I need to find a fun way for me to do "cardio"....

[rock_ten]

I doubt much can come of this thread, but anyway I really need to be doing cardio and stuff. Running, ideally. I'm well suited to middle- or long-distance running and it is well suited to me. Running adds to my health and fitness where as weight lifting only takes away from it.

Every so often I run regularly for a few weeks but then stop. I never enjoy it, its really unpleasant. It doesn't help that the only shoes I have to run in are 6-year-old trainers with hardly any sole and massive holes in the top - my knees get ****ed after just a few 100m...

Sports never work. I don't drink, so I'm not allowed to participate in most uni sports teams. I'm not aware of any way I can get involved in non-serious sports, either. I've joined a few teams here just looking for a run around on the grass for a couple of hours but I'm not interested in actually being good at the skill side of the sport, so I inevitably fall to the back and drop out.

Has anyone here found a way of making running more appealing, some way of thinking about it or doing it that makes it fun?


Thanks

--Joe

[Gareth83]

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I doubt much can come of this thread, but anyway I really need to be doing cardio and stuff. Running, ideally. I'm well suited to middle- or long-distance running and it is well suited to me. Running adds to my health and fitness where as weight lifting only takes away from it.

Every so often I run regularly for a few weeks but then stop. Are you Forest gump? Run for 40mins max if you must. Weeks is way too long. I never enjoy it, its really unpleasant. It doesn't help that the only shoes I have to run in are 6-year-old trainers with hardly any sole and massive holes in the top - my knees get ****ed after just a few 100m...

You say are suited to middle and long distance running yet knees get destroyed after a few 100m? Soemthing isn't right there. Sounds to me like you are suited to shorter distances like the rest of us

Sports never work. I don't drink, so I'm not allowed to participate in most uni sports teams. I'm not aware of any way I can get involved in non-serious sports, either. I've joined a few teams here just looking for a run around on the grass for a couple of hours but I'm not interested in actually being good at the skill side of the sport, so I inevitably fall to the back and drop out.

This is what's hard when in uni, sports teams seem to be based around drinking rather than fitness unless of course you're seriously in shape and can get away with teh booze ups

Has anyone here found a way of making running more appealing, some way of thinking about it or doing it that makes it fun?

If it's not fun for you, don't do it simply. You could try doing sprint training, hard work and will take no longer than 20mins if done properly and will reap much more benefit. You could try something like sled dragging, tyre flipping, bag work, skipping, pick something that you like and then work at it rather than the other way round.


Thanks

--Joe

Or just eat less baguettes ;-)

[dope540]

strap on some steaks to your thighs and unleash some rotweilers.

[Cakeface]

Some of those kids soft ball/play warehouses allow adults to go on them, keeping up with my kids is pretty good cardio. 1 place I know allows you to go in all day haring about the place.....exhausting, good laugh too.

[rock_ten]

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You say are suited to middle and long distance running yet knees get destroyed after a few 100m? Soemthing isn't right there. Sounds to me like you are suited to shorter distances like the rest of us

I think its just the shoes. When I run on grass its fine, and even better - on grass and in bare feet! In summer I love doing that, but its too muddy these days. Plus I'm just old these days.
I can do no cardio for months and still run a 6-minute mile whenever. I know that's nothing special but its alright when completely untrained. I think the best distance for me is a few miles, maybe 5 or so really. I'm quite far onto that side of the fitness spectrum, and I'm **** at "strength" stuff. 6.5" wrists at 6ft, and I was 140lbs before I started training.

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This is what's hard when in uni, sports teams seem to be based around drinking rather than fitness unless of course you're seriously in shape and can get away with teh booze ups

Yea, I have no idea how they do it. I made a post about it elsewhere once, I'll dig it up.

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If it's not fun for you, don't do it simply. You could try doing sprint training, hard work and will take no longer than 20mins if done properly and will reap much more benefit. You could try something like sled dragging, tyre flipping, bag work, skipping, pick something that you like and then work at it rather than the other way round.

Sprint stuff really drains me, that's the problem. Its like a big weights workout, it takes a lot out of me. My system is still quite fragile tbh, from some **** in the past, and HIIT knocks me down and I stay down. Fairly steady state stuff for 20-30 minutes makes everything feel better.

I used to have a beautiful tyre to flip but its gone now. I did some sled dragging back in the day, using big logs with hooks screwed into them. I suppose I could give it another go. It was a contributing factor to some serious overtraining I got myself into in late 2006.




