i would walk 500miles but I cant run a single one

lilnach
lilnach Posts: 42
in Health and Weight Loss
AHA ! I got your attention ! So I am new to this site, I am about 202 right now and my biggest reason for wanting to be fit is that I want to be able to run. Before puberty people would joke calling me Forrest gump because I would run all the time. As I got older and weight gained, I've found that I really hated running. Being out of breath quickly etc. I love walking and I'll try light jogging intervals but I cant even go a quarter mile without having to quit.
This might just sound like a dumb question, but is there anyone out there who has been in my situation and who runs now?
How do you build up your endurance to running? I feel like the less you weight the easier.. but I feel like Ricky Bobby when I'm walking and I just want to go fast!
I hope to be able to run by next summer, hopefully do a Color Run or Zombie Run or something fun like that.
Inspiration Motivation, any words of wisdom .. anyone?

ps. I don't smoke, and I know that is a big factor in running.. I'm 22 and try to live a healthy life

please and thank you!
now I need to listen to '500 miles' by The Proclaimers

Replies

  • reallymyBEST
    reallymyBEST Posts: 242 Member
    Started running at 227# and age 45! So yes, you CAN do it!!! Google 'Couch to 5k' or C25k for short. Perfect program to get going again. I had never run a day in my life and will be running a 10-miler next Sunday!

    Good luck!
  • BetterCrazyThanLazy
    BetterCrazyThanLazy Posts: 336
    Try coach to 5K. I was a fat kid in school so I hated sports and I hated running but somehow I started and I don't even remember how that happened! I walked a bit, I jogged a bit and then increased running time and reduced walking breaks.

    BUT you don't need to run to lose weight! You can get to your fat burning heart rate but setting the treadmill on incline and walking at 4-4.5 miles an hour! : )

    Good luck!
  • tmhatten
    tmhatten Posts: 4
    Do you want to run or do you want to love running? There is a difference.
  • lmeslie
    lmeslie Posts: 46 Member
    I was never a runner and now I can consistently run 3 miles straight and probably more. I used the Ease to 5K app on my iPhone while I trained. It is a variation of the Couch to 5K program which you can find at http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/index.shtml . I think this will help you build your endurance in a controlled, logical way. It really encourages running SLOW as you build your endurance so you don't get injured and you don't get discouraged. Feel free to friend me and let me know how it goes! I went from having trouble running for a minute to being able to run 3 miles so I am proof it works :)
  • danijolson
    danijolson Posts: 32 Member
    I am in the exact same boat as you- well, I have never liked running so I guess not the SAME boat. But in high school I was big into swimming and doing other active things, running just wasn't one of them. Im 23 now and as of July 16th I was at my heaviest weight of 198 (probably over 200 on bloating days- I just never stepped on the scale at that point) Ive been walking a lot, eating SO much better and in the past two months I am now down to 177. I just got a treadmill 2 weeks ago and I find that Im able to run 5.0-6.0 mph for quite some time compared to before I would try and run and look so stupid because after not even 1 block I would have to stop, sometimes after 1/2 of a block! I honestly wasn't trying to build my endurance it just happened... Ive been walking a lot, and doing intervals of run/walk as well as "in bed yoga" which sounds dirty, yes, but it stretches you out and makes you feel so good! Google it! Youll find some relaxing positions that will help your mind and your body! I know it sounds lame but helped.

    Im hoping by Christmas I can lose another 20 lbs but now that its easier for me to run for longer I want more of that- if I could run for 5-10 minutes straight (I know thats a lame goal) that would be awesome!

    Ill be checking your post for other replies as I would love some advice as well!
  • lilnach
    lilnach Posts: 42
    i want to love it !
  • 05saleengirl
    05saleengirl Posts: 549
    Ohh I am so like you. Even after all the weight I've dropped, I still Can Not Run! Yet, I see people in my subdivision whom are much larger, my size I was or bigger running their tales off. It makes me go WTH?! BUT ya know what...its all in endurance. Not your size. Yes, it has "some" factors in it but running is something you have to work into slowly and build your lungs, legs and endurance up to. So, that being said, I have recently started doing the Couch 2 5k program. Its basically a 9 week program that helps you build your endurance up to run a 5k. I did my second day of week 1 last night and sucked on the hills, but slowly did it for the other 1 minute runs. The first week is a 5 nminute warm up then 90 second walk, 60 second run, and repeat 8 times. If you have an ipod you can downlown podcasts which have the prompts of someone built into the music (I highly recommend some upbeat music to run to...really gets your mind into it; atleast for me:)). I downloaded my for free from this site: http://www.kissmyblackass.org/podcasts/

    For the most part I like her music choices. Here is the site to the Couch 2 k5 program (all free too!) http://www.c25k.com/

    Also, if you have an ipod touch or Iphone, there are apps that you can get for your phone and intergrate your own music into it. I don't have an iphone or I would have done that. I have an android and the thing is too flippin heavy to run with on my arm.

