how long did it take you? (runners)

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  • RunnerElizabeth
    RunnerElizabeth Posts: 1,091 Member
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    I made my 3rd attempt at learning to run in Spring of 2012. Finally got up to 5k in June of 2012, ran my first half marathon in October 2012. Now my long runs are 11-15 miles and I have my 4th half marathon Sunday.

    First I did a c25k variation. Then I worked on a plan to improve my 5k. Then I went into half marathon training. Just slow down! Try c25k, it works.
  • RunConquerCelebrate
    RunConquerCelebrate Posts: 956 Member
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    I would say follow a running program Hal Higdon has some really good ones. http://halhigdon.com/ I am currently following his novice two training program for a half marathon. I will be running 10 miles tomorrow as part of the training. Slowly increasing your mileage really works do not think you can all of a sudden start running the high miles you can injure yourself.

    Good luck on your training.
  • RoyBeck
    RoyBeck Posts: 947 Member
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    @foreverloved and lindonesia great great advice from both of you.

    Don't rush. That's it :)

    I'm 2 months into running. 2 months ago I could run for a minute then had to stop. Last week I run 2 5ks and one this week so far. Feel free to add me.
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    As much as C25K is a great program for some people it's not a program that works for everyone (no matter what people say). The two main things are torun slow. Don't be embarrassed at the speed even if its slower than your walking pace. you should be able to hold a conversation speed comes in time.

    I hated C25K so dumped it and basically did my own walk run program I found it far better as I could them judge what needed doing at my pace. I started running in July (but I already had a good cardio base) now my long runs are around 12 miles and I run between 25 and 40 miles a week (depending on how I'm feeling). I'm not fast but i get there. Feel free to add me if you wish. My main bit of advice would be listen to your body and be careful not to over do it.
  • NoxDineen
    NoxDineen Posts: 497 Member
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    Run slower and get a running buddy.

    I did Couch to 5k last summer, and really struggled with even the first few weeks of it. A friend told me to slow right down and suddenly it became easy. Once I got up to the "longer" running intervals (5+ minutes without stopping to walk) I picked a couple songs that I knew I couldn't give up to. Eminem's Til I Collapse is almost exactly 5 minutes so it's perfect for those intervals (for me).

    When you want to stop and walk, don't. Not right away. Pick a landmark maybe 20-50 feet ahead of you and run slower til you get there. Promise yourself you can stop if you *need* to when you hit it. Chances are you'll recover enough at the slower run you'll be able to get a wee bit further.

    Now I run 10+ mile obstacle races and I'm training for half-marathons (not sure a full marathon will ever look fun to me).

    But even running 5-10k 3-4 times a week I didn't really start improving until recently. I went for a run with my new boyfriend while I had the flu. We only ran 3k because I was sick, but he pushed the pace way faster than I would have run even if I'd been healthy. Turned out I can maintain a pace of a full minute less per km than I usually do on short runs. Running with a partner pushes you out of your comfort zone sometimes, and that's not a bad thing.

    To the original question, getting up to a solid 20 minutes of slow running without stopping to walk took me about 5 or 6 weeks of faithful Couch to 5k. Getting from there to running for an hour felt easier than the first month or so. Hang in there!
  • NoxDineen
    NoxDineen Posts: 497 Member
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    Oh and about breathing, time your breaths to match your stride (or rather time your stride to match your breaths). When you're running slow, 4 strides per inhale and 4 per exhale. When you're really pushing it'll probably speed up to 2 strides per.

    As soon as I started paying attention to my breath my inevitable side cramps disappeared. I've even started running without music and finding the breath counting to be pretty meditative.
  • vpeinado78
    vpeinado78 Posts: 5 Member
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    I do half marathons and I am a walk runner. Running completely is too hard on my body..and I burn more calories doing walk run intervals.

    ^^this^^
    I used to try to run it all - whatever I did (5K, 10K & 1/2)
    Then after falling off, I came back into running doing intervals. I've not gone back since. The recovery on my body is so much faster and the crazy thing is that my time has drastically changed. My first 1/2 trying to run it through was a bit over 3 hours - my time doing intervals was close to 2.5 hours

    If you feel compelled to run all the way, maybe working your way up by doing longer run intervals and a short walk one and keep increasing it til you feel ready to take the 'training wheels' off
  • monalissanne
    monalissanne Posts: 159 Member
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    Couch to 5K was a miracle for me. I could barely run for 30 seconds before I started that. After I ran my first 5K, I just bumped it up to 4 miles, then 5 miles. I agree with others...it's a mental thing more so than physical. I will scream from the rooftops, "Slow and steady wins the race!" Yes, it took me an hour to run 5 miles, but I ran 5 miles. Endurance is my priority. Whenever I slip out of my regular routine (like now), I'll start C25K again doing the intervals they outline in those first few weeks, and then I can usually get back into the swing of my longer distances without doing the whole program.

    Now I need to go practice what I preach...
  • christenafreda
    christenafreda Posts: 212 Member
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    Finding the right pace helps a lot, I started the C25K program and was dying until I realized I needed to slow down. I have since completed C25K, C210K and am working on Hal Higdon's Novice 2 Half Marathon Training program. I currently run 4 times a week and my long runs are 10 miles.

    This is coming from someone who never liked running, and never though they were a runner until six months ago. Now I love it!

    Feel free to add me if need any encouragement :smile:
  • RachelRuns9
    RachelRuns9 Posts: 585 Member
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    In my experience...
    The FIRST 2 miles are the hardest. It's never has hard as when you have to push through those first 2 miles. When I started I couldn't even run 3 blocks and now I'm pushing 8 miles. Just KEEP going!!! Your body can do more than your brain thinks it can in that moment!! I would run/walk until I accomplished 1 mile. Then 1.25. Then 1.5. Eventually 2. At that point your body is really OK with this whole running thing and you just keep adding miles, and it's hard, but it doesn't feel impossible anymore.
  • nickijhughes
    nickijhughes Posts: 18
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    I have signed up for the Tough Mudder next June and to be at all competitive I need to be able to run 10k. I am just getting started and my step mom (who is a long distance runner) said to start slow. You can download "how to train for a 10k" and it will tell you to walk for 6 min, run for 1. Do this 3-4 times a week. Second week walk for 5 min, run for 2 etc etc. My friend started doing this a couple months before me and it took him 3 months and he can run 10k. He was super committed though. Another piece of advice my step ma gave me was to inhale for 3 steps, exhale for two. Focus on that and I bet with taking longer deeper breaths you will achieve your goal in no time!

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