Why the First 15 Minutes of Your Run is So Hard and How To Crush It!

The first 15 minutes of a run can feel awful, even when you are fit and well trained. This video will help you understand why it can feel so tough and tell you how to crush the start of your run and get the rest of your workout in.

[leitch]

I skip the first 15min of my run and tack them on at the end of my run when my body is warmed up.

[toothpaste_tm]

5 minutes in: so easy
10 minutes in: why am i tired already
15 minutes in: im gonna die
25 minutes in: I am speed

[ar]

“The fact that you found it hard, and you kept going, that’s what makes you a runner” GuH! 🥺😭 thank you, didn’t know I needed to hear that, imposter syndrome can creep into the mind at any point on the run but will keep this in my back pocket at all times

Absolutely important data. @ 42 years old those first 2kms are a torture, but I love it. 😁💪🏻

[alelocox]

But the hardest 15 minutes though, are when you just wake up and need to fight laziness. After you get out, you'll be ok.

[Shevock]

The first 15 minutes definitely feel easier for me if I keep them super easy and slow. Like jogging slower than I can walk. Then when I increase my pace to whatever my workout is (even if it's just up to E pace) everything feels much better.

[livchesy]

The one thing i do and it always works for me is that the first 15 minutes I run walk it. I do intervals of 1 minutes walk and 1 minute run up to 15 minutes. It never fails. After that, I’m all good.

[simonround]

The Kenyans have a great saying. "Let the run come to you". Basically that means that even the professional runners start their runs at a jog and then begin to increase the pace as their body warms up. I never even look at my first mile time, the run starts at mile 2 for me.

[ohaiitsarielle]

When I was studying for my CNOR exam (I PASSED!), I learned something interesting: the term "endorphin" comes from "endogenous morphine" meaning internally produced morphine! Endorphins are produced by the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland to produce pain relief and a sense of well-being. This all makes so much more sense now 🤯

[S.F.Martin]

DAN!! Thanks for this, starting my runs are always mental but I know it will get better if I just make it out the door. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one who feels this way, and most important why I feel this way. ✌🏼

[RunningOhioWithBlake]

I thought that was just me! As I get older, that first mile gets tougher and tougher and I start to wonder if I’m getting too old for this nonsense. After that, I’m good to go and start to feel like a runner again.

[iz]

This is great - for me, however, I don’t start feeling good until about 30 minutes into my run - which is why I’m terrible at races under 30min 😬

[timmy]

The first 20 minutes of my run is also the last 20 minutes of my run. :-\

[lindsayann]

You have an awesome personality! Very encouraging :)

[Foxr]

My Boy Dan!!!! I have have done many an ultra marathon with Dan. Great content gang!!!!

[kevinwilliam]

I absolutely needed to watch this I don't believe in coincidences, this was meant to be in my feed on this day in particular.

I went up on my mileage today ...to my first 10k practice run in over 30 years. During the first 10 to 15 minutes it felt as though my body was fighting and resisting and was telling me to stop. Some of this is probably due to my 52 years of age, but a lot of it was most likely due to the exact reasons that you've stated in this vid. And yes it is true, during these initial difficult minutes of a run, it can be extremely discouraging. It even messes with your thought process causing self doubt and other negative thoughts patterns. I didn't give in and completed my 10k run today. 😎

[KenJones]

I was following a guide in "Run Less, Run Faster" and always had an issue of having to go "Number 2" a mile into the run. I was afraid of having that problem on a 5K. The race was actually just up the road for me, so I decided to bust out 2 miles on the dreadmill in order to get my business done. 2-mile warmup and a little lighter, not only did I hit my target time, I broke it by over a minute! I attribute that to being able to start out fast and keep a good pace. I was stoked by seeing the little guy on my watch ahead of the pace guy. I felt so good at the pace I was holding I knew when I was approaching the end I knew I had so much left that I started my kick early and blasted away. When I finally looked at the time on my watch, I just stared thinking I had screwed up the time somehow. Nope. For this old man starting to run very late in life and had always been "the slow kid", I was proud of that 23:52. I was looking to break 25 even and that was the pace I set on my watch. I had left the little pace guy in the dust. ...and had run over 5 miles to do it! I had heard of people running a 5K to warm up for a 5K, and it had absolutely boggled the mind. Sometimes a 5K is just a good warmup.

I'm glad I found this video. It is discouraging to be sucking wind at the start of a run and the explanation seems spot-on as it typically takes me a mile and a half to warm up and settle into a good stride. Thank you.

[ultimasurge]

Feels like my body takes to long to shift to heavy breathing without my heart going into hyper drive.

[lopella]

Wow that is some incredible scenery to enjoy walking and running every day!

[Kelly_Ben]

Thanks for the science behind that miserable 1st mile! I finally started incorporating a dynamic warm up, and just 5 minutes has dramatically changed how my runs feel!