    Hope I helped!
  • 05saleengirl
    05saleengirl Posts: 549
    wow..looked like a bunch of people snuck in before me giving you the same info! Sorry bout that!
  • 05saleengirl
    05saleengirl Posts: 549
    I was never a runner and now I can consistently run 3 miles straight and probably more. I used the Ease to 5K app on my iPhone while I trained. It is a variation of the Couch to 5K program which you can find at http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/index.shtml . I think this will help you build your endurance in a controlled, logical way. It really encourages running SLOW as you build your endurance so you don't get injured and you don't get discouraged. Feel free to friend me and let me know how it goes! I went from having trouble running for a minute to being able to run 3 miles so I am proof it works :)

    How long did it take you to build up to that?
  • vmekash
    vmekash Posts: 422 Member
    Great Couch to 5K App for Android phones. And, it is free. Don't think there is a free one on iPhone.
    Good luck.
  • lilnach
    lilnach Posts: 42
    Thank you all for this advice, I am about to look into this Couch to 5k app !
    and congratulations to all your success ! :)

    I'd love new fitness pals if you'd like to add me ! (lame, but I had to)
  • jayhawkfan51
    jayhawkfan51 Posts: 78 Member
    ME! I used to hate running (mostly becuse I was fat and it hurt!) but now we have a love hate relationship. I always start out walking then start running. I feel amazing afterward. Running in my first 5k next saturday. Gulp!
    For sure check out the couch to 5k. However for me, it was way to slow. If you have access to a treadmill, gradually speed it up. I began walking at 2.5 (sad I know) and now walk at 3.6 and run at 5. It is easier than you think!
  • bluefox9er
    bluefox9er Posts: 2,917 Member
    Do you want to run or do you want to love running? There is a difference.

    in most cases the 2 go hand in hand after a given amount of time.
  • artickb22
    artickb22 Posts: 411 Member
    I feel your pain. I am an ex-smoker and a walker/wanna be runner. I've been off tha smokes for four months now and it's still difficult for me. When I'm walking, i want to go fast..I can walk forever, I literally run out of time to exercise before I've wore out my legs but when I try jogging/running I'm all out of breath and gasping for air after just 2/10's of a mile. There are a lot of programs out there to guide you into running like Couch to 5K (commonly refered to as C25K) which is great unless your like me and can't even complete day 1 week 1. I find that I just push myself as much as I can. I don't follow a plan I just walk and I'll take off jogging and when I can't breath anymore I"ll walk again until I've gained my breath back and then run some more. You just gotta try different things until you find somehting that works for you. Just remember, it takes time. Longer for some, but if you really want it, it will happen.

    Best of luck to you!!
  • juliec33
    juliec33 Posts: 238 Member
    The only way to get better at running is to run. When I started I couldn't run even 100 yards without feeling like I was gonna die. That was almost 3 years ago....in December I'm gonna run my 2nd half marathon. I walk a small portion of almost all of my "runs". There is absolutely no shame in walking when you need too.

    I agree that the C25K is a great program to start with. It's what got me started. As for loving the running??? I have a love/hate relationship with it. You might never LOVE to run but you will start to LOVE how it makes you feel.

    Keep up the good work and just keep running!!!!
  • AimersBee
    AimersBee Posts: 775 Member
    bump
  • rwhawkes
    rwhawkes Posts: 117 Member
    One year I was 289 and figured I'd better do something to get in shape so I decided to try jogging. I started by doing laps in a gym and I swear that after 2 laps I was ready to puke.

    But I kept at it and about a week or two I could jog 1km and felt like a real hero. I didn't push it too hard, just a comfortable pace but determined to do the distance.

