Fatty wants to run..

CaptainBibi

So.. most of my friends jog and they enjoy it. A few of them said it's the fastest way they've been able to lose weight and get fit, however, me being heavily overweight makes me rather reluctant because I don't want to damage my knees and ankles...

dewd2

How do you know you will damage your knees and ankles unless you try it???

Get a good pair of shoes (from a real running store) and start out slowly. Next thing you know you will be hooked.

donjshaw45

Start easy - jog slowly for 30 seconds and then walk for one minute. Repeat 10 times and that's 15 mins of good exercise. Build up from there, slowly, by trying minute on, minute off and then extend your running times and decrease your walking times. You'll be running for 10 mins in no time at all! Again, build up from that point onwards, at your own pace. You will def. feel the benefit.

dewd2

BTW - Watching your diet is the key to losing weight. I lost almost nothing the first couple weeks when I started training for my half marathon. It wasn't until I joined MFP and started counting calories that I started losing. The combination of running and counting calories is the key.

Jennloella

yeah, just start slow. Trot don't sprint. Run on a track or dirt if you can instead of pavement - if you're worried about joints.

kittywrangler

Try doing a run walk combo and only run as far as you feel comfortable. If your a beginner don't push yourself too hard because you'll end up hurting yourself and become discouraged. I joined a running group and had to drop out half way through because they progressed so fast (BEGINNERS LOL).
I tried a bunch of other running programs and they work well for some people, but I found just going out there, and doing my own combo of run/walk to what my body could take was what worked.

jessicapk

Start by walking if you haven't been active in a while. Increase the duration and intensity (speed, hills, etc.) and even try hiking to get on a softer terrain (better on joints than asphalt / concrete). Then, do like donjshaw45 said, start slowly. There's a Couch to 5k program (C25K if you look it up) that's really helpful and is how most people learn to run. There are apps you can use on your phone that will alert you when to run / job and when to walk. Just start walking and it will come naturally to you.

dogcatac

if you don't like it, don't be afraid to switch to another sport!

slideaway1

Please just try it. Run for a bit, walk for a bit, try and run a bit more etc. Try to give yourself a distance or a calorie burn etc that you want to achieve and just keep going, but make sure you complete it even if it's a combination of walking and running. It will be hard at first, but please persevere.

kristafb

Try the C25K app! I'm doing it right now. I'm almost 50 and have at least 50 lbs to lose. Just take it slow and take your rest days, your body needs them. But never think something isn't doable. it is totally doable! Maybe the first step is to stop calling yourself fatty?

canary_girl

I always hated running. I'm a cyclist, and that's all I wanted to do. But, I decided to sign up for a triathlon, which meant having to run, so...

I picked a park that had a half mile lap and for the first week I ran one lap. Next week two, and so on until I could run continuously for a 5k or more.

Now, I run every day. I love it! When I injured my toe and had to take a few weeks off I really missed it and would see people running and be super jealous. Now I do sprint intervals, with my aim of getting faster. I am currently at a 7:45/mile pace, and for someone 5'4" that is fast, but I would like to see just how fast I can get.

My point is, just start. You might surprise yourself. I know I did.

debubbie

I am overweight (I need to lose another 60 pounds to be considered at a healthy BMI) and have built up to running a mile everyday. I make sure to do dynamic stretches before I start running, taking it slow ( I was being passed by people walking when I first started), trying to enjoy it (some days I love it and other days not so much), and stretching after my run. I also like to complete virtual races to have a goal to work towards for my running. I started the Couch25k program and always gave up around the 4th week!

The turning point for me came when I joined a beginners running group, in April, and it really pushed me to try harder. Mentally, I was wimping out before my body was. I started to go a little further on each group outing and if I needed to walk I did for a bit and would start running again. After a few weeks with my group, I decided to start a running streak and started with a half mile everyday for several weeks, then three quarters of a mile for a few weeks, and now a mile. The other day I ran 4 miles straight without stopping! This may not be how you want to do it or progress, but I hope it gives you the confidence to try running and to work on completing your own running goals.

WhatMeRunning

I always had a hard time running (shin splints) and was always overweight since a young age. I had a knee injury at 22 and assumed I would never be able to run. It would still feel a little achey even 20 years later once in a while, along with the other one for compensating all those years for it.

I started walking in April 2014 after I finally took my health and weight loss truly seriously. I built up my distance as I could until I was doing 2 hour, 6 mile walks every day. That became easy and I hit a weight loss plateau. I determined I needed something higher impact than just walking.

The thought of running literally made me laugh, my knees couldn't take it, particularly since I was still oberweight, I was convinced. But I had no bike, no gym membership, so I decided to give running a try. Bear in mind this "running" was basically just a minute at a time while on my 6 mile walk, taking walking breaks until I felt recovered and repeated about a dozen or so times on each outing. I was doing this daily, the same as I had been wallking.

I felt soreness in my knee about two weeks into this. I learned from research and from others that I was running improperly and my knee pain was not necessarily due to that ages old injury, but because I was running in an uninformed way, a polite way of saying I was being an idiot.

