To those who jog, I have a question.

TheFitHooker

I do not currently jog, I just walk at a fast pace. I feel like I'm still too big to think about jogging but part of me wants to try it. I've never been someone who enjoyed sweating but I broke through that and now I push hard to get that sweat. I never been a runner always hated it, but I want to push myself to that point. How did you start out?

foodluver27

I say go for it..I did the Couch to 5k program and I have heard this has worked for a lot of people..there are other programs out there too..just do some research. The main thing is to start at a slow pace and gradually build yourself up. And I don't believe anyone is too big to try to start running/jogging. You see all shapes and sizes out there hitting the pavement or the treadmill..your body shape does not define you or limit you on what you can do..good luck you can do this!

Amberetta82

OOOH I want to know also!!

shaynes14

I just finished a running program called C25k meaning from couch to a 5k. There is an app and podcasts that get you running 30 minutes in nine weeks. It is tough but I managed to keep jogging for 30 minutes today. You can google it. It may be under c25k.com. If I can do it, anyone can. It encourages you to repeat weeks if you don't feel ready to move on. Good luck! There are also groups on here that use that program. Just search c25k and groups will pop up.

airecloud

I used to hate jogging/running. First thing is mentality, you continue to say you hate it, you will and not only that you will dread every minute of the run. Not sure were you live but with the seasons changing you should consider a treadmill though running outside is a lot more relaxing.
As a suggestion I would start by slowly jogging until your out of breath then a brisk walk, then when you get your wind back do it again, over and over until you build up your endurance and resistance. The first step is always the hardest to get started so just keep going! You might not get far in the beginning but don't drop it because of that!
Hope this helps!! Good Luck!

annabellj

im still working on that also but they tell me you just walk really fast and then eventually you start to run. slunner=slow runner
I find that I am running and then bump it down to walking and then up to run again when I am ready. I run til Im running out of breath

hozik

Agree: Check out the Couch to 5k program. It eases you into jogging/running a 5K over several weeks by doing walk/jog intervals. You can also download free podcasts to time your intervals. I could barely jog 30 seconds @ 230 lbs and after the program I can easily jog for 30 mins. It was really exciting for me! My marathoner friend gave me some good advice, too. He said to take small steps when jogging and place my feet down softly in the beginning to prevent shin splints. Don't worry about speed, just getting thru the intervals, speed will come naturally over time. Wear good shoes. Best of luck to you!

DannyMussels

I havent' in a year or two, but about 3/4 ago an old friend of mine from highschool was in town, we played basketball for a bit and got to talking. For whatever reason, exercise came up and he mentioned that he runs trails down by the lake. Asked if I wanted to come. I said 'maybe later, maybe tomorrow' and all that. But it was a sunday, and i didnt have much to do, so eventually he got me to go. We went running through nice trails, over streams, through bush/forest like I've never seen around here. Almost looked like we were in another country (trust my, almost ALL bush in northwestern ontario looks the same...but this place was pretty neat). I jogged for what seemed to be 8 or 10 minutes i THINK..maybe a bit more. Regardless, i had to stop and walk after that, i was pretty outta breath. He stopped about 50 paces ahead of me, and I couldnt' see him...when i caught up, it turns out he was back at the road, he had ran the entire trail, and i ALMOST did. So a few days later, we went again, this time i was sure i could run it, had i known it ended there. We started going 4-5x a week throughout the fall, even after it snowed a bit. We'd run that trail, up and down the road, halfway home, etc a few times. Tryin to get our hearts going for 20-30 minutes cause that's really the reasoning he started. More of a time then distance thing. I even went a few times by myself, but like i said before ..its been a few years since I've gone. I wanna start sprinting in the spring, i have this feeling the ability to run REALLY fast could come in handy some day.

skb32881

I JUST started jogging recently and I'm doing the C25k plan. I had tried it before but I always felt too big or like it was too hard and I never made it past jogging for one minute. I can now do 5 mins but it's HARD (for me). I do enjoy the sweat and the heart racing though!! And I finally broke my plateau which is a huge plus! My first suggestion would be to go to a fitness store (we have Fleet Feet here and they are awesome!) and get someone to measure your feet and get good running shoes and inserts if you need them. My jaw dropped when I had to shell out $200 for a new pair but let me tell you they make all the difference! I have much less knee/ankle/muscle pain with me good shoes than I do with my cheaper gym shoes. My second suggestion is find music that pumps you up. I like songs that talk about never giving up and quitting isn't an option and all those good things . I also talk myself up when I'm jogging and tell myself how awesome I am for doing it and remind myself how good it feels to see a lose on the scale. I'm on week 4 of the C25K and I want to be able to jog a 5k by next Spring. Feel free to add me if you want to be jogging support buddies

rudegyal_b

c25k for sure!!

cscheiern

I have felt that way when I walked also but I was too chicken to try running. I just started a program I looked up on line to jog 30 minutes by the end of 8 weeks. I just finished my first week of walking 6 minutes and jogging 1 minute and I thought I would die after 30 seconds of jogging. I hope it will get easier. Actually it was easier the third time. I still cant imagine jogging for 30 minutes straight though. It is definitely more work to jog than to walk fast though.

meganepreston

I followed the Couch to 5 K program for a while, but I walked ALL THE TIME (like 5 miles a day) before I did it, so I thought it was too easy at first. I also didn't like being so regimented to a stopwach. So I stopped the program and just started jogging a little bit down the road and walking home after, and eventually everyday I got a little more. I still need to stop and walk sometimes, and I'm still a slow jogger, but I find it a lot more rewarding than walking now.

