As a human man of 30 I am quite capable of running fast or jogging. I’m quite proud of just how fast I can run if I need to.
But not for very long (as is normal for expending all your energy as quickly as possible)
I can also jog at a steady pace for a reasonable distance.
But I have never deliberately chosen running or jogging as a form of excercise. It’s because I feel a bit silly doing it. I choose long distance walking. Which I don’t feel silly about. I’m just a bloke with somewhere to be (eventually)
But if I run, I become a “Jogger”. And I feel like I am doing “Jogging” and I feel silly.
It’s a shame because I reckon it would be the best way for me to get in shape!
I know it’s a long shot: But does anyone have any tips for not feeling like a tool while jogging?
Have a goal! Do Couch to 5K and immediately pick out your 5K and sign up for it. Joggers don’t run races - runners do.
And try to forget how dumb you look. I know I look like a total moron when I run, especially with all my gadgets and stuff. I just try to get it to motivate me, because if I look dumb running in tights and a huge GPS watch and a hydration belt and a dog with a backpack, think of how dumb I’d look walking like that.
I wrote the same post back in early August - but I’m female. I always felt I’d look like Phoebe from ‘Friends’ running. Many of my friends ran, and I thought why can’t I? I can’t let my fear of looking stupid hold me back, at least TRY! I finished the C25k program just about 3 weeks ago, and I’m running my first 5k in 2 weeks. I lost about 25lbs on the program and have 2 kids under the age of 3.
But I don’t. At least not now. Once you convince yourself you don’t and won’t look like a loon while running it becomes a lot easier. I watched a lot of vids on what runners look like and just kept that thought in my head when I was out at first. Yes the first part of the C25k programs it felt like fastwalking-hop/walking…jogging. Start out slow, and eventually you just get the the guts to try and run/jog whatever.
Find some cool clothes to go running in, I mean if you think you’ll look dumb running at least look good right? That was my thought too! I just went to Target and went to their fitness section. Oh and please, before you start make sure you have the right or new shoe. I went about 2 weeks just to make sure I was going to stick with it and bought new shoes then. Now that I’m running longer I only now decided to go to a running store to see about some issues I have. Turns out I totally have the wrong shoe (I pronate/shoe too big etc…), but at least I have a pair of shoes for running, and then doing errands around town.
The hardest part for me is just getting out the door. After that I feel like ‘Yay! At least I got out, now let’s at least try to get some running in!’ Everyone else is looking at you, wishing they could be you, no matter how cool/silly/serious you look!
If you want to get in shape in general, rather than training for a long race, do HIIT training. This has the bonus of avoiding being a “jogger” who plods along at three miles an hour and thinks it’s doing any good.
In terms of dress, it’s very easy to just look like a normal person. Below a seriously elite level, there is absolutely no need for a heart monitor or spandex or anything like that. Get a pair of running shoes and some sweats, or gym pants and a t-shirt, or whatever you’re comfortable in. Unless you’re going for more than an hour, you don’t need to run with any water supply.
Unless you’re running on a treadmill in some terrible meat-market gym, no one’s watching you. If you run in a park, you’re probably not the only runner and you’ll be seen as part of the whole. If you’re just on the streets in your neighborhood, really, no one’s going to notice, or if they do they really won’t care. If you’re at the gym, everyone’s probably wrapped up in their own workout. This fear of being seen was what kept me from swimming for fitness for quite a while; I got over it when I realized that I paid no attention to anyone else in the pool.
Nike is on to something with their “just do it” bit. Put your shoes on, go outside, and run. I run every day. A lot of days I start coming up with a long list of excuses before I get home from work - it’s dark, it’s too bright, it’s too hot, it’s too cold, I’m tired, I have things to do, I look stupid, I don’t want to - and then I look at a note taped to my bedroom wall, reminding me that not once have I ever gone for a run and regretted it. I inevitably feel better after. There have been times when I haven’t ran and felt ‘blech’ all day, but I’ve never felt worse for running. The hard part is getting in the habit of it; it’s great from there on out.
