason why you shouldn't jog. If your doctor feels that jogging isn't for you, s/he can advise you about what exercises are appropriate.





Get good running shoes.


If you don't have good shoes, expect a painful run. Incorrect shoes can cause foot pain, leg pain, and even back pain and various injuries.





Make sure you get shoes that are specifically designed for running and fit your feet well. (I'm a New Balance fan myself.) If you are an over-pronator (flat feet) or an under-pronator (high arches), make sure your shoes are designed for this, and even then you might need to buy additional inserts, like arch supports. If you have normal feet, don't buy shoes that are designed for over or under-pronators because they can actually cause you harm. The right shoes make a big difference between a miserable run and a good run.





Buy new shoes every 400 miles or when the don't give you the support that they used to. You can still use your old shoes for other things, but don't use them for jogging.





Get the proper clothes.


If you have breasts, you must get a supportive sports bra. If you have large breasts, you may even want to wear two bras. Get some comfortable pants (no jeans obviously) and comfortable shirts that allow your skin to breath and your sweat to evaporate. Light colored clothing is best if you jog before sunrise or after sundown or even in shady locations like a forest.





Stay safe.


Don't jog alone in the dark or in shady places. Have a jogging partner (a big, intimidating dog on a leash counts).


Carry pepper spray.


Wear reflective clothing. You can buy reflective tape and stick it on normal clothes or wear a reflective safety vest.


Pay attention to vehicles. Chance are they're not paying attention to you, so avoid getting hit by staying out of their way.


Change your schedule and your route frequently at irregular intervals.


Strengthen Your Muscles


Strong muscles are necessary to reduce and avoid injury. If you're knees, ankles, hips, or back begins to hurt when you jog, it's because your muscles aren't strong enough. Strengthen them by doing squats, lunges, balancing exercises on one leg, abdominal crunches, back crunches, and anything else that will strengthen your torso and lower body. Meanwhile, upper body strength training can help reduce back, shoulder, and neck pain associated with bad posture while running.





Choosing Your Jogging Location


Always run on a flat surface when you're starting out. Running downhill can cause knee pain and injuries (I learned this the hard way). Running uphill will tire you out so quickly that you'll feel like you aren't making any progress. You can incorporate hill training later, but even then you need to be extra careful about reducing the amount of downhill running that you do, and remember to slow down when you go up hill to reduce strain and exhaustion.





Start your jogging workout.


You need to be able to walk before you can jog. If you can't walk for at least 30 minutes, don't bother trying to jog. Get your walking stamina up first.





Don't worry if your first jogging sessions are only 10 to 15 minutes long and are mostly walking. What's important is that you build on the jogging endurance you already have. If you never jog, then you have little or no jogging endurance, so any jogging (even if its only a few seconds) is an improvement.





Warm Up Walk for at least 2 to 5 minutes. This will warm up those muscles involved with jogging to prevent injury.


Try a Slow Jog Pick up the pace and start jogging. It may feel awkward at first, but it will eventually feel more natural. Don't be surprised if you can jog for only a minute (or in my first jogging session 10 seconds!) before you start feeling worn out. Before is the word to remember. You want to stop before you start huffing and puffing or feeling like you're pushing yourself. When you feel like stopping, bring down the pace and start walking again.


Catch Your Breath Walk only long enough to catch your breath and rebuild your energy. This could take 30 seconds to 30 minutes depending on your fitness level. (I was in the 30 minute category when I first started.)


Slow Jog Again When you're ready (and if there is time left in your workout), start jogging again. Jog until you feel worn out. Again, it may be only 30 seconds, but it's an improvement.


Cool Down Walk for 5 minutes to slow your heart rate.


Stretch Thoroughly stretch out your muscles for at least 30 seconds. Stretching less than 30 seconds doesn't increase your flexibility sufficiently. Stretching more than 30 seconds doesn't do much to improve your flexibility (according to various studies), but it does feel good.


You Must Rest.


After your workout, you need to rest your muscles. The workout shocks your muscles, and actually causes microscopic injuries. The rest period is when your body builds up its strength and endurance and repairs those injuries. If you don't allow yourself the necessary rest time, you'll actually see your performance worsen rather than improve.





When you first start your routine, you may need to wait 2 to 3 days before your body is ready to try again. If you're still sore after 3 days (whether that soreness be in your legs or lungs), you may need to rest longer. You can spend those days doing other activities (like swimming or dancing) or just go walking instead of jogging.





With proper rest between workouts, you'll start noticing faster progress.





Things to Remember


The best time to do intense strength training is after a short aerobic workout. You may want to follow your jog and stretch with some weight lifting because the jog warms up your muscles and prepares them for the training.


Don't push yourself too hard. You're starting a jogging routine. You're not training for a marathon (that's a whole different how-to article that I'm not qualified to write...yet). Pushing yourself beyond your limits will only lead to injury.


If it hurts, don't do it. If it hurts to jog, you're not ready to jog. Take up walking. Move up to speed walking. Then try jogging again. If it hurts to jog 5 minutes but you do just fine if you jog for 2 minutes, then feel free to just jog for 2 minutes and slowly add time to your jog as long as it feels comfortable.