    Then I devised a little program and set a goal to do 5k by the end of the summer (started in May). My little program was to jog my weekly distance (at this point, 1km) from Mon-Thur and then on Friday, do a LSD (long slow distance) run which would increase my distance by 1km. Naturally, this was a bit of a stretch, so I took the next two days off.

    Then the following Mon-Thurs I'd do the same distance I did the previous Friday, and then on that Friday, jack up the distance by 1km and take the weekend off.

    I never missed a single scheduled day - ran in late afternoon before supper, after the heat of the day. I'll be darned if I wasn't doing 5km in about 6 weeks from starting. I entered a "race" and did 5k in around 28:30 or so. No speed record, but wow, how satisfying is that?

    So I changed the goal to 10k by the end of the summer, and kept the same program,and wouldn't you know, 5 weeks later I was able to complete 10km and did another race, finishing my 10km in around 56:30 (about the same pace as my 5k). That summer I also lost over 50lbs just like that - no dieting involved at all.

    I was pretty lucky in that I didn't injure myself in that time, and I was so stoked by the increasing distance. I mean, after 3 weeks, when I'm doing 3km, thinking how easy it was to do 1km. When I thought back to how less than a month before I was ready to puke after a couple gym circuits, it was so energizing.

    My point in this little autobiography is that if you try starting slow, and increasing slowly but very deliberately, you will be astounded at what your body can do. Get good RUNNING shoes (not cross trainers or cheapass tennis shoes), listen to your body but also discipline it. You know when it's just whining and when it's warning.

    Good luck girl! I hope you get hooked on running like so many of us have.

    p.s. That was 20 years ago, and I was 35 that summer. I managed to put on a pile of weight (currently around 312) since then and I'm hoping over the next few months to drop a pile of weight, and then start training for a marathon (or more realistically 1/2 marathon) late July 2013. Still addicted after all these years of inactivity.
  • Kissybiz
    Kissybiz Posts: 361 Member
    Like everyone else, I recommend the C25K program. I started it last March.. just sticking with week one of the program.. with two bad knees, weighing 300 lbs. I've only just progressed to week two recently, I've been careful about my knees, but now they don't hurt, I'm down to 260, and I'm actually not just "jogging" but "running" some now too! And I haven't run since junior high!
  • davert123
    davert123 Posts: 1,568 Member
    dead easy. get a decent pare of trainers and stretch out after each session. Thats the difficult bit lol. Now the was i started was easy. i got fit enoguht to walk fast for 1/2 hr. I then walked and did a few seconds of running and then back to walking for 1/2 hr. Over a few weeks I ran more and walked a little less - aiming for a 15 minute run with a walk break and then another 15 minute run. took about 2 months. Then just run for 1/2 hr and you are away. Try 3x per week to start. Gradually lengthen one run and run slow. gradually shorten one a little and run it fast or run fast/slow to puff you out and you are there. 5 months ago I couldn't run for more than 10 seconds - I did 7 miles last week and can run 3 in 30 minutes if i can do it anyone can :-)
  • saschka7
    saschka7 Posts: 577 Member
    I must be the only person for whom Couch-to-5K has not worked. I finally quit when I realized that I had to repeat the second week 5 times and STILL couldn't run for 1 minute 30 seconds at a time, or whatever it was. The longest I have ever been able to run at one go is 1 minute and 25 seconds....ONCE...and damn it, I am proud of that. When I started, I could only run 8 seconds.

    Don't know what my problem is--I've tried everything: really focusing on breathing properly, making sure I ate enough (but not too much) an hour or two before, having the proper shoes, slowing down my pace...all of it. I believe that a 300 pound person can be a runner and I believe that a 65 year old who has never ran before can start and accomplish something, but I cannot run. I truly think some people just cannot. I blame it on my heart but the doctor says everything seems fine. My heart feels as if it will implode and I cannot breathe.

    I really wish I could run. Yes, I realize this sounds negative but NOTHING--even intense mental concentration--can give me the ability to run for 2 minutes without stopping. :frown:
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Another vote for Couch to 5k.

    And that song is one of my favorite songs to run to. :heart:
  • lmeslie
    lmeslie Posts: 46 Member
    I was never a runner and now I can consistently run 3 miles straight and probably more. I used the Ease to 5K app on my iPhone while I trained. It is a variation of the Couch to 5K program which you can find at http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/index.shtml . I think this will help you build your endurance in a controlled, logical way. It really encourages running SLOW as you build your endurance so you don't get injured and you don't get discouraged. Feel free to friend me and let me know how it goes! I went from having trouble running for a minute to being able to run 3 miles so I am proof it works :)

    How long did it take you to build up to that?

