Jogging

etmpsn

I really want to start jogging every morning or evening. I know I cant do it right now since I have JUST started walking. I'm starting the 30 day shred also. When can my body start to handle jogging/running? I feel like it would really help to run off the steam and stress I feel so I dont turn to food. Any advice?

meggonkgonk

This one is all relative and about listening to your body. I would say work up to walking at a decent clip for a 1/2 hour, then find a Couch to 5K program (basically it will have you run longer and longer times until you can run for a 1/2hour). It's a good training program and really great because running is a never ending set of goals to aspire to. Good luck!

bailey_rc

I started with the couch to 5k program. I enjoyed it while I was doing it.

MelleyJ

I am doing both the Couch to 5K program and the 30 day shred. I like to do the C25K as a warm up. It really prepares your body for the shred. I dislike the 2 min warmup that Jillian does. I would much rather work out for 3 more min and have a proper warm up, but that's just me! You can google Couch to 5K and find the workout. Good luck! Friend me if you need some help or encouragment. I would love to go through it with somoene. I just started the C25K yesterday and I am only on day 7 of the shred (I take 1 or 2 days off on the weekend for the shred).

mandypizzle

It really is just up to you when you feel ready. Start walking, then when you can, start power walking, then as soon as you can, pick it up more and more. You will know if you can't handle it. It would probably help to wear a heart rate monitor too.

AggieCass09

first of all, get fitted for running shoes at a specialty running shoe store. this will save you lots of potential pain later.
then just put them on and head out. stretch first then start slowly. run when you feel like it, stop when you dont. runnersworld.com has lots of great info. when i first started i didn't listen to music so i could "listen" to my body (it did NOT want to run at first), but since then (2007), I have ran a marathon and several halfs. signing up for a race is one of the best ways to get motivated.

best of luck, feel free to add me as a friend if you have any other questions.

wolfchild59

From my experience, only your body can tell you when it's ready to start jogging. The first time I stepped on a treadmill I struggled through 10 minutes of walking on a zero incline and just a couple miles per hour. When that got easier (not easy, just easier), I added more speed, then more incline, more time, more speed, more incline, and so on and so forth. Each time not letting myself get totally settled into something feeling too easy, it was always just at that edge of being able to complete it without a struggle.

Then I slowly started adding some jogging time into the walks. The first time I jogged I could barely make it a minute before I felt like I wanted to stop and gave in and started walking again. But then I made it a mini interval thing, jogged/walked/jogged/walked, each time a set time for how long I did either. From there I increased the jog times and decreased the walk times. Then I started jogging until I felt the need to stop, without a set time. Again, always just listening to my body and want it wanted and felt like it could do.

Now I'm up to jogging a full half an hour and tonight will be increasing my incline to the next .5%. (last night I added another tenth of a mile per hour speed)

For me this has a been a few months process to get to this point. A process that actually started on the elliptical because I couldn't do the treadmill at all at first. But one friend of mine was able to go straight into jogging and has done nothing but that. His wife started out by jogging a quarter mile, walking a quarter, etc. and has recently completed a 5k run without a walking break. So everyone is going to be different. My method above worked for me, but night not for anyone else. But I'd say that if you listen to your body, it'll tell you when it feels like the walking is getting slow and boring and it wants to try to jog, even if you "fail" at first and can't sustain the jog.

Also, my motto while jogging/my inner monologue is "don't stop because you want to, only if you have to". I repeat this over and over in my head because there's always a part of me that just wants to stop jogging and walk, but I know deep down that I can actually keep going, so I repeat that over and over and push through.

ruddyrunner

I started the Couch-to-5K program when I was about 90 pounds above my goal weight, at the end of October 2010. I had lost about 25 pounds before I started the C25K and that is when I built up to walking good distances. I personally had to just dive into it. The first couple weeks were hard, and I didn't follow the plan exactly (no shame in repeating days/weeks). But it is amazing how quickly your body will get used to the increased activity. I got really into it and didn't take as many rest days as I should have, so within a month I was able to cover 3 miles without stopping to walk (on the treadmill at a rather slow jog, but still). It has been almost 3 months since I started and in that time I've lost another 25 pounds, and am now pretty comfortable jogging 40 minutes straight. (I'm doing my first official 5K race this weekend)

If you can walk at a decent pace for 30 minutes, dive in. Follow the program, do intervals of jogging and walking. Slowly build up your jogging times, and don't be afraid to push yourself. Of course, use common sense - if you start to feel more pain than just tired muscles or seem to have an injury coming on, take a break and let your body recuperate. Do something else like biking or swimming or just walk.

And although it is scary, sign up for a 5K. Having an event in the future to work towards will really help you make progress. 3 months out is plenty of time, most C25K programs are 9 weeks long, so lots of time to do repeats and give yourself a cushion. And most 5Ks welcome walkers, so don't worry if you can't jog the whole thing. I know taking on jogging/running has really helped me, I hope it helps you too. I wish you much success!!!