Are some people just physically not cut out for running?
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We are not all cut out for running, but we can all do the C25K at our own pace.
I was an old "couch potato" and completed the C25K last year in 10 weeks and found week 3 to be the toughest "barrier" week, requiring a repeat before moving to week 4. I am now repeating the C25K after a spell in hospital.
My advice is as follows:
Good running shoes are essential, but do not need to be very expensive (£30-£40, not £80)
Comfortable lightweight clothes that allow the body to "breathe" as you run
It is not a race, jog as slowly as you wish, completion of each exercise is the goal
Aim for a constant running pace (mine was/is 80 "left foot" paces per minute)
Try to run on the same days (Mon/Wed/Fri or Tue/Thu/Sat or Sun for example)
Always have a rest day as the body/muscles need to recover
If you are eating anything before running, allow an hour before you run
Good "exercise music" does help
I would count the paces as I ran when my left foot hit the ground (up to 120 and 240 for the 90 second and 3 minute runs respectively in Week 3)
I found sticking to the same route was best for me, sometimes a different route helps
Run at roughly the same time each day (not critical, but helps keep discipline)
I use Runkeeper to track my runs and (this time around) Gympact as a financial incentive penalty (it reads the Runkeeper data)
Everyone is different, what works for me may not work for you, but i hope the above is helpful0 -
Well I have asthma and yea um no I can't last more then a minute sprinting but I can speed walk? Run yea no lol. But I can bike my as* off
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bumping for More Information. People keep telling me that I "Need" to Run but I just have ZERO interest in any Running. I would LOVE to Walk a 15 Minute Mile outside (currently I am doing about 17-18 min miles outside & 15 Minute Miles consistently on the Treadmill).
:ohwell: Not sure if I am just weird or what.
You don't NEED to run. I haven't run since I was probably 8. Due to a medical condition, I am physically unable to. If my heart rate accelerates too much, I suffer from serious dizzy spells (makes working out a challenge). I can't even jog. I walk, use the stationary bike, do weight training, do some light dancing, etc. And, honestly, I think I'm in pretty good shape.
With that said, I know people who run marathons, but hate running. They do it for their well-being. I guess I don't really know where I'm going with this...0 -
I'm psychologically not cut out for it. Does that count?0
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I have never been able to run in my life until the last couple months. It takes just the right recipe of motivating music (mine has to be fast paced power music i enjoy or i just can't get into it), the right speed - even .5 over my speed and I die, and walk / run cycles until i build endurance. started with running one minute walking two and so on. even if you only run 30 seconds at first, just run 10 more seconds once that becomes easy. take it at your own pace even if it seems really really slow.0
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Here's a question for you: When you say that you physically CAN'T do it, do you mean that you feel like you can't get enough oxygen to your muscles? I started running again (for the 3 time) in February. I got to the point where I physically could not run and I had only run a few meters. Previously I had started running and had been running for quite a few months but I could not run a full mile. I was tired all of the time and I never got any better. This February I was diagnosed with asthma. My doctor prescribed an inhaler to me and it has made a WORLD of a difference. Talk to your doctor about it and see if they will test you for asthma. Best of luck and feel free to add me as a friend!0
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Everyone can run (with obvious exceptions).
Some people will never be able to run a marathon.
Some people will never run a sub-6:00 mile.
Some people may not even be able to break 30:00 for a 5K.
It's about YOU. Just run the best that YOU can. Because you CAN.0 -
In June, I weighed around 225 (I'm 5'4), and I started jogging. I started going a half of a mile at a time until I could do it comfortably, consistently. It was absolutely MISERABLE. Everything hurt - back, knees, hips, ankles, shins, lungs - and I often thought of stopping. I just kept telling myself that it would get better. Today, I'm down to 189, and I'm running 2-3 miles per day at a 10-12 minute mile everyday.
Running involves different muscles, and if those muscles aren't in shape, each step feels as though you are dying a little. If you are able to get those muscles back into shape, however, running quickly becomes something addictive! Go slowly and keep trying. If the 5K in which you are competing isn't a timed event, there is no pressure, but if you genuinely don't enjoy running, don't make yourself miserable - find something you do like.0 -
a lot of running is mental0
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I think everyone is suited to different kinds of sports and activities, but I do think that most people can run if they want to.
