When I was in the Navy, I had to run for my fitness test. In those days, it was a 2 mile run in under 23(?) minutes to pass, so really, more of a brisk jog. I made the effort to jog regularly so I wouldn’t be in agony for the test, and it got to where I could do 6 miles in an hour - in fact, I did that twice. Then I decided I just didn’t want to mess with it. In the proper footwear, I’ll walk for hours, but unless a giant boulder is rolling at me, I ain’t picking up the pace.
Fuck that noise.
Anyone who knows my posting history knows that I absolutely LOVE walking. I’d walk in my sleep, if I could.
But running? I’d rather be shot in the back.
I don’t know how to run in a way that doesn’t sap all my energy and make me hurt myself, and my lifelong efforts to learn have been fruitless. I’d love to be able to run, believe me. I’m envious of every jogger I see on the road, with their sculpted legs and sweaty brows. But it’s just not my thing. Fortunately, there are a million forms of exercise a person can do.
Short legs, long torso, tiny feet, large hips, breathing problems, PhysEd teachers who shouldn’t have been allowed within miles of a child, others who are well-intentioned but who can’t explain how to do things to those of us to whom they don’t come naturally, and every person my age I know who loves running can’t do it any more because their knees are shot to hell.
Given that I’m descended from a long line of fast walkers and I walk fast enough to make them proud (something which has its own Olympic discipline btw), why would I want to run? Would it have been nice to learn proper form for it? Sure, see above re. teachers. I would have loved to learn how to swim properly, too, but six years of swimming school only made my summers miserable.
Well here we find one overall weakness of the Dope: running.
Me too. Running is something I’ll take up if and when I encounter an escaped tiger, walking will suffice for other purposes.
And what’s up with people who don’t participate in blueberry pie or hotdog eating contests? It’s like saying they hate eating.
Then share the love with someone else who also feels it. Don’t try to make someone like, much less love, something they detest.
I like running, I get the endorphin rush of ecstatic joy from it, and I did it a lot when I was younger. I’m not built for it, so I was never fast. Short legs, wide hips, heavy bones, and now arthritic toes. I’ve created a sort of flat-footed jog so I can have short bursts of running cardio without stressing the MTP joints within a walk. It isn’t’ running, but it does kick up the heart rate and makes me happy.
Running is like golf. A pleasant walk ruined.
I love running. Ran a lot as a kid. But I can’t run. Haven’t been able to for many decades. Each time I try to even run a little bit results in Very Bad Things.
So I swim. Love it and it doesn’t cause problems.
Cut people some slack.
I’m an avid runner and I did hate it in the beginning. It was pure hell.
And I was a normal weight 16 year old girl at that time, I can’t imagine how much it would suck if you started from an older age.
Nonetheless, it does get better. I enjoy it now very much.
It took me at least 4 months to start liking it. Several years out, I can’t imagine stopping. Nonetheless, I clearly understand why people might not like it and might choose to do other exercise or none at all. I don’t really care and I don’t see why it’s something to get upset about.
Yeah, the OP’s question is quite odd. When I was a kid running distance track, I didn’t like running much at all. “Hate” may be a strong word, but it was not an activity I looked forward to. But I did it because it was something to do and I liked being part of a school sports team. When I took it up a decade and a half again later, I liked it a lot more, and actually got some enjoyment out of it. It’s still a chore for me to do (and I haven’t run regularly since the winter), but I at least feel good about myself after I complete my miles. And there are the occasional days that I love it. But it’s pretty easy for me to understand how people hate it.
Ugghhh.
I just remembered. I was in track in school. My “specialty” was the medium distances, which IMO suck donkey balls.
A short sprint? Its over before you know it, breathe hard for a few minutes maybe afterwards and you are good to go.
Long distances? By definition you have to settle in for the long haul. Sure you get tired and you might sprint a bit at the end.
The medium distances? The worst of both. You sprint LAMF way further than man was designed to sprint for, then spend the next 30 minutes trying not to die from lack of oxygen.
Seconded.
Thirded.
Not quite. I don’t hate exercise. In fact, I quite like exercise. Judo wrestling, mountainbiking, hiking, cross- and backcountry skiing, swimming, even spinning or lifting weights in the gym are all perfectly acceptable, maybe even desirable things for me to do. But running? No effing way. Back when I was a fairly active judo wrestler, I ran. Both to improve my aerobic performance and to reduce weight. And I hated every minute of it.
Now that I’m older and only exercise for my own well-being and not for competitions, I’d need a total personality makeover to take up running for exercise.
I hate running. I have an asthma attack every. single. time. Something about being not able to breathe whenever I do an activity turns me off from it.
I do love exercise. I can (and do) ride my bike for at least 10 miles every day (well, not today, it’s pouring rain). In High School I rode at least 20 miles every day. I have very good legs 
So, yes, it is possible for something that gives you great pleasure to be positively unpleasant, or even hated by someone else. Not everyone thinks / believes / feels like you! This point is very difficult for many of my students to grasp- that people in the past weren’t just like them, only in funny clothes. The past is a foreign country- and other people are like Canada, Britain, Australia- they look like us, even speak the same language, (sorta), but just tell a Canuck (Auzzie, or Brit- I know people from all three!) they’re the same as an American… that ends well… people are different!
No. I hate running. Period. I actually tried it for a few weeks in my younger days and quit after realizing I was never going to do anything other than despise it.
I’ve tried running on and off for YEARS, I went out for the track team at 10/11, I broke my arm just before it started so I didn’t join. I’m an ok runner, I used to be able to do the mile in 6 minutes or so, mile and a half in under 10.
I just never enjoyed running, at all. My father’s a runner, a good one too. No matter how many times I’ve tried to run for fun and exercise I just don’t like it one bit. I ran an ultra marathon, 50.2 miles, at 17, and I’ve run a few other races as well. I’d don’t triathlons and hate getting to the running section. I think I can say with confidence that I hate running.
On the other hand I love swimming, I can look at the black line for an hour and not have a problem with it. I like cycling too, but I just find it too dangerous around here so I don’t do it very often. I would love it if there were more then a handful of biathlons that were swim-bike. They don’t do them because people don’t like to swim.
No, you just get to go around telling people you’re better than them.
I hate running.
I ran X-country for three years in high school. It’s not like I have no familiarity with running.
And even now, I periodically run just to get exercise, to stay in shape, and because I don’t want to ever be in a situation where I need to run, and find that the legs and lungs just aren’t up to it anymore.
That doesn’t mean I have to like running. And I don’t.
And no, it’s not like saying I hate walking. Walking is a daily necessity, as well as something I genuinely enjoy. Running is a necessity only occasionally at most.
People don’t hate being able to run, they hate the activity. And yeah, it’s exactly like walking in that respect. And climbing stairs. Getting up to change the channel. People in general hate moving under their own power.