When your mind hates running even more than your body does, you have to strategize.
It’s common knowledge in my household that Monday at 5:55 a.m. is the worst time of the week. That’s because Monday is a running day, and I hate running.
I have always hated running. In elementary school, I dreaded the mile run test and was always in the back with my fellow gym class rejects. In college, I was the only baseball player who could stretch a double into a single.
I’m 6 feet 7 inches tall and overly leggy, with knees that wobble in six different directions when I run. And yet, it’s crucial — especially in middle age — to challenge one’s body with a little intense exercise every week.
I don’t have access to a pool or lake, my ceilings are too low for trampolines and doing more than one HIIT workout per week quickly gets boring. Running offers intensity while distracting me with pretty scenery. Besides, 20 minutes later, I feel amazing.
After years of tinkering with ways to start running, I have finally come up with a three-part recipe for learning to tolerate this horrible form of exercise.
But before you start, make sure you are doing fun movements on other days. If your only exercise is running and, like me, you hate it, you won’t stick with it. Walk if you like that, swim if it’s your jam. I have a kickboxing dummy, a pull-up bar and some battle ropes that I genuinely look forward to using. Don’t make every workout a slog.