    The program is 9 weeks but I took more like 12-14 weeks. I repeated a couple of weeks when I felt like I wasn't ready to move forward.
  • UG77
    UG77 Posts: 206 Member
    Go slow. I call it a trot. Start out at a trotting pace. slower than a jog, about the same speed as a brisk walk. Its terribly inefficient and as such it will start to strengthen your cardio skill and should allow you to go longer. Work your way up to jogging. Then once you're good at jogging push yourself up to a run.

    I break it down like this (in my mind).

    When you're starting from scratch, you start at a trot. You are just trying to survive the experience, not set land speed records. After building your stamina you work your way up to jogging, and when you get tired/out of breath jogging, fall back to the trot. This is your recovery pace, where you catch your breath and "recover" a bit before you pick up the pace and start jogging again. When you can jog full time and don't need the trot, you're ready to start the process over again but this time go from jogging to running.

    The difference to me is that jogging(or trotting) is just trying to get through to your goal. In this, the ground/course/treadmill is attacking and you're the victim. When you are running, you are not worried about reaching your goal, you already know you're going to do that no matter what, but this time you are the one attacking. You're pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone and finding out with each stride that you're better than you thought you were.

    Also, don't be afraid to walk. If you need to walk to recover then do it. You have to train and condition your muscles to handle this new activity. The muscles have to have time to adapt to an endurance event. For example, you can't take a runner and drop them in a pool and expect them to have swimming endurance. So the point is that having endurance is specific to the trained muscle group. If you haven't been running, then you are starting out from scratch.
  • obeseto13point1
    obeseto13point1 Posts: 144 Member
    For years I would make myself run and not actually enjoy it, I even did a couple 5k's that I didn't train for or anything, just liked the race atmosphere. Where I started that led me to where I am today (just ran my 1st half marathon, run 5mi runs regularly, longer when in training) was an indoor track. Right after I had my daughter I did the eliptical and then would run on the indoor track. At first I could only run a half a lap of a 14 lap per mil track, eventually I was running whole laps, then 1.5 laps, then one day I made it up to 5 miles running 1/2mi chunks. Then I started running outside and I progressed from there. I honestly can say I must love running now lol considering I get up at the crack of dawn to run and ran today even though it was only 32 degrees at 6am!
  • ahamamoto
    ahamamoto Posts: 12 Member
    I am very curious to read anymore replies! I know how you feel on this! I am not horribly out of shape but can't run to save my life! I recently had to do a physical for a job, and couldn't do the mile and half run in under the 18 minutes... luckily they are letting me try again at the end of Nov... so I really think I am going to try the C25K program and see if it will work for me too! Found the free app on my android :-)
  • Jenism1
    Jenism1 Posts: 149 Member
    For me, the hardest part of running is the first 8 minutes. I feel every single pain that may be bothering me. Hips hurt, ankle tweeks, back hurts, I feel like I am gasping at times and just feel like stopping...and then....the pain leaves my ankle, the hips stop aching, my knees feel good, I can take a deep breath and regulate my breathing better. It is so weird...I feel like the tinman when I start! "Oil can...oil can" then I am fine and I finish my run.

    I have tried a walk/run program before but never got through it. Decided I wasn't a runner and forgot about it. Then one day, all the ellipticals were being used at the gym and I had to go on the treadmill.(This is like 5 years after I declared myself a non runner). I thought, I will run through one song, then I ran through another song and another...I ran for 20 minutes straight. It was so weird cuz I have never ran...ever. That was a few months ago and I run 5km (3 miles) 4 times a week. I love it!!

    Good luck to you on whatever program you choose and just know you can do it!! Slow and steady wins...
  • jenmsu83
    jenmsu83 Posts: 185 Member
    I started running almost a year ago and I absolutely love it! It was definitely hard at first...I could barely run 2 minutes straight without feeling like I was gonna die. But I built my endurance up and ran a 5k last Thanksgiving, then another in March of this year, did a 10K in April and just did my first half marathon two weeks ago!

    My advice is to start slow....I did not follow couch to 5k but I've heard great things about it.

    You can do it!

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