My biggest mistake I made was assuming I had to have a very large stride to jog. I overexerted myself trying to keep my feet farther apart as I was running. It didn't feel natural. Eventually my stride came back to normal, and I run in small normal steps. That made jogging much easier and more enjoyable.

I hope you try it and like it! I saw a marked improvement in weight-loss when I switched from walking to jogging.

goodmonster

I always hated running as well, until I started just seeing if I could go for a teeny amount of time- as in, .05 of a mile.
If you're on a treadmill you can see it ticker up- just give that a try. I can now run almost a steady 1/2 mile now I don't work on time right now (I'm a total 'slunner' lol) but once I get that endurance up I'm sure the time will start going down!

Good luck =D

lucybyrd3

my advice
-like others have said, change your outlook, if you look at it as any other fun work out activity it will be
-find really fast, heavy music and turn it up loud so that you can't hear your feet or heavy breath (unless you're running in a really heavy traffic area where cars might hit you lol)
-take it easy at first, run 5 minutes the first day, 6 minutes the next day, 7 minutes after that and so on. you don't have to run a marathon the first day
-take it at your own pace. it doesn't matter how fast everyone else is running, what matters is that you are comfortable and working out.
-keep in mind that what you're doing is better than sitting on the couch at home
-give yourself REST. especially at the beginning.
-NEVER miss more than two days in a row of running.
that's it
that's what i did, a little bit of c25k and i ran my first 5k at the beginning of the month. i couldn't run for more than 5 minutes straight at the beginning of the year and my mile time was 13:45. now it is around 9:20. if i can do it you can do it!

ansonrinesmith

C25K worked for me! I've run a few 5K races and want to do a 10K by my Birthday (March).
My first 5K was 42 minutes and now I'm down to 36minutes. The program works great!

slimkitty

First I was walking pretty slow, then after a while I started walking faster, then I started adding periods of jogging to the fast walk, eventually I started jogging the entire time. After a while I started running and adding hills and sprints to the run. Sometimes I like to jog for a long period of time, sometimes I find a hilly area and I push myself really fast. Sometimes I just speedwalk. It's all different and I like to vary the movements so I don't get injured by the repetitive motion.
For me - I just put one foot in front of the other, the rest of it mental.....

Just go for it. Give it a try and see how you feel. Push yourself, but don't get hurt. Don't get disaapointed if you can't jog at first. It will happen if you work at it. Stretch really well after you walk or jog. Stretch, your hamstrings, calves, hips, quadriceps - all of you.
Good luck.

TheFitHooker

Ok I said that I always hated it, I also said I always hated sweating and broke through that. My mind set is wanting to do it and love it, it's not negative toward it lol. I was using the sweat as an example of how I have learned to love something and hoping for the same thing with running. I use to hate walking but I take long fast pace walks at least 3 times a week and now I desire them. I would go every day if I could. So my mind set is not negative about this at all. I did something today and 5 months ago I would have given up after I started to sweat. I am doing the 30 day shred and today was my first day of it and I feel great and I'm proud of myself for making the first 20 minutes of it without giving up. I know if I can do that, I can do anything.

ASPhantom

Totally Agree with C25K. I am a graduate too.

Was never a runner and now I hate it when I miss a day.

Love it! And the program works as long as you stick with it.

Don't try to do more, don't do less. Stick to it and it is amazing!

shaynes14

30 day shred is tough. I think it would be hard to do that and the C25k too. Glad you are learning to love sweating. The shred program will allow you to do plenty of that. From what I've read that will do more for you because you will be building and strengthening which will boost your metabolism. I said I finished c25k but I didn't finish the 30 day shred. Good luck to you. Just keep moving! :happy:

twilight_princess

For me walking helped me get into running better. I walked 120 miles in September and now have moved onto running and cycling, (although I'm slacking a bit now). Each week I try to do a little bit more. Last week I was able to run 23mins without stopping and 30 mins in total when before I could only manage less than 5 and I don't have any soreness now when before I was sore for 5 days post.

You use the same leg muscles to walk and run so walking regulary for long distances will help prepare you into running. C25K is also good if you want guidance.

tambamis

I want to run a marathon when I grow up, but I had to start really slow, didn't have c25k. So I started by walk/running. Walk for 5 mins to warm up - then run for 30seconds to a minute or my heart came out of my chest...whichever came first.
Then I gradually increased the running time by 20 - 30 seconds and ended up around 6 miles
Just remember...you got this!