Advice on running a full mile.

rikkejanell2014

I do not run. I add jogging on my speed walking but never longer than 30 seconds. My chest hurts and I can't breath. I'm trying to challenge myself. Today is day 1 for running a full mile by day 30. Any advice?

pondee629

Personal Running Trainer from Amazon has a "4 weeks to a mile" program. Basically like c25k but to get you up to that first mile. Give it a try. Go slow, maybe painfully slow, at the start of your running training.

dawson002

just go slow.....don't worry about speed at all.

take long deep breaths to regulate breathing.....I take a big inhale through nose hold for a second or two then exhale slowly out of mouth.

JenHuedy

I was in the exact same situation as you less than 2 years ago. At age 42 I just wanted to say I'd run an entire mile one time in my life. Now I run 20-25 miles in a slow week and even ran a half marathon last summer! Start with an interval program like C25K and go SLOW. If your chest hurts and you can't breathe you're going too fast. Seriously, sometimes it will feel like you can walk faster, but your speed will come after you get more endurance.

And make sure you take the rest days like most programs recommend. One of the most important parts of any kind of training is rest. That's when your body heals and gets stronger. This doesn't mean you have to lay around and do nothing. It just means do something different, like walking or strength training or yoga.

Good luck - and trust me, if I can do you anybody can!

Meganthedogmom

rikkejanell2014 wrote: »

I do not run. I add jogging on my speed walking but never longer than 30 seconds. My chest hurts and I can't breath. I'm trying to challenge myself. Today is day 1 for running a full mile by day 30. Any advice?

I was in the same situation when I first started bettering my life with fitness and nutrition. I would run some, walk some, run some; walk some, until one day I ran a full mile! I have gotten up to running 8 miles at a time now just keep going. It gets easier the more you do it.

I didn't use couch to 5k but I've heard great things about it.

7lenny7

jogging = running

Therefore you run. You are a runner.

Go as slow as you need to and try to increase those 30 second intervals as you can, and decrease the time between the run intervals as you can. You'll get there!!

TavistockToad

rikkejanell2014 wrote: »

I do not run. I add jogging on my speed walking but never longer than 30 seconds. My chest hurts and I can't breath. I'm trying to challenge myself. Today is day 1 for running a full mile by day 30. Any advice?

Run slowly.... walk when necessary.... don't worry about speed... take rest days

greenolivetree

It took me 2 months of trying to finally run a mile. Worked my way up from 1/10th mile intervals, to 1/4, to 1/3, to 1/2. Once I hit a half mile the full mile quickly followed. However I realized later I'd been running way too fast. If I'd slowed down, maybe it wouldn't have taken me 2 months.

4leighbee

Will you have music? Pick a song with a compatible cadence for a nice, slow pace - or (this is weird) say your ABCs in an even rhythm in step with your footfalls - anything to get your mind off your breathing and on your rhythmic footfalls. And believe in yourself. We do!

GiddyupTim

The first time I went out for just a run, I ran around my apartment building. I did the same thing for a few days, then I went around twice. It wasn't long before I was going down the street a couple of blocks, and once I could do that, the extra distance came pretty easily.
I suspect that, had I tried to go too far too fast, I would have gotten too uncomfortable and I would have quit.But doing it the way I did kept it from being too painful and unpleasant.
Good luck!

distinctlybeautiful

Are you on a treadmill or outside? It took me a long time to realize that I had no sense of pace outside, so I would always run faster and get burnt out sooner than if I'd been pacing myself.

Chef_Barbell

I like Zombies Run app. They have a C25K component.

kristikitter

Chef_Barbell wrote: »

I like Zombies Run app. They have a C25K component.

^ This - Zombies Run is great fun (the C25k one is free/really cheap depending on the offers on). You forget you're running, too.

Also try this article about regulating your breathing, when I was doing 5ks last year I found it really helpful (I also ran like a little snail but it was running!!) - Running on Air.

Rincewind_1965

dawson002 wrote: »

just go slow.....don't worry about speed at all.

^^^ This
Or as my coach said when I started:
Run! But that slow that your neighbour would laugh.
and
If you are running out of breath it wasn't slow enough

If you own a smartphone you might want to try "Couch to 5K".

kenyonhaff

Also learn what your aerobic rate is. You want to keep your heart rate within a "doable" range of your current fitness level with an age component in there. If you're too low, you aren't pushing yourself, and if you are too high, you can't maintain that for long and it's not optimal for training. If you are "out of breath" it is time to slow down to a managable level.

Quick and dirty, you should be able to talk while exercising. If you can't, you may be in too high a range.

But here's a link to a site to help you figure out based on heart rate while exercising what range you are at: http://www.starling-fitness.com/archives/2013/06/04/get-addicted-to-intense-cardio/

If you are in the proper range, and you still have issues breathing, you may need to be checked out for asthma. There's a surprising amount of people who are undiagnosed for asthma, and it can develop in adulthood.