Beginner running advice? Did you find running rough at first and what did you do to make it easier ?

bellebelle2014

Did you enjoy running a year ago? If so, keep at it and it will get better. Im sure you trained and it took time to reach your achievements when you used to run. I went from the couch to a team relay to local races to half and full marathons BUT it took 3 years to get to where I am now and I still have set backs. Just dont give up and give yourself lots of time to get there.
Congrats on running at all! You got this!!

MikePfirrman

I was like you. I couldn't run 100 steps when I started. I was recovering from being obese and having a devistating knee injury where I was not only out of shape but couldn't walk for around a year or bare weight.

I literally started with walking, then 100 steps slow jog at a time (and stationary bike), then Spinning and gradually increasing distance. Though Chronic Runner's knee finally ended my running, by the time I ended, I was doing 8 mile trail races that were pretty technically challenging.

I found I LOVED trail running. Way more than streets or pavement. I still miss that years later. There's two elements to running. The cardio part and the pounding adjustment part. For me, the pounding was easier on trails. I didn't stay inflammed as long or sometimes at all.

GiddyupTim

Rough?
Of course it is rough at first. Otherwise, everyone would be doing it.
Keep it fun. If 2.4 km is not fun, go 1 km instead.
People get better. That's the whole point of doing it again and again. Otherwise, we'd do it once.
But if you do it for a month -- or even six months -- but it sucks the whole time, you'll likely quit.
You don't want to quit.
People don't get fit overnight. They get fit over years, by adopting a healthy lifestyle.
You want something you can sustain and you won't sustain something you make yourself hate.
I went around my apartment building once on my first run. I think my little jogs stayed there for two weeks. Eventually, organically, I kept going a little bit further.
Let the progress build on itself. Don't force it. Not at first.

Larissa_NY

If you don't like it, and you've never liked it, what's your reason for doing it? You don't have to run to be fit, or even to lose weight.

pierinifitness

I am a formerly retired fun runner (10k) who has come out of "retirement" and it was tough to get back on the saddle. What I did and still continue doing even though I don't have to is run walk rounds. When I started last August, I was probably doing jog 2 minutes and walk 1 minute for multiple rounds depending on how long and how far I wanted to go. Now my latest is run 5:40 and walk 0:20 for 10 rounds once a week when I take in a 60 minute run. Learned this from attending a Jeff Galloway talk about a dozen years ago and never thought much of it until trying it.

Give it a try and see if you like it.

gemstoned

I've been running "seriously" for almost 11 years. Despite being at an average weight and fitness level, I could barely run 3K when I started out. When I finally got up to running 5K, it became more of a mental block; I truly believed I wasn't capable of doing more. I eventually broke through the barrier, and I've since completed seven half marathons.

My advice to you - don't be so hard on yourself. You're restarting from square one, and "slow and steady" is truly what will help you progress. It's also good to keep in mind that even a "great" runner can still have a terrible run once in awhile - maybe you overate beforehand, maybe it's too hot outside, maybe you didn't sleep enough the night before. What matters is that you're getting up and doing the darn thing, no matter how slow you start out.

Joanna2012B

I first started running 4 years ago. I joined a running clinic, "ran" my first 5km and then quit. When the same running clinic came around a year later I decided to try it again. I hated it so much the first time around because I was terrible. The second time I just kept going and I just ran my first marathon last weekend. You have to give it time and have patience. Do a walk run, start out small like run for 30 seconds walk for 5 minutes. Slowly increase your running time and decreasing your walking time. I was never one to follow rules so C25K was not for me.

GreyKnight120

I agree with all of the "slow down" remarks, and also that things seem to get more enjoyable after being able to clear that 20-minute mark. I'm not sure I agree with the "don't do it if you don't like it" mindset, as some things take a certain amount of repetition and fine-tuning and pushing through some initial discomfort to make that discovery. Perhaps after a certain point if it's still not enjoyable though, yeah there are surely some other good forms of cardio.

I started out running when I was probably still too overweight to be trying that and I'm glad I didn't write it off entirely at that stage. I also learned that I don't like competition or running races or anything like that, but I do like tracking my own time and distance and - sometimes, only sometimes - trying to one-up myself.

My own personal zen comes from jogging half a mile downhill to a path at the park down the street and running a bunch of 1/3-mile loops there while listening to some good music or an audiobook.

Joie_de_vivre17

Couch 2 5K is a fantastic program when you want to get back into running. I have been using it and my endurance has rapidly improved!