When you first started... how long could you run for?

jr1985

I decided that since I'm going on a cruise in 5 weeks... It was time to REALLY throw the diet/exercise into gear... The first 2 hrs of my day this morning were spend in the gym.

After 1/2 hr bike and 1/2 hr elliptical I decided to take my crack at the treadmill... I only lasted 2 minuted on 5 mph before I turned it back down to a walking speed Where did you start? How long did it take you before you could jog a mile without stopping?

tryinghard71

When I first started it took me 55 minutes to "walk" 2 miles. I just kept increasing a little daily. Now I walk run and can do 2 miles in 30 minutes.

alvalaurie

I first started walking the track & when I decided to try running, I could only run a quarter of ONE lap before my lungs felt like they would explode! Gradually I just walked less & ran a little more till I got where I could complete the whole lap at a run. At that point it became much easier to keep running after I conquered that first lap!

I haven't looked at your weight goal, but I also stepped up my game to get ready for a cruise (we set sail next Monday) & was not able to pull it off as quickly as I liked. I doubled my workouts & cut my calories in half & still only lost 3 pounds, however, I have trimmed a couple inches & people are starting to notice.

Good luck & have fun on your cruise!

MinnieInMaine

When I started running on the treadmill, my speed was 4.3 mph and I think I lasted a whole 30 seconds. That was about 2 years ago. Now I run about 5.7-6 mph outside (can't stand running on the treadmill except sprints) and ran 4 miles yesterday.

bcf7683

I could run for about 4 minutes and I thought I was going to die. Now I can go til about the 2 mile mark before I need a 20-second walk.

BUT... I see that you're only doing cardio. Have you thought about adding any weight training in there since you're already at the gym for 2 hours? I started doing strictly cardio, but once I added in the weight training, the pounds came off a lot quicker. Even if you do a split- one hour weights, one hour cardio, I bet you'd get much better results! If you're open to it, I could help you build an easy beginner weights program

WendyTerry420

I could only run for about 20 seconds when I started. I could only walk for about 4-5 minutes. C25k fixed me right up. No I can jog for 28 minutes! :bigsmile:

baoneill29

I could only run for 2 minutes when I started 8 years ago. My goal was to run 20 minutes without stopping, so I trained running a couple minutes and walking a couple minutes, and each day would run a little longer before I needed to walk. A couple years later i was running 3 hours without stopping.

ekz13

when I started I was told by a long time runner to do a 30/30, 30 seconds run, 30 seconds walk...and I was DYIN!!

addaline22

the first time I went for a run, I did it for 3 min, then had to stop and rest. now I can do a half mile, and that is about 8 min. I'm getting there

addaline22

also, I started on the tread mill at 3.5, hard core walk, on varriable height.

BeccaAnderton

In April I started running, and could barely manage 90 seconds running straight. By May I could run about 2 miles without stopping, and 2 weeks ago I ran my first half marathon in 2.5 hours (no walking at all). You'll get there, it just takes time and dedication and patience to build up your endurance

PurpleTina

up until about three months ago, barely 20 seconds! I now run 3-5 miles, three times a week. Couch to 5k is brilliant.

TheBrolympus

Only a couple of minutes.

Start with intervals on the treadmill. 1 minute run, 1 minute walk, repeat!
You will slowly start lengthening the run interval until you can run for miles and miles.

Beethoven1827

I'm doing C25K at the moment. Three weeks ago, running for 60 seconds (at a very slow jog!) was TOUGH. Yesterday I did a couple of 3-minute stints. It's a few more weeks til I'll be able to run a mile without stopping at all, but I know I'll get there...

simplythefreakingbest

I managed a minute on friday I've literally just started so going to do the 1 minute this week then next week up it to 2 minutes

crystalflame

I've gone through periods where I could only run 2 minutes at 5.5mph on the treadmill. Now I can do 32 minutes at 6.0, and I probably could go longer but I've never tried running more than a 5K.

I never did C25K or anything. I built up my cardio endurance with group fitness classes at the gym, and when I could go all out in a cardio kickboxing class for the full hour, I decided I'd hop on a treadmill and see what I could do. 25 minutes no problem, and building it up since then has been fairly easy.

Stick with the running if you like, it gets easier the more you do it. Just remember that whatever exercise you settle on, it needs to be fun for you!

xTenaciousJx

i started a training program from sparks people ( a lot like C25K) when i first started i could only "run" about 3 mins but very slow...

4 months later i just ran 10 miles this sunday in 1 hr and 47 mins ( i never used a treadmill, just outside running)

it takes time...and don't over due it! you'll get there.

Livingdeadgirl44

I could only run for 2 mins at 7kph, and it really hurt, felt it in my lungs, my legs. My face was on fire and my heart pounding, I even felt like I was going to throw up. Now I can run for half an hour at 8kph and am trying to get my speed up slowly so I can run 5k in under 40 mins. I don't get as much pain now, instead I feel like I've run out of energy rather than my legs are going to drop off an my heart explode.

Oh, I can now also walk up 4 flights of stairs without dying, that was a surprise NSV the other day

spersephone

I'd definitely recommend doing the C25K programme if you want to be able to run. I couldn't run at all, without struggling to breathe. Once I graduated from the programme, I was capable of 5km, but went on to do a couple of 10km runs. I don't keep the practice up enough, but I know I'm perfectly capable of running 5km in a bit under 30 minutes.