Wow, that’s really rude. I train a running group, and a lot of them (mostly ladies in their 40s) run at a very slow pace - about 5km/hr or so. They certainly ARE doing good, both for their health and self esteem. I hope you don’t ever actually say that to anyone starting to run.
As a runner myself, when I see someone who looks a bit goofy (like today, I saw a man in very 80’s running pants, a fleece jacket, a huge water bottle, and plodding along at about the same pace he would walk), I don’t think ‘what a moron’, I think ‘Awesome, look at him go! Good for him!’
Running is running, who the hell cares what you look like. You’re there for fitness and (hopefully) fun. I run because I enjoy it, and I don’t really give a crap what I look like. It’s a mindset, you’ll get there.
Similarly, as a non-runner, when I see someone running (no matter how fast) I don’t really notice what they’re wearing, and I just think “Good for him/her! Man, I wish I could do that!”
Well, when my dad sees a female runner who isn’t literally rail thin he says “Look at Big Bertha!” I’m always afraid that he’s seen me running from his car and not recognized me from the back.
But, uh, most people are thinking about how they wish they were doing that.
This is a really good book. I would second getting it. I’d also say just work on your form (this book has good tips on that, too, though if you go to a specialty running store, they can watch you run and make recommendations). Not only will you look more natural running, good form even more importantly helps you run longer more comfortably and it’ll help you prevent injuries.
What’s wrong with feeling silly about it? If you force running into “silly” versus “not silly”, you might well come up with “silly”, but that’s not what it’s for.
If you were to take up a habit because it makes you look suave and sophisticated, you might have to pick smoking.
Go to a local race and take a look at the enormous variety of running gear, personal decorations and running styles on display.
You will no longer feel silly.
As mentioned, no one will really notice you running. Running has been acceptable for so long that you will mostly blend in.
My ex used to be a runner, before his asthma got too unbearable. He tried to get me to go running with him, but I would always quit. I kept thinking how stupid I looked, among other things, on account of I haven’t been particularly thin since I was 15. My (otherwise supportive)sisters always tell me, “Lucky, don’t even try running, you look silly when you run.” It doesn’t help that my parents, and others I know, always have “witty” comments when they see runners on the street. My ex says a favorite of the people in his neighborhood when he ran cross-country in high school was shouting “Run, Forrest, run!” at him when they saw him run by. :rolleyes:
Fortunately, most people on the street don’t care about how you look, as long as you don’t dash out in front of their cars. Don’t listen to the naysayers and do what you have to do.
Do you feel embarassed because you’re doing it on streets? I have a large park near me, and it doesn’t feel silly to run there.
Ok, I’m not gonna say they things I wanted to say (something like: ha, giving “self esteem” to lazy people by fooling them into think they’re exercising and getting paid in the process), because there’s a variable missing: how long do they run?
Personally, I just run, and fuck the lot of 'em. I don’t care what people think because they’ll only see me for about 20 seconds and then forget me immediately afterwards. Unless it’s someone who knows me, it’s not “there’s jjimm running”, it’s just “some insignificant bloke running”. Even if I’m dressed like a total penis.
BTW, you are aware that in UK slang, “nonce” means paedophile?
Think you might mean “ponce”…? Or are you running around outside a school with some sweeties and a puppy?
One good thing about looking silly is that drivers noticing how silly you look have noticed you. Not getting noticed by drivers can be a big big problem.
Great, So I’ve asked a mod to change it TO something that means basically the same.
FYI I’ve always thought a Ponce was a person who likes to show off flaunt his financial worth.
That was my thought too! I just went to Target and went to their fitness section. Oh and please, before you start make sure you have the right or new shoe. I went about 2 weeks just to make sure I was going to stick with it and bought new shoes then. Now that I’m running longer I only now decided to go to a running store to see about some issues I have. Turns out I totally have the wrong shoe (I pronate/shoe too big etc…), but at least I have a pair of shoes for running, and then doing errands around town.