So, if you WANT to run - keep going with C25K but run much more slowly. That's been the key for me - I don't run fast but I can run a long way if I just go at a comfortable (slow) pace.
If you really don't want to run, then find something else to do that you enjoy more.0 -
You don't have to run, you know. You can get very fit and reach your goals without ever running. If you are committed to running better, check out the Run Your Butt Off book by the editors of Runner's World. The progression from walking to running is even slower than C25K and I really liked it when I started running.
I agree with the PP who said go slower on your runs. In the RYBO book, they state your running speed should start out no faster than your walking speed. Imagine that! It sounds crazy but it worked.0 -
YES, this!Sometimes it's our own mental, not physical, barriers that we need to break through. I found listening to music with a really good beat took my mind off the fact that I was jogging (running is not my forte). The other thing I do is not to set my expectations too high - I just wanted to finish the 7km run I signed up for and that was enough for me.0 -
it will take practice and a very long time, but you can train yourself to run. the only thing i wonder about is ladies who are topheavy...you know, a big rack...i would think it would be really uncomfortable to run even if you are in good shape
Hahahah...that's definitely not my problem 0 -
Running can be pretty hard on your body, depending on lots of factors (not just weight or overall fitness). With careful training and patience, you can probably get there. But what I wonder is - why are you running? Is running a 5K something you really want to do? Or are you doing it just for health and general fitness? Because if it's the latter and it's not working out for you, then it seems like there are probably better ways to approach it.
A little of both...being able to run a 5K is just a personal goal that I'd really like to meet. And, I find it to be the easiest way for me to exercise. (doesn't require money or equipment, etc...I have a great jogging trail blocks from my house...I think it is the only form of exercise I can't talk myself out of -- no excuses, ya know?)0 -
I did the C25K a few years back and found it a very challenging program! A few questions for you - what are you eating prior to running - and how soon before? How fast are you running? Have good shoes? And good music?
eating -- it varies. I try not to eat soon before going. If I run in the morning I may have a piece of peanut butter toast. In the evening, I will go 30 minutes to an hour after eating dinner
speed -- umm...SLOW. I'm pretty sure you could walk faster than I'm jogging.
shoes -- I have good ones. I went to a specialty running place and had them fitted...they watched me run, etc...and helped me pick the right ones.
music -- made a special "running music" playlist 0 -
I have tried running even at my peek of health. I can do it on a tread mill but put me on a sidewalk and I am done. My friend who runs 10 km no problem ran with me and she says I don't pace my self that I go hard until I am toast. Maybe you need to run with someone to pace you?0
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I'm wondering exactly what you mean by "can't get through week 3." Are you unable to finish the workout, or are you just not feeling ready to move onto the next week? If you are stopping, is it because of pain in your legs/feet, or because you're out of breath?
I can finish the week three workout, but just barely...and sometimes I have to stop the run segments a few seconds early because I just can't keep going. Out of breath...feel nauseous, like I'm going to pass out
I tried to just push on and do week 4 day 1 twice this week, and did horribly. I feel like there is no sense in moving on until I can complete week 3 with more success.0 -
Only reason to run: bad guy chasing you.0
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Here's a question for you: When you say that you physically CAN'T do it, do you mean that you feel like you can't get enough oxygen to your muscles? I started running again (for the 3 time) in February. I got to the point where I physically could not run and I had only run a few meters. Previously I had started running and had been running for quite a few months but I could not run a full mile. I was tired all of the time and I never got any better. This February I was diagnosed with asthma. My doctor prescribed an inhaler to me and it has made a WORLD of a difference. Talk to your doctor about it and see if they will test you for asthma. Best of luck and feel free to add me as a friend!
It's not so much my lungs...I know I don't have asthma. It's more like my body just feels weak, like I have NO energy. Like I couldn't take another step even if someone were coming at me with a chainsaw. haha0 -
Great advice...from everyone
(even those who suggest running should only occur when you are being chased and fear for your life! hahah...)
I'm not giving up...yet...
One of my friends who is a nurse practitioner suggested that I might be anemic, and that can make it very difficult to maintain energy for exercise. So who knows...
