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

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jr1985
jr1985 Posts: 1,033 Member
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?
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Replies

  • tryinghard71
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    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
    alvalaurie Posts: 369 Member
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    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
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    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
    bcf7683 Posts: 1,653 Member
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    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 :smile:
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    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
    baoneill29 Posts: 138 Member
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    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
    ekz13 Posts: 725 Member
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    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
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    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
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    also, I started on the tread mill at 3.5, hard core walk, on varriable height.
  • BeccaAnderton
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    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
    PurpleTina Posts: 390 Member
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    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
    TheBrolympus Posts: 586 Member
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    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
    Beethoven1827 Posts: 102 Member
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    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... :smile:
  • simplythefreakingbest
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    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
    crystalflame Posts: 1,049 Member
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    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
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    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
    Livingdeadgirl44 Posts: 264 Member
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    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 :D
  • spersephone
    spersephone Posts: 147 Member
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    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
    KatiaClouse Posts: 27 Member
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    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
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    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.