When you run your first mile? And how old were you?

corecult

springlering62

I had to run a mile once a year, from about ages 10-13, in the 1970’s, as part of the required President’s Physical Fitness test.

Needless to say, it wasn’t pretty and I couldn’t finish it. I would get horrible, hit the ground painful, stitches in my side. When I’d hit the ground, PE teachers would yell at me, and other kids would jeer. Of course, I HATED running as a result.

At age 58, after losing a considerable amount of weight and taking up some other exercises and succeeding with them, I decided to challenge myself to run 5k (3 miles)- which was the ultimate self challenge for me.

I hadn’t run at all in 45 years.

I started by doing intervals. (I couldn’t get C25K, also known as The Couch to 5k app to work on my phone or watch, so I just made it up.)

Surprisingly, to ME, anyway, within a month I was running a couple of miles, and eventually got to three miles.

I ran for about a year or so, didn’t love it, kept tripping on my own two clumsy feet, and getting road rash and bruises. So decided OK, I proved it, let’s move on to something else. So I took up cardio weight classes instead. Even there, I’m so clumsy that the steps often tangle my feet, so I do my own thing- probably to the chagrin of the instructors.

But you know what? Others see me giving myself grace and they do their own thing, too. I always make sure to up the weights or reps when I’m not using the step. Just because I’m clumsy as an ox doesn’t mean I’m wimping out.

TL:DR. Try it to challenge yourself. If you absolutely hate it, there’s myriad other great exercises out there to try.

kmp9881

I started running when I was 14 or 15. Did shorter distances and a half marathon up through my 20s, then started doing more distance running in my 30s after my first kid.

nossmf

My first time-recorded mile run was 7th grade IIRC, so age 12 or so. Took something like 17 minutes as I had to stop several times to bend over and gasp for air.

corecult

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48760041#Comment_48760041

At 12 impressive.

PattyRos3

I started to run this year after major weightloss, I'm 31. I do my first 5k on September 21st :)

pridesabtch

Fourth grade, so 9ish, was my first mile run at field day. They called it a 4 Lap run, but it was roughly a mile. It was a dirt track around the pee-wee football field. Thought I was going to die, but there was a girl, Stella, running right with me and I was too competitive to stop and so was she. We finished 2nd & 3rd. There was a 6th grader who I am pretty sure lapped us to take 1st.

rms62003

Had to do the President's challenge as well, so started running as a teenager. Personally, I'm NOT a runner, and don't understand people that do marathons.

That said, 2 miles is part of a typical workout for me now, 3-4 times a week. I'm doing spurts of 5 mph on the treadmill, with 4 mph as my base. For me, 3.5 mph is now an easy pace. When I started back at the gym August 2024, I maxed out at 2.5 mph.

I'm hoping to do a consistent 5mph by the end of the year, and hope to increase my daily average to 3mph at that time.

springlering62

hey, guess what?

You’re runner!

rms62003

I'd call myself more of a jogger. I see these dudes loping along at 6mph like it's a summer stroll all the time!

pridesabtch

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48780970#Comment_48780970

Those people started somewhere too, and built up. Give yourself grace. Perfection is the enemy of progress.

spiriteagle99

I tried to become a runner a couple of times in my 30s and 40s, doing a walk/run progression for a few weeks. I'm not sure I ever got as far as 1 mile straight running. When I was 55, someone I knew on a dog forum said she was starting C25k and asked if anyone was interested. I decided to give it a try. I've been running ever since (14 years).