Fat guy and running

ecw3780

Just because you want to do a 5K does not mean you need to run it. Running on pavement is a lot harder on your joints than an elliptical machine. It would be better to walk the 5K and finish it than run part of it and have to give up. Yes, people may run past you, but it is better that they run past you while you are walking down the street than standing on the side of it. I have been the last one to finish a race before- but I still finished. Just find a comfortable pace and stick with it. If you are serious about running, I would start doing shorter runs on pavement to get an idea of how things will go...but there is no shame in walking. Some people just aren't runners. If you can do an 18 minute mile, you can walk a 5k before they pack up the finish line.

HermioneDanger118

How are yr shoes? Get some good ones. Myhusband is a powerlifter,, so he carries a lot of weight. He gets shoes from New Balance that are running shoes for larger runners or something like that. He loves them. You might look into something like that.

Yes. I started running with a women's 5K group last year and had a bunch of knee pain. I was thinking how it was awful and I wasn't meant to be a runner and one of my coaches told me to get fitted for running shoes. I thought that was far too simplistic a solution but lo and behold, that did it! Almost instantly I had no more knee pain.

danimalkeys

My two cents:
1) Not every person's body is the same. Ignore the people who say "Well I can do it!" because they're not you.
2) When you exercise, there's good pain & there's bad pain. You know the difference. If what you're feeling is bad pain, then ease off of your knees because you're just going to make them worse and then you're screwed.
3) If you can walk without pain, do that. Get a good pair of walking shoes and just go walkies outside. Slowly add in bouts of jogging if you think you can handle it. Does it make the knees hurt? Stop jogging & go back to walking.
4) Water aerobics and other no-impact exercises are a great way to burn calories as well as build strength. They will help you lose girth while making your legs & core stronger.

There's no shame in putting off your marathon goals if pushing too hard means you'll break yourself. Find other ways to get fit, and then try again later when your body is feeling more cooperative.

This is awesome advice. I'm not a runner but this is the approach I'd take to get there- I'm thinking hard about doing the couch to 3k thing and I'd follow this train of thought.

Gusman14

I ran my first 5k at 250 pounds.
Slow down, focus on your form, and - if you can - get off the treadmill.

Want to get off the treadmill but until the 3 feet of snow melts and it gets above freezing, I will be the fair weather treadmill runner.

dguz21

You're absolutely right, the treadmill is not the blame for everyone, just for me. One of the many times I have lost this weight, I trained hard on the treadmill, received injuries, doctors, therapy, etc., etc. The therapist told me once healed to avoid the treadmill which I did and was able to walk, jog up to 4 miles without injury. It is a personal thing. The way I walk, stride, etc., on the treadmill and not knowing how to use it properly is what did the harm. So yes, he may not have the heavy foot down walk I do. Thanks for pointing out to me not to answer what I don't medically know to be true, although it was true for me.

dguz21

Get off the treadmill. I got spurs, and numerous other ailments on my knees, ankles and feet from using a treadmill.

You can't blame the treadmill.

I didn't know to "quote" the entry, but please see my reply above.

Gusman14

Thanks for all the advice. For now, I will look into new shoes for big guys and also a pool workout. Outdoors workouts are limited due to weather. I will continue to use the elliptical trainer as I have been having decent success on this. I will continue my walks that I have been doing also. I will just continue down the path towards a healthier me and keep working to achieve my goals. My knees are fine when I ski. They just don't like the pounding of the running yet. I appreciate all of the advice and look forward to continuing my fitness journey.

KANGOOJUMPS

GOOD FOR YOU! YOU CAN DO THIS!

nataliescalories

Hi there! I started out here a month ago at 340 (220 now!) and that day I signed up for SEVEN 5ks over the course of three months. I haven't had knee injuries previously, but I had severed my achilles tendon several years ago, so I did have my concerns. I think a lot of it comes down to general knee health; clearly, if you are in pain give yourself time to recover and don't try to push past it.

I couldn't jump right into running and I did not like the couch to 5k program. Instead, I bought a bluetooth heart rate monitor and used Runkeeper. The thing I liked about RunKeeper was that I could set a target pace, or use one of their training plans, or create my own training plan.

The first week I was just walking at 22 minutes a mile, by the second week I was down a little more, and by the third I finished my first 5k at 1:04 (Pace 20.40 per mile). One week later, I finished my second 5k at 1:01:02 (Pace 19.43 per mile). I have my third 5k this weekend and I'm shooting for 19:20 or lower. My first training plans were 8 minutes with a 20 second sprint and that killed me--I only included four over the entire course of the first 5k. Now I'm able to do 5 minutes walking fast with 20 second sprints throughout the entire 5k.

