I _____ To Run

[[old] John Hendrie]

Like many others in this forum I had to give up running years ago (bad knees). Indoor rowing is easier on the body and so much more convenient that (IMHO) there is no comparison. <br /><br />john

[[old] Samroot]

I love to run. I guess I've been doing it so long,40+ years,I don't know any better. Particularly now and for the next 5 months the road is my church. There's something sanctifying about scampering down a country road as the sun breaks over the next ridge. Even the deer seem to take notice of my daily ritual. You can't feel bad when you start day like that.<br /><br />Or,when I'm running with my black lab on the high school xc course,and he looks up at me with that look that can only be interpreted as,'Isnt this unbelievable',and at least at that moment I know why I'm alive.<br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><br />

[[old] Steve_R]

...only when chased<br /><br />Well, maybe not even then.

[[old] izrbluer]

<span style='color:blue'><span style='font-family:Arial'>currently my knees couldn't take running. But I havn liked to run... jog actually.. in the past.<br /><br />Kris</span></span>

[[old] Jim Barry]

Running is something I'm learning to appreciate.<br /><br /> Despite being fit (rowing or biking) I found running to wear on me and leave me gasping and sore before I get much of a groove going. That's when I hated it, but I recognized this is me. I'm unskilled and unpracticed. This year I decided to work on my mechanics and get some miles under me. By working on some barefoot running (in a soft grassy field) I got a sense of how I'd really like to run. I had a glimpse of the joy of running. Then I felt I was ready to test for shoes that would be close to this feeling. I found the shoes (thanks Asics). This has seemingly done the trick. I've run about 100 times over the past 4 years. Today, my 15th run of the season after a two year break, I ran 7.5 miles mostly to get used to some distance. Imagine my joy when this run turned out to be my fastest run over 10k.....and I did not even try. I sort of suspected that this was possible when I started evaluating my running barefoot. <br /><br />I like to run to give me options. Like RacerX I've enjoyed running while visiting places. A run along a mountain ridge overlooking fragrant orange groves in Ojai California during sunset was something I'll never forget. Running is not my only access to this global exploraton thing. I find mt biking, alpine hiking, and kayaking to grant a bit more access to the wonders of the world (climbing Mt Rainier gives you views like you are in jet but your are outside, Kayaking off the coast of Maine with seals following you like little puppies is mindblowing, Climbing Cadillac mountain in Acadia national Park, the only sizable mountain on the US East Coast, before sunrise on my bike (gruelling) and then powering down some breakfast watching the first sunrise hit the shores of the US is like nothing else. The ultimate early bird catching the worm. Some of these joys could be captured running but this is something I'll have to work on. <br /><br />

[[old] akit110]

I like to run. But as someone else said only in ideal conditions. This is a far sight different from when I was a teenager and about 30lbs lighter and I would run right through the Canadian winter with my ski mask crusted with frozen condensation.<br /><br />These days my running consists of running on a dreadmill for about 30 minutes. I actually find the sensation more pleasurable than running outdoors these days as I feel as light-footed as I did when I was 16.<br /><br />I am glad I found the C2 rower though. Aside from being more convenient, I like how it incorporates my upper body into the workout Particularly, since I don't get to strength train as frequently as I would like.

[[old] copywriter]

"This is a far sight different from when I was a teenager and about 30lbs lighter "<br /><br />Akit110,<br /><br />If you'd like to lose some or all of those lbs, why not join our virtual weight-loss team?<br /><br />Look at the Row Pain Row Gain threads. We're racking up the mileage and cracking off the weight! Not to mention generally improving our health and fitness.<br /><br />Ken (down 14lbs since mid-April).

[[old] RowedandRode]

After riding my horse, running is my principal sport. I love it. I started in late 2002 and, after a few minor injuries, I completed my first 1/2 marathon this May. I'm hooked, but I do have to cross-train (rowing, cycling) otherwise my knees will die. I've learned the hard way some things about my joints and recovery.<br /><br />I love to erg, but in the good weather, I do want to be outside.<br /><br />For me, running is a totally meditative activity. And it burns more calories than anything else (except perhaps x-country skiing), and you can do it anywhere, any season, with minimal equipment or instruction.<br /><br />Regarding treadmills, they are a bit boring, and the only time that I've ever used them is in hotels. But I can certainly see the appeal of owning one, especially in the wintertime when it is very easy to talk yourself out of bundling up and heading out there in the freezing dark. It's not so easy to talk yourself out of running in a warm rec room with wireless headphones on and a movie on the big screen. So they do have their place!

[[old] kentuckyliz]

As a college athlete, I couldn't run, but would try. My hip would fail somehow and I'd either end up in excrutiating pain or fall or both.<br /><br />I have a surgery scar on my leg that has wrecked the circulation, ankle stays swollen. I used to be able to hike and bike but I just can't be on my feet any more.<br /><br />Bad things are blessings in disguise. My bum leg has brought me back to rowing, which keeps my leg level and it doesn't swell as badly. Rowing makes me extremely happy.<br /><br />Refereed a three day regatta last weekend, on my feet a lot...OMG my ankles were so swollen and my legs were so pained, I could barely walk by the time I got home Monday morning. Useless for a few days. arrrrgh.<br /><br />Thank God for small problems, I'm undergoing tests for thyroid cancer right now, makes my widdle leg problem seem not so bad.

[[old] michael]

Last time I ran was when I was forced to do it as part of the 5:00AM physical routine they had us doing in NROTC (Naval Reserve Officer Training) at Treasure Island, S.F. Bay Area back in 1977. Thank goodness I never took up running after I dropped out of the program a year later. I've done lots of walking, playing soccer, cycling, X-C skiing and of course, erging since then. Saved my knees and hips in the process...

[[old] DavidW]

Only if involved in a chase with a nude Pamela Anderson, and even then, after a few minutes I'd just be like 'sod this' 'let her catch me'