Why do I hate the first 2 miles of a run? (Read 922 times)

It's all relative. I honestly think it would help you to have some REALLY crappy runs for comparison. Runs where you've pushed yourself too hard on a previous day, and you're forced to just shuffle along at the start. Runs that you are this close to blowing off because you just don't have it that day. Heading out for a run means going down three and a half flights of stairs, so if I'm feeling like Quasimodo coming down from the bell tower I know it's going to be a rough start. I'll probably hear from my hips, ankles and shins, but I know from experience that with very rare exceptions it will pass. I don't know about most runners, but I do a lot of talking to myself. The labels I put on things in my internal conversations are important to my atttitude/state of mind. REALLY bad starts allow me to feel better about slightly creaky starts (which are much more common). If I'm doing something that an impartial observer would actually call running (or even jogging) but doesn't feel great, I can honestly tell myself "hey that's not bad." If I have just a little spring in my stride, I can honestly tell myself "oh, that's GOOD." I think most runners are pretty mental, so why not embrace it and run with it?

I read that you’re running anaerobic the first few miles until you have warmed up and then you switch to aerobic, assuming not running too fast. So I think if you do more anaerobic workouts those first few miles will feel better assuming you're not sore from a previous workout. But it might be all BS too.

I don't know about most runners, but I do a lot of talking to myself. The labels I put on things in my internal conversations are important to my atttitude/state of mind. REALLY bad starts allow me to feel better about slightly creaky starts (which are much more common). If I'm doing something that an impartial observer would actually call running (or even jogging) but doesn't feel great, I can honestly tell myself "hey that's not bad." If I have just a little spring in my stride, I can honestly tell myself "oh, that's GOOD." I think most runners are pretty mental, so why not embrace it and run with it?

yes, i talk to myself almost constantly through runs, especially the bad parts. I compare how bad I feel to the worst I've ever felt, remind myself that I often feel bad, make little deals with myself which I promptly forget ...

For me it's often the first 3 to 4 miles that suck, and they usually suck worse following a rest day.

Completely agree here. I finish a lot of runs saying, "that had just started being FUN". The amount of fun long runs present get me out the door for shorter runs. Probably why I want to stick with mostly Half-Marathons and (hopefully) marathons in the future. Means I have longer runs during the week. I HATED doing anything below 4 miles right before/after my half, and even now, I can't wait to get up to 6 and 7 mile midweek runs.

Do you run in the mornings? I find that I need to be up for a good few hours before I enjoy the first few miles. If I just get up and go I hate the first couple miles. I run at noon these days and my legs have been up and about for a few hours and I enjoy the first few miles now.

I tell people all the time that if you can get through 3 miles without becoming totally exhausted, you can add distance easier. They say I'm crazy, but in a year I went from barely making it a mile without stopping to running a half marathon without stopping. I used to hate the first three miles, and could get downright painful. I had all sorts of cramping in the rib cage and abdominal area, usually between 12-18 minutes. Sometimes I felt like I was getting shin splints. But if I could hang in there, it got easier, and by 30 minutes at my 10 minute mile pace, I was mostly pain free and feeling like it is almost effortless. It isn't so bad now, I've lost some weight, which I'm sure helped the cramping issues. My best miles are still in the middle to end, but some days those first miles are actually fun... but most days, they still suck, although to much lesser a degree.

Gotta warm up slowly. If the first mile or two suck, go slower.