Run-Down Forums

[ssteve235]

Why do people run? Its just a thought thats been going through my mind as I start to get more serious about running.

[Angelo Z]

It's always interesting to give your own opinion in these type of conversations...hmmm let's see why.

First off, it's the ability you have. I enjoy the science behind it. For example, my lungs can take in twice as much oxygen as the normal person would. My heart is almost 25% larger than normal. It's just one of those phenomenons you get obsessed with. People look at the Bugatti Veyron and say, "Jesus, it has a W16 engine!!!"...because it's unique. Next up is the look of the sport. It's just incredible in a way because your muscles are so ripped in the snapshots, your chest is coated in a shiny layer of sweat, you can see the ribs underneath, etc. It's just the look, it creates a different impression as opposed to watching sumo wrestling. Running is also very rewarding, I don't compare it's pay to golf or any other sport, it's just rewarding in general.

Now the real reason I like to run is because of the feeling. I discovered this when I made it to middle school. We were supposed to run a lap in gym class everyday and I remember the first day when I actually ran. I went out like a maniac on that lap, everyone else was just walking and laughing "at that silly kid giving it his all in a lousy PE class." I was overwhelmed at first. It felt so painful, it didn't seem like much fun like soccer "was." I knew right away at the moment that I hate this feeling so much that I will never do this to myself again. The next day, we were supposed to run again. Something inside of me pushed me to actually run again and try like I did last time. You know how PE class is. You have these overweight teachers saying "Do 10 push-ups and 10 sit-ups" and you look at everyone else laying around and not trying. But when they see someone actually giving sweat for something they consider lousy, they consider that individual to be lousy too. Anyways, the main thing is that something inside of me was always making me run. Running lifted up my mood for some reason (it could be the endomorphins, who knows) but I felt proud of myself for actually running. Yeah, I know I've ran in basketball, soccer, etc. but this time, everything was just focused on running only. I also knew that I have a good body for running so that's why I didn't lose my motivation as opposed to if I was obese. Running is more emotional for me than strategic.

The last thing that makes me run is constant improvement. I just get so happy when I run a better PR and there is still plenty of room for improvement. It's kind of like "leveling up" in a game. I consider running to be a physically developing sport just like bodybuilding/powerlifting is. Running is a basic sport that tests only 2 aspects of the body: endurance and speed. In the same time, I don't think it's boring either. You can actually make running look like a form of art when you're out there on the track. People will normally say that gymnastics/figureskating is more of a form of art but running is based on pain and balls, not perfection.

The appearance of running is what further sucked me in. I thought to myself in middle school without any knowledge of running, "If I ran the mile in 5:50, how much faster can the world record be?" I went to youtube and searched the world record and saw Hicham, I was left with my jaw dropped as if I was at the dentist. The length of his strides and the legs moving, and how he looked like he was giving it his all was the most gallantly-looking thing ever. I thought, "I want to be like that some day too." As silly as it sounds, I've been actually pursuing that goal. I know you've only asked why people like to run, but while I'm posting this, it just became unavoidable to also mention how I got into the sport too.

Watch this video from 8:31 and on. That's what makes running look so phenomenal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6roXDygZ3ag

Now, what's your story?
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My favorite all time race: Hicham El Guerrouj - Prefontaine Classic Mile 2002 http://youtube.com/watch?v=4YykUTHzOL8
¥London 2012 XXX Olympiad¥

[ssteve235]

Ha well my story isnt as long as that but here it is...

I got into running in the begining of this year, right around october.I remember that first run i ever took, i think it was like 3 miles in almost 30 min. I puked my guts out after that run. But i just had the most amazing feeling, i felt like i could do anything if i wanted to. The only reason i took that first run was to help get myself over a really bad breakup.

