Running when morbidly obese

MadPanda75

So I am over 300 lbs but I have dreams of someday running a half marathon and a marathon! Are there any tips or has anyone ever been in this situation and started running? I mean I know to start slow, but let me know how you led up to your runs!

willammoney

Walk 1 mile every day for 30 days and eat 500 cals less than maintenance

dbanks80

This is what I did Alternate 1 minute jog and 3 - 5 minute walk. Keep doing it for at least a week or two. Then as your stamina gets stronger keep adding more jog time 1 minute at a time and decrease walk time. It might take a month or 2 to build your stamina to running depending on you. I say go for it. There are also good training guides like C25K.

Lenco007

Running can be hard on joints of those (like me) who are obese. I jumped right into running and ended up with knee problems and a strained hip flexor muscle. My ortho recommended slow distance walking for at least 3-4 weeks and gradually increasing my speed and distance until I am doing speed walking for 3-4 miles. Swimming and elliptical were also suggested to help build endurance without stressing my joints.

As my weight has begun to drop, I am now doing very slow jogging, but only on my gym's inside track, which has padded Astro Turf. I work with a sports physiologist who emphasizes strengthening the muscles you depend upon for correct movement before actually doing the exercise. He is also a huge advocate for stretching afterwards. In fact I now stretch for almost 10 minutes after each session and have found it extremely helpful.

Marycycles

I was at 250 started walking got up to 8 miles a day took about a month, then as I listened to music I would jog a little during the faster songs. Within 5 months I jogged a half marathon at 12 minute miles. BUT My knee was not ready for such a pounding and now gives me trouble when I run more than three miles, so I bike, but running is my first love! Also suffice you run on matters lots! I trained mostly on gravel trails softer on the knees and ran the race on hard pavement. Take your time! I know only to well how addicting it can be. It was hard in the beginning but once I got to jogging three miles runner's high began to kick in and knowing when to stop was hard! Good luck!

2snakeswoman

Running is hard on joints, as mentioned before. Walking is safe for everyone.

KimJohnsonsmile

You could try the C25K app to help you get started (Couch to 5k). It gives you a schedule to follow and starts you off walking with very short bursts of jogging. The very 1st workout, for example, tells you to do a 5 minute warm up walk, then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes, then a 5 minute cool down. I believe it is an 8 week schedule total. I'm currently using the C210K (Couch to 10k) app and am loving it. Good luck! You can do anything you put your mind to!

willammoney

KimJohnsonsmile wrote: »

You could try the C25K app to help you get started (Couch to 5k). It gives you a schedule to follow and starts you off walking with very short bursts of jogging. The very 1st workout, for example, tells you to do a 5 minute warm up walk, then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes, then a 5 minute cool down. I believe it is an 8 week schedule total. I'm currently using the C210K (Couch to 10k) app and am loving it. Good luck! You can do anything you put your mind to!

210k! Super woman you are!

wonko221

I started MFP at 288 lbs. shortly after starting, i began walking regularly. As i got comfortable there, i started pushing myself to run as far as i could, which were short sprints of a hundred feet or so. As time went on, i was able to double my distance, and start cutting down on my recovery walks between sprints.

The real breakthrough for me came when i started couch-2-5k, seven weeks ago. I downloaded a free app (i use ZenLabs and am happy, but it's by no means the only choice). I also read and posted quite a bit on these forums, trying to get into it correctly.

Here's my take-away so far, as i approach the end of the eight week program, and have already completed a 5k, with another scheduled in a few weeks:

1. run slow! If you can go slower, and still be running, do it! you should be going so slowly you can carry on a conversation while jogging.
2. breathe from your belly/diaphragm - when you inhale, push your belly button out; when you inhale, draw your belly button to your spine.
3. don't cross your arms in front of you - keep them moving straight forward and back.

You can do this. Just take it slow, and pay attention to your body. Your muscles WILL be sore as you start, but if you notice foot/ankle/knee/hip pain, you might be doing something wrong. Run safe and properly, and you're going to find me out on that path, cheering you on.

SonyaCele

running at 300 lbs is going to be way too hard on your joints, and your vascular system as it struggles to keep up. Focus heavily on losing weight. You can bike or elliptical safely to start slowly building up cardio and endurance. When you get around 200 lbs it might be safer to start a c25K program while you continue losing weight. thats my opinion. be safe and take care of yourself.