I've got a 10km run coming up this weekend and I'm getting back into practice. I ran 11km in a bit over an hour last weekend to prove to myself I could do it. I just have to find that speed where I feel as though I can just keep plodding along. Ideally, that's about 10km/h for me, but because I was out of practice, I slowed it down to 9.5km/h and managed it just fine.

It's not about speed, more about endurance.

The C25K somehow teaches you how to breathe. It's the best free fitness programme I've ever found. There are heaps of different ones, I used the Robert Ullrey mp3 podcasts.

KatiaClouse

I think I made it to 6 minutes at 5 mph before I had to slow down to a walk. That was in July. Now I run 5K on the treadmill every other workout, and I'm chasing down my goal of doing it in less than 30 minutes (I'm 30 seconds away from my goal!). Give it time. Eventually, your body will accept that you're not trying to kill it, LOL. I was fortunate enough to have my husband cheering me along the whole way ("Wow, you ran for 10 minutes straight! That's awesome!"). Add me, if you want.

LorinaLynn

I started with Couch to 5k when I started running, so I'd run one minute at 5mph, then walk 90 seconds, then run one minute, then walk... Before that, on my own, the furthest I managed was halfway around the park by my house before I needed to stop to catch my breath, or about 0.15 miles. Within a month, I was able to run 1.25 miles, and about three weeks after that, I was able to run 3.25.

maryloo2011

I decided that since I'm going on a cruise in 5 weeks... It was time to REALLY throw the diet/exercise into gear... The first 2 hrs of my day this morning were spend in the gym.

After 1/2 hr bike and 1/2 hr elliptical I decided to take my crack at the treadmill... I only lasted 2 minuted on 5 mph before I turned it back down to a walking speed Where did you start? How long did it take you before you could jog a mile without stopping?

You did an hour of cardio work before hitting the treadmill?? That's a lot... try running first next time, I'm not surprised you zonked out earlier than you thought you would.

When I first started, I think I could do about 10 minutes TOPS at 5.5

BamaBreezeNSaltAire

Only a couple of minutes. Now I can run pushing the jogging stroller for 3.2 miles! Slow your speed, that's a bit fast, add strength, it will increase your endurance, and get fitted with the proper running shoes for your stride, gait, and needs. Remember, your legs are not tired, your mind is giving up. KEEP GOING! Great job!

barefoot76

When I first started years ago, I could jog for maybe 30 seconds. I felt like I weighed ten million pounds. My legs and feet felt like lead weights! But I had a little circle that I ran around the neighborhood, and every day, I just tried to run a little bit more than the day before. It took a whole year before I could jog the entire length. It was about a half a mile. Over the course of the next two years, I added a little more of the neighborhood to my circuit until I was jogging about 2 miles every day.

Now I have completed three half marathons, and I have signed up for a distance challenge this winter to do three half marathons in December, January and February. It only took me 18 years :-)

OfficiallySexyVal

When I first started, It took me 3minutes or so to run 1/4 of a mile and that was pushing it! 6 months later I am running 2 to 2 1/2 miles in about 26 minutes....non-stop! Looking to do a 5k sometime soon!

SyntonicGarden

I could only run for about 20 seconds when I started. I could only walk for about 4-5 minutes. C25k fixed me right up. No I can jog for 28 minutes! :bigsmile:

Agreed. C25K is amazing.

jfrog123

I had to work my way up to starting c25k. Seriously, I could not run 60 seconds when I started. Now I can run over 3 miles without stopping - and that's in just a few months time.

justal313

I can't remember the exact date but it was probably back in March/April that I ran a mile without having to slow down to a walk. It was a giant accomplishment for me. First time at Age 42 I had ran a mile since I had to run laps around the ball park for failing to run out a base hit to first in Little League.

In July I ran a 10K but I had to slow down to a walk maybe 4 or 5 times during the race to get my heart rate down to something acceptable.

I have run a 2 competition 5Ks since then, one in August and one in September which was the day after I did the warrior dash.

I can do 6 mile runs now and generally but not always I can do them without having to slow down to walking speed. I have a 5K this month, a 10k and a 5k in november (the 5K is on thanksgiving so I can have pie) and it's my intention to have a monthly race and next november run a 1/2 marathon.

This is all comig slowly. My best 5K time is just under 30 minutes and my best 10K time is just in 1:06:00 but that is not during a race, my best race 10K was just under an hour twenty but I didn't run it the whole way though so I'll improve my race time by just showing up and not walking I'd like to improve on the 1:06:00 I hit on the rails-to-trails recently.

My running times and endurance have been slowly improving. I think the mentality of my fitness may be changing. I was supposed to lift/machines on Saturday and I chose to run instead. I ran last night to try out my first pair of proper running shoes (they rock) and I'm trying to convince myself not to run but lift tonight. I'll probably bargin with my inner voice and run a mile to warm up before I lift and maybe another mile to cool down when I'm done.

ahviendha

I was at a minute of solid running when I started. And that was HARD. Huffing and puffing and wanting to kill someone hard.

Now I can run 3 miles, around 35 minutes without stopping. (8 months later)

lovekohl

I could probably make it about 2-3 minutes before I had to stop. It just takes time. Keep doing intervals of like 2 mins jogging and 3 mins walking for awhile and then gradually up the jogging time and decrease the walking time every so often. It'll get better!

rmhand

30 seconds. Now I struggle for 10 solid minutes but I've done 20.