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You'll Hate Running Until You Don't

  • Writer: Taylor Sayles
    Taylor Sayles
  • Jan 15
  • 2 min read

Running is going to suck for awhile.


But if you’re at the beginning of your running journey, you may not know that. Social media tends to glamorize running, showing you the matching sets, runner’s highs, and PRs - without showing the story of the journey that it took to get there.


If you’re wondering why anyone actually enjoys running, we’ve all been there at some point in our journey. 


I thought that running wasn’t for me for a long time. Starting and stopping over years. Every time I decided I wanted to be a “runner,” I’d get out the door and run as fast as I could. It’s always my first question when I meet newer runners, and usually, the answer is the same - yes.


After running my first 10k, going out as fast as I could, not properly trained, I took a years-long break from running. It made me feel like I wasn’t built to be a runner.


But now, five marathons in and three years of consistent training, it makes sense why running “wasn’t for me” for so long. You have to give yourself a chance to enjoy it. You don’t have to treat every run as a PR opportunity, you don’t need to prove something every time you lace up, and you have to give yourself time to hit the big goals you set for yourself.


So coming back to running looked very different for me. I was at rock bottom, honestly, having just moved across the country, with no community and no goals. But this helped me let go of all expectations and stay consistent even when it wasn’t exciting.


Ultimately, it took me about six months to really learn to like running. Which probably feels like a really long time. But if you listen to any one of our over 100 My First Marathon guests, you’ll know that those six months are worth it.


And you don’t just fall in love with a runner’s high. You fall in love with running because it slowly builds you into a different person. Pushing through the tough runs teaches you that you are strong and you can do anything you put your mind to. It doesn’t happen overnight, but it will change your life.


Loving running doesn’t mean loving every single mile. The tough runs will get you through hard races and the tough times in life.


So you’re not behind, you’re not doing it wrong. If you’re new to running and you hate it, just give it some time. 


Listen to the full mini episode, out now: You'll Hate Running Until You Don't



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Follow along with the show:

👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays

🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod

📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast


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