In cold weather, wear a scarf over your mouth. By breathing through a scarf, you're warming up the air and adding moisture to it before it enters your lungs. This will reduce lung pain and asthma associated with hard breathing in cold weather.


Jogging and walking outdoors is much more fun than using a treadmill. Treadmills are good for exercising while watching television or listening to music. They're great for exercising when you just can't go outside for one reason or another. However, they get boring. When you exercise outdoors, you can say hi to your neighbors, look at landscaping and home design (to get ideas for your own place), pet the neighborhood dogs (the friendly ones), go up and down hills, jump in puddles, admire the landscape, feel the wind and rain on your face, etc. It's just more entertaining, so it stimulates your brain as well as your body.
Listen to music and just run...I am a football player at nearly 300 lbs and motivate myself to run everyday by knowing it will pay off on the field.
Dangle a carrot on a stick.





Kidding... set a goal to run a certain distance or a set distance at a certain speed. Try to beat your record or somebody elses.





Personally, I pretend somebody is after me. I'm a sucker for playing make-believe.





If that doesn't work, join the dorks (no offense) in fierce Dance Dance Revolution competitions.
You can't run before you can walk.





Start by walking each night and jogging the last 3 minutes. Try this for about a week. The next week jog for 6 minutes.





Start small and work your way up.
find a running partner that is somewhat faster yet understanding of your needs. Good shoes are a plus and I would use a mp3 player if you run by yourself.


Set goals 1 mile at a time.


Also I start by running a mile then stretch each leg for 30 seconeds then I continue to run. You should not stretch before you run due to injury to a cold muscle.
Running is a very versatile sport. It can be used for training for all sports. For softball, my best advice is speed work. This is not very hard, and can easily be accomplished in about 20 minutes 3-4 times a week. Basically, you need a flat, straight street/field, and a designated time. Start out going out at dusk, as this is a very cool part of the day. If you start to like it, begin going out in the morning. If you are a musical type, an mp3 player, or even a radio at your start point will work. You may also want a sports drink or water.





The real question here is how to get you motivated. What helps me is picturing that wild animals are chasing me. Also, you should think things like ';50 feet to go,'; or set goals for yourself. The best motivation is to bring a friend out to run with you. that way, you have someone to talk with while you run. Another motivator is local races. Try a 5k as it is a very good distance for running, and if you are in a place with weekly or monthly 5K's, you can go and try to improve your times.
Stretch and listen to music and go for it. I love running you'll begin to enjoy it especially being outdoors.
start out running a short distance, and run a little farther each day
music would make it better and motivation is great too. (duh and duh) lol sorry
one.. foot... at... a... time... start with walking. take one lap walking and then gently...easily shift into jogging slowly.
Go through a VERY bad area at night, alone. I am sure that will give you the right motivation to get you going.
Walk backwards.
Lots of people feel very differently about it, but I say run a race, probably a 5K (about 3 miles). It may sound far, but find the biggest one you can, preferably with people cheering on the course, and you will make it through. Also, go to a track or a cross country meet. If you have any friends or relatives that run in high school or college, check it out. When you see somebody just dying with a half mile to go, and the crowd is screaming at them to dig down and find that extra gear and they actually find it, that is totally awesome. I can't think of something much more inspirational than that.
First thing you need is a positive attitude. You'll never stick with it unless you enjoy it (or at least don't hate it!). Next, check with your doctor %26amp; make sure it's OK to start a running program. Then good shoes are next. See if you can use the track at your local school (the surface is usually softer than pavement). Try to find someone to run with %26amp; help motivate each other. You'll be less likely to skip days if there's someone else going with you.
get motivation, like a fit body
listen to music


find a partner


run on the beach


join a running club that forces you to run


play soccer-that's a lot of running


pretend you like it and if you try hard enough, you'll start believing yourself (I'm not even joking)
If you don't like it now...then you never will! Just suck it up and get out there! It'll be worth all the hard work!
Bring a friend to talk with and keep you entertained, you'd be surprised how much time passes without you knowing. Music also helps.
Look in the mirror
dangle a twinkie in front of you're face and run after it.
mp3 player/ ipod/ zune + run.
my brother always listens to some fast rock music.it always gets him going.like he want to stay in beat with the song.or for me,i pretend that's someone's out there to kill me and they're chasing me.it always works for me
Start with fast walking and when it feels right and you get in shape speed up.
Try finding a partner with whom to run. Keeps you motivated.
it might help you to ask a friend to join...so someone keeps you company... and enjoy your time with them...or you could use a music player...start slow running first.. you got to take the first step...RUUUUN
Go into competitive running, jogging is freaking boring unless its training. Once you feel that adrenaline rush, you will start running =)
i think that if u really want to plaie softball u hav 2 do wut it takes 2 b a softball playa. start of by just running for just awhile then progress generally. hope i helped and i hope that u do well this season


good luck n all!lauren and caitlin
Find a couple of people that you can have fun talking to at a nice and slow pace. If you are committed, then you will eventually increase your pace and distance without even realizing it.
look at pictures of skinny celebs...idk also..start off slow and gradually increase your distance everyday. im with you on this one i hate running too. also try running with an ipod or cd player to some rap music or something uplifting thatll get you moving..techno or something? try promising yourself that after you run youll do something calming liek take a bath or something. hope this helps.