Fear of Falling

Kevalicious99

Ok .. well a bit about me. I am a walker (right now anyways and hope to be able to run soon) .. and am going to be starting C25K program in the next week. I am just waiting for the sidewalks to clear so I can use them. Winter time issues, no avoiding them.

But my issue is that I have this fear of falling. I have not run since high school (I am 49 now), and well I think I am a bit clumsy but I have not tried to run so don't really know.

Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts about overcoming my falling fear and actually being able to run ?

Thanks.

pmur

I don't have a fear of falling but I've never ever run in my life( last probably was middle school in India). I'm in my mid 30s. I started from the far end of the couch last April with some Zumba. I started c25k in December and now I run 3 miles thrice a week. I'm thinking of starting a half marathon training program. This program really worked for me. For someone as sedentary as me to have been able to run three miles was impossible according to me but I gave it a shot and it worked. So give it a try. Go slow. As slow as you like. Maybe that'll give you the confidence. Have you tried the treadmill? If you feel better on it maybe you could start there and slowly ease onto the road. I had a terrible phobia of outdoor running. I trained on an indoor track. I started running outside only recently. Even now, I use the indoor track and run outside just for terrain practise. I'm slowly getting better outside though. My neighbor runs and she and me run together now! Find a buddy if you can. That definitely helped me!

Kevalicious99

Thanks .. for me, the big test will be the starting of the C25K program next week. I will go slow .. which will be tough for me as I always like to go full out. I will have to learn not to do that.

PinkNinjaLaura

I am a total klutz, so I totally get where you're coming from. I started C25K in May last year (as soon as the snow melted enough to get outside) and I started on a track. Flat. Level. Safe. Easy to put my water bottle somewhere I can get to it every lap. I discovered pretty quickly that I wasn't running fast enough to be worried about falling (it's more of a jog than a sprint), but I ran on the track for the first few weeks anyway because I also didn't want anyone to see me run. I finally got tired of having to drive to the high school early in the morning, so I started heading out from my house and it was fine, even on my hilly, uneven road.

edit to correct typo

Kevalicious99

I think it is totally a psychological thing ... and I probably will overcome it when I start running. Or not. Don't know I guess until I try it out.

I am a klutz too .. not that coordinated.

pmur

I can understand the full out running! I did that and was huffing and puffing half way through the 30 minutes. I then remembered all the tips here and slowed down. That 20 mins run or 25 mins was really something I found very tough. I started a thread here. I got lots of tips. Slowing down was one of them. I used to do 9mins/mile. Now I'm doing anywhere from 12-13 mins/mile. Slowing down worked for me.

It is psychological I'm sure. I still have to talk to myself when running outside. I have a fear of being judged or something to that effect. Just tell yourself that you will do this and stick to the plan. Repeat weeks if it gets too intense. I'm sure you'll get there!

btsinmd

I think it is totally a psychological thing ... and I probably will overcome it when I start running. Or not. Don't know I guess until I try it out.

I am a klutz too .. not that coordinated.

It is and it isn't. I'm a klutz, too. Throughout my life, as a kid, I would run, I would trip, I would fall. I started C25K last May and I've done pretty well. I've had two falls:
1) I was running outside in the afternoon, and my transitional lens on the glasses were dark, so in effect I was wearing sunglasses. I decided to cut alongside a 6-ft high solid wood fence, suddenly putting me in the shade, on a dirt path, and I didn't see that there were large cut branches strewn on the path. I hit them, tripped, and fell.
-- Now I'm really careful in areas where I can't see well. I don't run along that fence any longer and when I run on the part of my running path that I know has both large tree roots breaking it up and dappled shade making it difficult for me to clearly see the roots, I walk. I plan my run so that I will walk that area.
2) I got cocky and thought, "I've been running for months with no problems, so I must not be the same gawky kid that fell all the time." So I broke out in a sprint as fast as I could go, tripped, and fell.
-- Run as you are supposed to. Keep your feet under you. Move your feet more rapidly and kick out with more drive to go faster, but don't try to reach them out forward. Run right and I bet you won't trip.

I never tripped doing C25K.

likitisplit

I haven't yet tripped running. I plan to run for years and know that at some point I'll probably wipe out, but it hasn't yet happened.

However, I did run my first 5k with a huge scab on my knee from walking off a curb in my business clothes. :ohwell:

_HeartsOnFire_

I am a klutz. I fall walking on flat land. I started a Couch to 5k program. Love it. Haven't fallen once. Just make sure I'm careful.

Kevalicious99

Thanks for your responses. Unfortunately it is snowing today ... and that means my C25K program will wait just a bit more.