KDar1988

When I was that heavy I tried it for about 10 feet (goofing with my kids during a walk) and think I loosened every joint in my body from neck to ankle. I was a mess for many days. If you have the will, you'll find the way and like everyone said, be careful! Good luck

scottnield1

Couch to 5k. Follow it. Ran first 5k at 290 March 2015. Ran 2nd Half Marathon last Sunday at 207.

gdyment

Speedwalk. It should be hard - walk like you're trying to get somewhere as fast as you can. Not strolling.

Unknown

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SLLeask

willammoney wrote: »

KimJohnsonsmile wrote: »

You could try the C25K app to help you get started (Couch to 5k). It gives you a schedule to follow and starts you off walking with very short bursts of jogging. The very 1st workout, for example, tells you to do a 5 minute warm up walk, then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes, then a 5 minute cool down. I believe it is an 8 week schedule total. I'm currently using the C210K (Couch to 10k) app and am loving it. Good luck! You can do anything you put your mind to!

210k! Super woman you are!

Might have misunderstood you, but it's not 210 kilometres the poster is doing - the acronym is C (couch) 2 (to) 10 (ten) K (kilometres). Sorry if that's not the case!

Hey_Its_That_One_Guy

I would advise swimming or stationary equipment before jumping into running. Running especially outdoors can be very hard on your joints and body.

SonyaCele wrote: »

running at 300 lbs is going to be way too hard on your joints, and your vascular system as it struggles to keep up. Focus heavily on losing weight. You can bike or elliptical safely to start slowly building up cardio and endurance. When you get around 200 lbs it might be safer to start a c25K program while you continue losing weight. thats my opinion. be safe and take care of yourself.

Yeah this.

minizebu

Sometimes people have a misperception that walking is somehow "not enough". But, walking is excellent exercise, especially for people who have been inactive for some time.

Just start walking! Start off slowly and build up your stamina over time.

Meanwhile, eat at a reasonable deficit.

At some point you will feel ready to step things up. You can try incline walking, or walking at faster speeds or walk/jog intervals.

You don't need to worry about a formal running program until much later.

dolliesdaughter

Couch to 5k program.

MadPanda75

Thanks everyone! These are great comments!!

charleycartee

I started off around 340, and I've been just walking/hiking. First a mile once a day, then two. Now I generally do between 5-8 miles a day, usually broken up into two or 3 chunks (when I first get up, on my lunch break, and after dinner).

Between that and tracking my food, I have no issues losing weight (even going out to eat with friends a couple of times a week).

But my goal (besides improving my fitness level in general) is more to be able to enjoy backpacking more, and since I enjoy hiking, I don't actually mind spending the time walking.

Sklahsen

I agree with the c25k app! I was hesitant at first, but I too had dreams of becoming a runner! I just completed week 4 day 1 today which consisted of two 3 minute runs and two 4 minute runs (with walking between) I was pretty proud of myself. Just start slow..I agree with whoever said if you can slow your pace and still be running, do it! You don't have to run fast at all!

bkinsey1979

C25K and be okay with yourself if you need two or three or more rounds of week 1.

lorrpb

It also depends on how strong you are now. Some people might be able to run at 300 lbs, but it seems risky to me. I couldn't run at all until I got to 200 and even that was difficult. Now at 161 I just finished C25K and it was a breeze. I've been rebuilding my strength for almost 2 years, very weak to begin with, and that has made a huge difference. However, I walked the whole time, and still do, 4-5 miles per day. I remind myself, it doesn't really matter whether I run or not, but I DO want to be able to walk the rest of my life. Nearly every runner I know has sustained injuries that affect their walking ability. Just be patient.

