I always hated running. Lap after lap around the track, feet pounding into the ground, endlessly circling the same quarter-mile, always winding up right back where I started with nothing to show for it but blisters and sweat. It all seemed so ... pointless.

There were so many more interesting ways to exercise, and for years I kept in some semblance of shape by playing basketball. It was a blast, but gradually all those pickup games in church gyms took their toll. After 90 minutes of galloping up and down the court with a bunch of other 40-somethings, my muscles would be tied up in knots. I’d wake up groaning the next morning, asking myself why I endured such punishment. Instead of feeling invigorated, I just felt beat up.

There had to be a better way to stay fit. I needed an exercise regimen I could fit into my schedule, didn’t require a bunch of special equipment and didn’t cost too much. Most of all, it had to be something I could stick with.

Eventually, I decided to give running another shot. I bought a pair of cheapie trainers and hit the middle-school track near my house. In the beginning, it was tough going. The first day I only ran a mile, and I was puffing like a steam engine by the second lap.

But I stuck with it, gradually increasing my distance and picking up my pace. I made myself get up early to run before work, forcing myself out the door even when it was dark or cold or raining.

Some days it was pure misery, but after awhile it started to get a little bit easier, a little less unpleasant. Gradually, running began to feel less like a punishment and more like a reward.

One morning I caught myself running with a smile on my face.

Now I have a 3-mile route in my neighborhood that I run two or three times a week, and most weekends I’ll get in a 4- to 6-mile trail run at Bald Hill or Lewisburg Saddle.

I’m still dubious about the existence of the fabled “runner’s high” — I have yet to encounter an endorphin in the wild — but most days my morning jog feels pretty good, and those weekend trail runs can be a lot of fun. I almost never suffer from the brutal “exercise hangover” I used to get from basketball, and even after a bad run I still get to feel virtuous for dragging my carcass out of bed and giving it a workout.

After two years of running, this summer I actually felt cocky enough to enter a race, an 8K run at Bald Hill Park. When race day came, I kept my goals modest: I wanted to finish, and I didn’t want to come in last.

It was a near thing on both counts. I had to slow to a walk on the final hill climb and was forced to dig deep to fend off late challengers from both the under-10 and over-65 age groups.

Still, when I stumbled across the finish line in 96th place, I felt that I’d accomplished something.

I have no illusions of launching a racing career at this stage in my life, but I was never in it for the competition. I was looking for a more lasting reward, and I think I’ve found it: a sport I can stick with for life.

RUNNING RESOURCES

* Heart of the Valley Running Club (www.hotvrunners.com)

Corvallis-based group for runners of all abilities

* Takena Running Club (www.takenarunningclub.com)

Albany-based club open to all comers

* RaceCenter Northwest (www.racecenter.com)

Online clearinghouse for regional race info

PLACES TO RUN

Albany area

* Bowman Park, end of Geary Street Northeast

Path to Simpson Park makes a nice three-mile round trip

* Bryant Park, 801 Bryant Way S.W.

Off-road running through trees and along the Willamette River

* Linn-Benton Community College, 6500 Pacific Blvd. S.W.

Running track plus one-mile fitness path

* Monteith Riverpark, 489 Water St. N.W.

The starting point for several multi-use paths along the Willamette

* Takena Landing, Highway 20 at Lyon Street Bridge

Scenic 1½-mile path along the river

Corvallis area

* Bald Hill Park, 110 S.W. 53rd St.

A wealth of paved and unpaved trail options, with or without hill climbs

* Lewisburg Saddle, north of Lewisburg Avenue on Sulphur Springs Road

Follow the logging roads west to Dimple Hill or east to Vineyard Mountain through Oregon State University’s McDonald Research Forest

* Peavy Arboretum, Arboretum Road, just south of Adair Village off Highway 99W

Trail-runner’s mecca, with numerous routes through McDonald Forest

* Willamette Park, end of Southeast Goodnight Avenue

More than a mile of paved and dirt trails along the Willamette River

Philomath Area

* Philomath Bike Path

This wide asphalt path runs for 5½ miles from Philomath to Michael’s Landing on the Corvallis riverfront

AREA TRACKS

Albany

* South Albany High School, 3705 Columbus St. S.E.

* West Albany High School, 1130 Queen Ave. S.W.

Corvallis

* Corvallis High School, 1400 N.W. Buchanan Ave.

* Crescent Valley High School, 4444 N.W. Highland Ave.

* Cheldelin Middle School, 987 N.E. Conifer Blvd.

* Linus Pauling Middle School, 1111 N.W. Cleveland Ave.

Lebanon

* Lebanon High School, 1700 S. Fifth St.

Philomath

* Philomath High School, 2054 Applegate St.

TRAINING TIPS

* Stay flexible: Stretch before and after you run. Every time. Pay special attention to your hamstrings, calves and quads.

* Start small: Begin by running short distances, then build up over time. “A lot of people go out and run 5 miles the first day,” says Kyle Gehrke of Five Star Sports in Corvallis. “Then they don’t run ever again because they’re so sore.”

* Get wet: Drink plenty of water after a run. For longer distances, either plan some water breaks or carry your own.

* Eat something: A healthy snack within an hour of finishing a run can speed muscle recovery.

* Slow it down: If you’re feeling gassed, switch to walking till you get your wind back. “The biggest tip I give beginners is feel free to walk,” says Gerhard Behrens of the Heart of the Valley Running Club. “That’s a way to stretch out your workouts.”

* Take a break: If you’re training hard, your body needs recovery time. Give yourself a full 24 to 48 hours off at least once a week.

* Keep it fun: Try playing games with yourself — say, running hard from one fire hydrant to the next, then jogging slowly to the one after that. The Swedes have a word for it: fartlek, meaning “speed play.” Go ahead, look it up. Varying your pace also helps improve speed and endurance.

* Try the buddy system: Running can be a solitary sport, but it can also be a great social activity. “It makes the miles go by a lot easier when you’re running with somebody else,” says Rich Sherman, a cross-country coach at South Albany High and president of the Takena Running Club. “You can always find someone in your ability to run with.”

RUNNING GEAR

* Shoes: The only thing you really need to get into running is a decent pair of shoes. Make sure the fit is right for you and buy the best you can afford. Top brands include Nike, Asics, Adidas, Brooks, Saucony and New Balance. Cost: $80-$135

* Nike+ SportBand: This clever little gadget uses a sensor in your shoe to monitor your pace and calculate your run distance, time and calories burned, displaying the info on a comfy wristband. Cost: $59

* Nike+ iPod Sport Kit: If you run to a personal soundtrack from your iPod Nano, you can skip the wristband. With this converter unit, the sensor communicates with your mp3 player to give you an audio readout of your running vital signs right through your earbuds. Cost: $29

* Amphipod Hydraform Handheld: A 20-ounce water bottle with a comfort-engineered wrist strap designed to keep you hydrated on the go. Cost: $14.

Product samples courtesy of Five Star Sports