You just have to take it a little slow and listen to your body. You can achieve the goal of finishing a 5k and give yourself a number to beat the next time.

And as others have mentioned, the right shoes are key. I had tried long walks and exercise off and on for years with lots of discomfort (achilles pain, blisters, etc). I had gone through Brooks, NB, Nike's, and way too expensive custom orthopedic shoes. Finally, I gave in to the suggestions of some friends and bought some some Vibrams KMD LS (barefoot shoes). I think they are ugly as hell, but I've never had paid again and they helped me correct some problems in my form. I even recently threw on my best traditional running shoes and after 15 minutes I had to stop because the achilles pain was so bad. I threw back on the vibrams and--no pain. They are just the right shoe for me. You have to find that; test out tons of options. You can do this!

Maybe check out these two blogs. These women were both quite big when they started walking/running (one was in the 340s like me) and they became marathon/10k/everything runners. www.runsforcookies.com and www.asmallloss.com.

nataliescalories

Hi there! I started out here a month ago at 340 (220 now!) and that day I signed up for SEVEN 5ks over the course of three months. I haven't had knee injuries previously, but I had severed my achilles tendon several years ago, so I did have my concerns. I think a lot of it comes down to general knee health; clearly, if you are in pain give yourself time to recover and don't try to push past it.

I couldn't jump right into running and I did not like the couch to 5k program. Instead, I bought a bluetooth heart rate monitor and used Runkeeper. The thing I liked about RunKeeper was that I could set a target pace, or use one of their training plans, or create my own training plan.

The first week I was just walking at 22 minutes a mile, by the second week I was down a little more, and by the third I finished my first 5k at 1:04 (Pace 20.40 per mile). One week later, I finished my second 5k at 1:01:02 (Pace 19.43 per mile). I have my third 5k this weekend and I'm shooting for 19:20 or lower. My first training plans were 8 minutes with a 20 second sprint and that killed me--I only included four over the entire course of the first 5k. Now I'm able to do 5 minutes walking fast with 20 second sprints throughout the entire 5k.

You just have to take it a little slow and listen to your body. You can achieve the goal of finishing a 5k and give yourself a number to beat the next time.

And as others have mentioned, the right shoes are key. I had tried long walks and exercise off and on for years with lots of discomfort (achilles pain, blisters, etc). I had gone through Brooks, NB, Nike's, and way too expensive custom orthopedic shoes. Finally, I gave in to the suggestions of some friends and bought some some Vibrams KMD LS (barefoot shoes). I think they are ugly as hell, but I've never had paid again and they helped me correct some problems in my form. I even recently threw on my best traditional running shoes and after 15 minutes I had to stop because the achilles pain was so bad. I threw back on the vibrams and--no pain. They are just the right shoe for me. You have to find that; test out tons of options. You can do this!

Maybe check out these two blogs. These women were both quite big when they started walking/running (one was in the 340s like me) and they became marathon/10k/everything runners. www.runsforcookies.com and www.asmallloss.com.

220 lol. That should read 320!

Gusman14

I figured that out when I saw your statistic unicorn...

RGv2

Thanks for all the advice. For now, I will look into new shoes for big guys and also a pool workout. Outdoors workouts are limited due to weather. I will continue to use the elliptical trainer as I have been having decent success on this. I will continue my walks that I have been doing also. I will just continue down the path towards a healthier me and keep working to achieve my goals. My knees are fine when I ski. They just don't like the pounding of the running yet. I appreciate all of the advice and look forward to continuing my fitness journey.

Don't let everyone that tells you to "get outside" scare you. I ran 5K - 1/2 marathon competitively, and the bulk of my training was on the treadmill. It's personal preference. I found running outside too easy, and on the treadmill I could time my intervals with more accuracy. I, personally, found I ran faster outside than inside...

ccorrales63

Nike Free Runs is one of my best investments for Running shoes!!!

TastesLikeChicken

Running hurts period. Get good shoes, go to a running center for help. They will be able to determine how you pronate. You don't want to skimp here. Start out very gradually. Do less than you think you can even mixing a little running with your walks. Over time you'll be able to run longer and walk less. If you can find a rubberized track that will help also. Stretching is also extremely important and you may need to do exercises to strengthen the muscles around the knee. Any time I start adding on miles without doing that my knees will start bothering me. A couple days of leg extensions hi reps and light wt always does the trick.