MYhealthyjourney70

i've done c25k and it's good... i've had to redo weeks until i do it consistently and that's ok.. just take it slow.. good luck

laur357

Also just started C25K. I'd recommend being able to easily walk 30-45 minutes straight at a brisk pace before you start a running program.
I tried about 30 pounds ago, and had pain because I really just wasn't fit enough. I've done a few fitness classes since, including a boot camp class. Now the first few running sessions have just felt really good!

mmteixeira

As many have said above, focus on calorie intake and walking to start. Last June I was 314 lbs, I used MyFitnessPal to track food and started eating clean. At the same time, I started walking the golf course twice a week. After 3 months and 30 lbs lost, I started doing P90 and the 21 Day Fix - slowly but still able to do them. In January I was down to about 260 lbs and started a Couch to 5K plan. I had to repeat certain weeks multiple times. Today I am at 212 lbs and will run my first 5K next weekend. If I did it, you can...

Focus on your nutrition and diet first and start walking - the running will come. Don't rush it, listen to your body so you don't get hurt. Be patient as it will take some time... if you make up your mind to do it, you can and will...

Nikki10129

I'm all for C25K, it's an awesome program, I'm using it to get back into running so I take it slowly and don't push myself in a way that makes me hate it, but I would recommend getting a good walking routine going before even starting this program. Like people have mentioned, running is pretty hard on the joints, especially if you're quite a bit overweight, it's better to lose some weight before you start so you can do it pain free when you start, because the more you're hurting the less likely you are to keep up with it, or be inclined to do it again.

Also, like someone mentioned, walking is a great form of exercise and low impact, a great way to start yourself off. Plus, as someone who has ran regularly and played sports growing up, I went out for a walk with my mom and her WW friends, and damn that was hard, the pace those ladies keep is faster than my jog You can get plenty of exercise from walks, and they're enjoyable. I'd start with walking (especially if you haven't yet), increasing your distance and work up from there.

BrianSharpe

Normally I jump all over people who say running is hard on your joints but at your weight (unless you're 7 feet tall) I agree completely with the walk first advice.

Your first focus should be on losing some weight while improving your fitness at the same time, once you're able to walk 30 minutes or more comfortably then you may want to consider adding some very slow, short running intervals (maybe something like walk 10 run 1) I would also suggest, if possible, you incorporate strength training into your routine at the earliest opportunity (hips, glutes, core) asa way of preventing injuries.

mccraee

I agree that walking is a great place to start. Just start putting on some miles. Invest in some good running shoes (go to a local running store) and start figuring out what to wear on your excursions. Get in the habit of going out. Take your workout seriously. Schedule it and get out there 3-5 times per week. Figure out what gets in the way of your exercise goals and start blasting the excuses (how do I know about this part?). Figure out how to eat to sustain your exercise. When to eat, what, what to drink & when. Eventually you might get bored so you might want to seek new places to put on some miles. Seek out friends who will go out with you. Your local running store might have groups that go out at your pace and this can be fun for a change of path

You can increase the miles. You can increase your intensity by seeking out some hills or speeding up. You can vary the length of time that you increase intensity to work at different levels (walking really fast for 1 minute or 5 minutes are very different workouts).

Eventually, you might fit in some running. Run to the next light pole or the corner or whatever is a good place to start. I have done couch to 5K. It is great. Repeat weeks if it get too hard, but don't quit

Regardless, you can do a marathon without ever running. There are marathons that cater to folks who want to do this, but not all do. Once you're covering 15 or more miles, you'll be able to estimate your marathon finish time and can look at how long the race keeps the course open.

JenHuedy

minizebu wrote: »

Sometimes people have a misperception that walking is somehow "not enough". But, walking is excellent exercise, especially for people who have been inactive for some time.

Just start walking! Start off slowly and build up your stamina over time.

Meanwhile, eat at a reasonable deficit.

At some point you will feel ready to step things up. You can try incline walking, or walking at faster speeds or walk/jog intervals.

You don't need to worry about a formal running program until much later.

This.

I started with walking at 230 lbs. I increased time, speed and incline as it got easier. I never planned on being a runner, but I wanted to run a mile just once in my life so I added in C25K when I was around 170 pounds. Now, less than a year after running a mile for the first time in my life I'm at 140 lbs and will run my first half marathon in a few weeks. I am 43 years old and run over 25 miles a week with no pain. 90 pounds and two years ago my knees and hips and feet would hurt after just doing the grocery shopping.

Take it slow and keep pushing a little more every day.

lorrpb

Don't get running shoes for walking. Get walking shoes. They can be structured differently, depending on the design, because the mechanics are different.