Thanks for the replies, I'll keep trying to think of something. Sports are the best, really - or something that keeps you interested. Its so fun chasing a ball or other people.

[Dtlv74]

First thing - get new running shoes and get a pair which feel comfortable. If your knees ache then you can try running on grass to begin with rather than the roads. You should also select a shoe which reflects where you are going to run - on the road or on a track and you can go for thin soles but for cross country or the like go for a thicker sole with more support.

Also you need to be consistant and dedicated. This doesn't mean out everyday but it does mean form a plan of progression and stick to it. Set yourself a realistic six month goal, break that down into monthly sub goals and work towards them one by one. Since you aren't a dedicated runner your goals don't need to be too extreme, but you should at least be progressive.

I'd say at first don't worry about distance, just concentrate on running for longer and longer times. Then, when you can run continuously for a length of time you are happy with, try and increase the distance you can cover within that time period. Once you've reached a target you are happy with here you can then increase distance again or add a HIIT element to it. You actually have a lot more options with running than most people first realise.

As for sore knees... before I started running (at age 24) I had considered that my knees were always gonna ache - my right knee got injured when I was seventeen and had ached a lot pretty much every time I exercised since. After three weeks of running the knee stopped aching and has never ached like that again. My guess is that I had weak ligaments and the running re-strenthened them. I started weights a year or so after that and still no probs .

Agree with Gareth though that if, in the end, you really don't enjoy it then find something else - for me enjoyment is something I have to have in exercise to stay dedicated and consistant.

[rock_ten]

Thanks for the reply, Dtlv74. I should definately get new shoes if I am going to run. I much prefer running in bare feet, but this mostly neccessitates running on grass, which means that I am limited basically to playing fields and such. There are very few continuous areas of grass in even a fairly green city like York where I live. I am put off, as others must be, by the range of shoes available and my complete ignorance of the different types and what are considered good in general. I guess I just need to read around some running forums or something.

With regards to progress and goals, well I guess it would be a case of getting faster times for certain distances. I can run indefinately already, and don't have much interest in doing more than 3-5 mile distances very often. Or, ~30 minute runs are about right. Up to 60 minutes occasionally.

A positive side of running:
> I'm good at it, and I think if I did it more than once a week for more than 3 or 4 weeks at a time, I'd get some numbers to be proud of. Running is the only facet of athletic ability for which I have a good natural capacity, and so its fun to play to my strengths.

That is part of what motivates me to run at all, and its also what stops me caring about running very much.

[mxd]

Default I need to find a fun way for me to do "cardio".... = Buy a mattress and get a gf

[Dtlv74]

Ah I see exactly where you are coming from! I'd suggest then that you keep the distances short and look to have variety within that - hill sprints, cross country (if you can find somewhere!), HIIT etc. A proper runner can advise you on ideas better than me! I think if you are good at something, but are not looking to follow that path, it can often be hard to stay motivated...

As for running shoes (and trainers in general) I just spend hours and hours trying ones on until I find ones which feel like the right kind of fit. I know nothing about brands etc... I just know how to p*ss off people in shoe shops!

[gia]

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Every so often I run regularly for a few weeks but then stop. I never enjoy it, its really unpleasant. It doesn't help that the only shoes I have to run in are 6-year-old trainers with hardly any sole and massive holes in the top - my knees get ****ed after just a few 100m...

buy new trainers!!

Sports never work. I don't drink, so I'm not allowed to participate in most uni sports teams. I'm not aware of any way I can get involved in non-serious sports, either. I've joined a few teams here just looking for a run around on the grass for a couple of hours but I'm not interested in actually being good at the skill side of the sport, so I inevitably fall to the back and drop out.

you're really "not allowed"?????.... if joining uni teams bothers u, join local teams instead.. or just go and and dont drink! join an athletics club, go and run on a nice soft track couple times a week, and if u dont wanna compete..... dont.

Has anyone here found a way of making running more appealing, some way of thinking about it or doing it that makes it fun?

if i'm runnin at the gym, i'll run on the treadmill thats infront of the sky sports tv, or just one that has an interesting programme on, failing that, ipod! never run without mine, apart from those things that make it slightly more interesting i'm afraid you'll have to grin and bear it like the rest of us and accept is as a means to an end.

Thanks

--Joe