I had always been fast, i played baseball for years and i was always one of the fastest kids on the team but i never had the most endurance. The running just built up from there. I ran indoor track, but i did the sprinting workouts because i didnt think i could handle the distance workouts. Then when spring hit, i went for it and joined the distance team. Quickly i became one of the top on the team, i put everything had into running. It became/is currently a total obsession. Its not even the good effects that come from running, like a good looking body or staying healthy. Its mostly the intense satisfaction i get after a hard workout on the track or a long distance run. The soreness that i wake up with in the morning is worth it because i know that only a few people that ill talk to the next day knows how it feels. That feeling of satisfaction you get after a new pr, is worth the months of suffering, the hundreds of miles of pain. In the end you come out a better person and more important a better runner. During a workout this week, all i thought about was why do i run? The simplest answer i came up with is, im good at it, i like it, and in the end its worth it.

[Angelo Z]

Well put. I would have to say that running itself only feels good if it's a recovery run. Some people get so nervous before a race that I heard rumors about them literally taking a dump during the race. I don't know, have you ever had that wild sensation in your belly before a race? The biggest torture for me is waiting to run, most of the time knowing that I will run my fastest. I just stay there like a statue lol, only starting to run will loosen me up. It's always been like that: getting chills and twitching. I think it makes me stronger in a way because I already have that whole adrenaline rushing through, I just get sick went I look at others talking and appearing so relaxed. At the very end of a race, not only do I get that feeling of satisfaction like you do, but I also get this feeling of liberation from all of that anxiety. There's a difference between competitive and recreational runners.
_________________
My favorite all time race: Hicham El Guerrouj - Prefontaine Classic Mile 2002 http://youtube.com/watch?v=4YykUTHzOL8
¥London 2012 XXX Olympiad¥

[ssteve235]

I couldn't agree more. Running really isn't fun. I don't ever remember a fun interval session or a fun tempo run. Never happened. Racing again isnt fun. The mile is not a fun race, it just hurts. Theres no other way i can put it, its just painful. And yeah the worst part about a race, isnt the race itself, but the waiting before a race. My stomach goes crazy and all i can think about is what if i cant finish? But then i remember that ive taken runs 10,12 times longer then the race im about to run and that calms me down a bit. Have you ever got that feeling that your legs have no strength what so ever the second the gun goes off? But it goes away as fast as it comes? One of the scariest feelings but once you get the strenght back you feel as if you could just run forever. And your right there is a HUGE difference between competitive runners and recreational runners. If you have ever read the book, Once a Runner, the chapter titles breakdown explains it perfectly. In fact that book does a really really good job of capturing the things that goes through a runners head.

[Dan]

Stick with it long enough and you'll experience a few euphoric runs that feel great during, not just after. Those are the memories that keep you going through the miserable days.

Dan
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[Angelo Z]

Yes! The legs have no strength when the gun goes off. Lol that's why I held back when I raced fastest runners for fun and then at the very end they were calling me a dirty sandbagger (also because I told them at the very beginning that I was a "scrub" so I can surprise them) They must've been used to starting out fast though, that's why I was in the very back for the first 200. What I hate the most is anything from 400-800m. There is no time for speeding up, you have to finish as fast as you started. I also have no idea why people whine so much about the 3rd lap. This is really odd, but for me, the 1st lap is the one I hate the most. The 2nd and 3rd laps are basically just chilling and staying in the zone and on the 4th lap, I get this tingle up my spine (the kind you get from time to time that causes you to twitch) and I just sprint it as if it were a 400m race. I guess that the faster you can run the mile, the more you feel comfortable about sprinting earlier. Lol, I remember those old days when my first mile PR was a 7:21 without any training, the last lap was lifeless. I think that the mile became a different race for me after shaving off 193 seconds off of 7:21, it feels like 2 laps instead of 4. Didn't you get the feeling that the mile feels a lot shorter than usual than what you were running before track started? The time is obviously shorter but the distance feels shorter. Again, when I ran the mile in 7:21 long ago, it felt like the longest distance I've ever ran lol.