When I was actually running for those minute long bursts my heart rate would go well into the 160-170 bpm range. I was running way too fast for attempting long distance running, even though I felt I was being a slow fatty being passes by much fitter runners. I was also a newbie runner that was running daily. Either one of these is a sure fire way to burnout, pain or injury, and I was doing both.

I gave my knee a good solud week of rest until it felt fine, then I gave it another week of rest just to be sure. Then I started over again by trying to run slower, and only running 3 times/week Tue, Thurs, Sat in my case.

I was able to run further on each burst of running, but still never managed to work myself up to a full mile in one go. Despite that I signed up for a 10k because I knew I could do 6 miles of running and walking easy, and I could live the rest of my life having completed a 10k (something I never even dreamed).

At the 10k I told someone it was my first ever race and they gave me the best advice I had ever received up to that point. I was told to start in the back, but ahead of the strollers and to keep pace with the group of runners around me. Don't try passing everyone, just stay with them as long as I could.

So I did exactly that as we went through the chute across the starting line. I kept pace with the runners around me which was definitely a slower pace than I had been running, but figured I would give that pace a try and see how much farther I went.

I passed the 1 mile marker. It was the first time I think I had ever run a mile. And I kept going. Past the two mile marker, and even the 3 mile marker! I could hardly believe it but I was still running, and while my legs felt tired in a way I don't think they had ever felt before, I actually felt like I could push myself at that pace and finish the whole race, the only thing at that point that could stop me was my body physically collapsing in a heap unable to even stand any more, or if I dropped dead. I wanted so bad to finish for some reason.

And I did.

Nothing in my life has been the same since that morning. Everything I previously believed were all these limitations were suddenly exposed as mental barriers of my own creation and enforcement. Sure, I could not have likely ran that whole 10k on the day I first started trying to run. But here I had just did the impossible. I ran a 10k, despite being obese per BMI, and despite those knees on which I could "never" become a runner upon.

I'm still obese today at a 30 BMI, not that I look obese. I look a little overweight. I still run have since run 6 half marathons and am training for 4 full marathons in the fall, and hope to finish all four if possible. I ran 16 miles this morning as part of my training.

I no longer have knee issues. I have learned that running builds skeletal strength, muscle strength, and tendon strength in your legs and knees. So with healthy knees (no protruding cartilage for example) then running will make your knees stronger over time. You can push too hard and hurt yourself, but if you train intelligently (and avoid any unfortunate accidents that might hamper mobility), then you can not only run, lose weight and have a healthier body (even knees), but you can also do all of this before you get skinny.

I say go for it.

demoiselle2014

^ That story is inspiring. Thank you.

Samstan101

I started C25K at 300lbs. I couldn't do 3 sessions a week as my knees ached but did 2 sessions and swimmed/ used elliptical trainer 3-4 times a week as well. It took me about 12 weeks to be able to run for 30mins without stopping (and about that long before I really started to enjoy it as it is hard and does take a while for your body to get used to it, especially when heavier) and 4 months to actually be able to run as far as 5k (took me 45min). That was in August-13, I slowly built my distance and my pace increased as my weight dropped. This April I ran my 1st ultra (33miles) and the London marathon. I still have about 15-20lbs to lose but running is a passion now and an important part of my life. If you want to run, find a programme, take your time and perserve. Good luck

WhatMeRunning

demoiselle2014 wrote: »

^ That story is inspiring. Thank you.

Thank you. But I should have added that my story is not all that unusual. There are many runners with similar stories. Not all have been thin or runners since they were young. Quite a few fell in love with running by pure accident, much like I did, finding their lives so very enriched in terms of physical, mental and even in some cases spiritual health. I have heard varying stories that are similar in some ways to mine from many others I have met at races, or even here on MFP.

Anyone here interested in running for distance should check out the monthly Running Challenge threads here in the MFP forums, along with the Long Distance Runners group. You will find sage, helpful advice from lifelong runners, those who became runners, and also find other aspiring runners. Lots of supportive people there.

eved305

Do it! I'm
Very over weight and was scared too now I'm hooked! You will love it.
It's hard but you will get better. Walk and jog a little then walk The. Jog and just keep going that way. Slowly each week try To increase the "jog" part. Also pace yourself I was super slow and just 40 days in and already jogging a lot and increased speed. I use an app for training there's a bunch that are free.

baldielove13

I have a similar story. I started out trotting along with c25k a couple of years ago. I started out with running a 22:00/mi. pace. I'm still exceptionally slow due to being obese and very short, but I'm still increasing distance and getting faster. Getting ready for my first half in November. I think it's a good way to lose weight. It can be done if you are really into it, but don't torture yourself if you end up hating it.

Madux1818

baldielove13 wrote: »

I have a similar story. I started out trotting along with c25k a couple of years ago. I started out with running a 22:00/mi. pace. I'm still exceptionally slow due to being obese and very short, but I'm still increasing distance and getting faster. Getting ready for my first half in November. I think it's a good way to lose weight. It can be done if you are really into it, but don't torture yourself if you end up hating it.

Madux1818

Baldielove13 I too am short and heavy but that won't stop me from running my first half Thanksgiving morning. Good luck to you!

zdyb23456

Inspiring stories on here