I'm not really thinking I'll make my 5K goal by November at the rate I'm going now, but like I said, I'm not giving up 0 -
If you're out of breath, I would guess you need to run slower. I know the C25K website says that the biggest mistake most beginning runners make is trying to go too fast. They recommend that if it is possible to run slower, than you should. I've been using a treadmill, which helps control my pace.
And there is no shame in repeating week 3 as many times as you need to. You're doing this for you, right? Then you should do it whatever way works for you.
On the same line of thought, if you hate it, then there is no shame in switching out for a fitness routine that you enjoy. Exercise should be work, hard work even, but it shouldn't be torture.0 -
I still feel like that some days....and I've been running for 5 years now!:bigsmile: Take it slow...as long as nothing is chasing you, you don't have to go fast...Talk or sing, if you can't do that, you are going to fast....Just make sure you turn the sound off when passing people - a crazy, tone deaf lady singing out loud tend to scare some people off the sidewalk.....:blushing: I know....:bigsmile:0
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I have never been a distance runner..I prefer sprint intervals...sprint for 30 seconds all out, rest 60 seconds - repeat 8-10 times...cut back on the rest once you get used to the sprints...sounds nutz, but i actually enjoy the sprinting...0
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Only reason to run: bad guy chasing you.
lol what if it is a cute guy? Run the other way? Just having some fun. ..0 -
If anyone isn't built to be a runner, it's me. I have bad scoliosis, my femurs attach to my hips toward the front of my legs instead of on the side, my rib cage is inverted making breathing difficult. But I saw paralympians running who had much greater challenges than me. I thought, if people can run with one lung, I can train myself to breath with my diaphragm. I can get shoes to correct my legs. And you know what? I run just about every day now! I took forever for my body to adapt, but it was so worth it!0
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If anyone isn't built to be a runner, it's me. I have bad scoliosis, my femurs attach to my hips toward the front of my legs instead of on the side, my rib cage is inverted making breathing difficult. But I saw paralympians running who had much greater challenges than me. I thought, if people can run with one lung, I can train myself to breath with my diaphragm. I can get shoes to correct my legs. And you know what? I run just about every day now! I took forever for my body to adapt, but it was so worth it!
that is freaking awesome! You go girl!0 -
I'm in week 4 of a couch to 5K, and will probably be repeating this week at least once. I've never run a day in my life before this, so the first weeks have been very hard. BUT...when I can get in the mental zone where it's only the music and the beat of my feet on the road (instead of having to focus on inhaling and exhaling so I don't die)...THAT is why I'm doing this. The best bits of advice I've been given so far from friends who run are "easing into running doesn't mean easy, so don't give up just cuz it hurts" and "SLOW DOWN, it's not a race. You can build speed later, now is the time to build endurance". Best of luck to you.0
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No idea what happened in that other thread. All I know is:
- hated running until I tried it as an adult - couldn't breathe, biomechanically was effed (flat feet, pronation, weird angles, soft ankles, etc)
- loved running for a while - did a gradual beginner program, got obsessed with form, did my best to apply it
- got a stress fracture, PF (x2), arthritis
- have since been told by health pros that i never should have put on the bloody shoes (btw got max stability ones, at a running store, gait analysis etc)
I admire the 'go hard or go home' attitude so often found among runners. And I LOVED running for the little while I tried it.
But I think between running culture and the million ways people do it wrong, and especially for very overweight people (and probably women, given hips etc), it's probably safer to stay away from it unless you seek out personal, individualized training in running. And are younger vs older.
I'm pissed about the whole thing. Maybe some of those things might have happened anyway, but I've been TOLD running helped them along (or directly caused them, in the case of PF).0 -
It's not so much my lungs...I know I don't have asthma. It's more like my body just feels weak, like I have NO energy. Like I couldn't take another step even if someone were coming at me with a chainsaw. haha
I think as long as it's not your joints hurting or any other sharp pains, then you can do it. If you can do other high intensity cardio workouts then there is no reason why running should make you more out of breath. My suggestion? Wear a HRM and make sure you're not pushing yourself too hard.0 -
you are human, you were born to run.
ummm no... if humans were "born to run" we would be on all fours running like leopards and wolves.
ummmm...yes. Our ancestors would chase after wild game, such as deer, until their prey was exhausted and were easy pickings. We might not be able to match them in speed but we make up for it in endurance.0
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