There was a very interesting article that I've read about fatigue. Did you know that most of the time, you're not truly fatigued at all? The article talked about an experiment where they had a group of athletes run the mile and along the way they were being asked to describe the effort. On their 2nd-3rd lap, they were all whining and said how exhausted they felt and on the last 100m, they were describing the feeling as "free from pain." The scientists found that the muscles themselves didn't even have a truly high level of lactic acid that would actually cause the runner to slow down from fatigue, so instead they asked what it could be. They found out that it was all mental. When you're in the middle of a race or towards the end when you feel exhausted, it's because you're brain is giving out signals. You see, your body itself still has a bunch of energy left, but the brain is trying to tell you to slow down because it doesn't know when you'll stop this effort before you get hurt. It's a natural way to prevent our bodies from getting harmed because if our brain wasn't sending us signals that the effort is so hard, we would be doing damage to ourselves. However, when you're at the last 100m and you see the finish line right ahead of you, you don't feel tired anymore! You're eyes send back messages to your brain that you've only got about 14 more seconds of running to do and then it will all be over and so your brain stops sending signals to your body that you're feeling fatigued. Those marathoners sure have some of the highest mental toughness among most people.

I must say, running is definitely a drug. You've probably had at least one person come up to you and say "Snort this at least once or you will die without knowing the pleasure in life." Man, from time to time I see some really depressed people and I just want to tell them, "Go run at least once or you will miss a great deal when you die." What can I say, I love abusing my endomorphins. __...---Runners high 4ever.
_________________
My favorite all time race: Hicham El Guerrouj - Prefontaine Classic Mile 2002 http://youtube.com/watch?v=4YykUTHzOL8
¥London 2012 XXX Olympiad¥

[ssteve235]

I have to disagree with you on one point, the 3rd lap of a mile is just pure torture. As close to unbearable as you can get. The 800 might be one of the worst races ever invented. Its too far of a sprint for me, if you dont take the first 400 hard enough your screwed for the whole race. In longer races you get a chance to make up ground if you run a bad first half not so in the 8. I find it amazing that marathoners can do what they do, absoultyl amazing. Whenever someone complains to me about something that they're so upset about, i usually just tell them to go run. I usually just get a wierd look and get told to shut up but running really can fix just about anything.

[Dan]

[Angelo Z]

I'm on my iphone now so I can't copy/paste an URL but if you go to runnersworld.com and search for "fatigue" in the search box, it's the article called "Train your brain" Lol I remembered the experiment vaguely, they were on stationary bikes, not running the mile.
_________________
My favorite all time race: Hicham El Guerrouj - Prefontaine Classic Mile 2002 http://youtube.com/watch?v=4YykUTHzOL8
¥London 2012 XXX Olympiad¥

[Dan]

Found it, thanks.

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-267--11504-0,00.html

Dan
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[ssteve235]

Hmmm, very interesting article

[Dan]

I was a bit disappointed with the conclusion -- it basically wraps up with common sense workout suggestions -- but I suppose there's no magic formula to trick your brain into thinking it can push through... It all comes down to appropriate training, whether or not you acknowledge the brain "fatigue" factor. However, the article presents a very useful tool for shaping race preparations.

Dan
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[Angelo Z]

Here's something that you might have experienced. When you do intervals, mostly from 1k+, do you get this weird feeling in your legs as if you're gliding along on your second interval? It always happens at the very beginning but towards the end of the interval I don't feel it anymore, I start to fight off the exhaustion setting in and I'm turning over those legs as fast as I can. Then on the third interval, I get the same feeling again. It feels as if your muscles have gotten used to running at that fast pace, it feels as if you're running almost effortlessly. Then the cool-down comes which offers the best euphoria ever. It feels 5x easier than the warm-up even though it's at the same pace. Even when I used to run on the treadmill, I would get off of it after about 12 miles at 6:10 pace and when I set foot outside to walk back home each step would feel like my whole body was being sprung up. It could be because each muscle cell has a memory of its own and when you constantly hammer it with this harder activity, it feels like you're superhuman when you go back to the easier activity.
_________________
My favorite all time race: Hicham El Guerrouj - Prefontaine Classic Mile 2002 http://youtube.com/watch?v=4YykUTHzOL8
¥London 2012 XXX Olympiad¥

[Angelo Z]