Running: how much improvement in 6 - 7 years?

misssmarita

I'm 278 lbs, 5"3, and I've just started a MFP. As of now, I can't even walk much without being out of breath. I am REALLY out of shape. But everyone has to start somewhere, and I am determined to work my way up. I want to focus mainly on the 5k distance, but it'd be nice to get a decent time on a mile too. The thing is, I'm (possibly, fingers crossed!) moving to Australia this summer and starting a bachelor of psychology there. Hopefully, I'll also qualify for a master's, so I'm expecting to live there for at least six years, and possibly settling down there.

Right now I've got a lot of time on my hands, but I'm not working out 19 hours a week because I wanna work my way up and not go balls to the wall right away and risk fatigue or injury. When I move to Australia I'll probably have about an hour a day, six days a week to work out, and about twice that during time off school (mid November - mid February and most of July).

My question... Starting from how heavy and out of shape I am now, where finishing a 5k would probably take me somwhere between 75 and 90 minutes, and running/walking a mile would take me about half an hour, how much improvement do you think I would be able to make in six - seven years? And how would I go about making those improvements?

melaniecheeks

That's a really difficult question to answer, and honestly, far too long a time scale.

Start with working on your mile and 5k times. Set a reduced target (under an hour for the 5k, say) to be achieved this year.

How? Just get out there. Walk/ run. Don't do it every day. Record your progress (faster, longer)

Coolhand1969

couch to 5k program... If you can't do a day or week repeat it until you can...

As weight comes off and as you stick with both programs (MFP and C25K), you'll be amazed at how quickly you'll improve. I was a bit heavier than you when I started couch to 5k last spring (although taller, but also older I imagine), couldn't run for more than 10 seconds at a time, and by fall I'd run a timed 5k race in under 28 minutes... So with a bit of dedication to weight loss and fitness you'll progress at an amazingly rapid pace without going "balls to the wall."