Are some people just physically not cut out for running?

We are not all cut out for running, but we can all do the C25K at our own pace.

I was an old "couch potato" and completed the C25K last year in 10 weeks and found week 3 to be the toughest "barrier" week, requiring a repeat before moving to week 4. I am now repeating the C25K after a spell in hospital.

My advice is as follows:

Good running shoes are essential, but do not need to be very expensive (£30-£40, not £80)
Comfortable lightweight clothes that allow the body to "breathe" as you run
It is not a race, jog as slowly as you wish, completion of each exercise is the goal
Aim for a constant running pace (mine was/is 80 "left foot" paces per minute)
Try to run on the same days (Mon/Wed/Fri or Tue/Thu/Sat or Sun for example)
Always have a rest day as the body/muscles need to recover
If you are eating anything before running, allow an hour before you run
Good "exercise music" does help
I would count the paces as I ran when my left foot hit the ground (up to 120 and 240 for the 90 second and 3 minute runs respectively in Week 3)
I found sticking to the same route was best for me, sometimes a different route helps
Run at roughly the same time each day (not critical, but helps keep discipline)
I use Runkeeper to track my runs and (this time around) Gympact as a financial incentive penalty (it reads the Runkeeper data)


Everyone is different, what works for me may not work for you, but i hope the above is helpful

bumping for More Information. People keep telling me that I "Need" to Run but I just have ZERO interest in any Running. I would LOVE to Walk a 15 Minute Mile outside (currently I am doing about 17-18 min miles outside & 15 Minute Miles consistently on the Treadmill).
:ohwell: Not sure if I am just weird or what.

You don't NEED to run. I haven't run since I was probably 8. Due to a medical condition, I am physically unable to. If my heart rate accelerates too much, I suffer from serious dizzy spells (makes working out a challenge). I can't even jog. I walk, use the stationary bike, do weight training, do some light dancing, etc. And, honestly, I think I'm in pretty good shape.

With that said, I know people who run marathons, but hate running. They do it for their well-being. I guess I don't really know where I'm going with this...

I have never been able to run in my life until the last couple months. It takes just the right recipe of motivating music (mine has to be fast paced power music i enjoy or i just can't get into it), the right speed - even .5 over my speed and I die, and walk / run cycles until i build endurance. started with running one minute walking two and so on. even if you only run 30 seconds at first, just run 10 more seconds once that becomes easy. take it at your own pace even if it seems really really slow.

Everyone can run (with obvious exceptions).

Some people will never be able to run a marathon.
Some people will never run a sub-6:00 mile.
Some people may not even be able to break 30:00 for a 5K.

It's about YOU. Just run the best that YOU can. Because you CAN.

a lot of running is mental

You don't have to run, you know. You can get very fit and reach your goals without ever running. If you are committed to running better, check out the Run Your Butt Off book by the editors of Runner's World. The progression from walking to running is even slower than C25K and I really liked it when I started running.

I agree with the PP who said go slower on your runs. In the RYBO book, they state your running speed should start out no faster than your walking speed. Imagine that! It sounds crazy but it worked.

If you're out of breath, I would guess you need to run slower. I know the C25K website says that the biggest mistake most beginning runners make is trying to go too fast. They recommend that if it is possible to run slower, than you should. I've been using a treadmill, which helps control my pace.

And there is no shame in repeating week 3 as many times as you need to. You're doing this for you, right? Then you should do it whatever way works for you.

On the same line of thought, if you hate it, then there is no shame in switching out for a fitness routine that you enjoy. Exercise should be work, hard work even, but it shouldn't be torture.

If anyone isn't built to be a runner, it's me. I have bad scoliosis, my femurs attach to my hips toward the front of my legs instead of on the side, my rib cage is inverted making breathing difficult. But I saw paralympians running who had much greater challenges than me. I thought, if people can run with one lung, I can train myself to breath with my diaphragm. I can get shoes to correct my legs. And you know what? I run just about every day now! I took forever for my body to adapt, but it was so worth it!

I'm in week 4 of a couch to 5K, and will probably be repeating this week at least once. I've never run a day in my life before this, so the first weeks have been very hard. BUT...when I can get in the mental zone where it's only the music and the beat of my feet on the road (instead of having to focus on inhaling and exhaling so I don't die)...THAT is why I'm doing this. The best bits of advice I've been given so far from friends who run are "easing into running doesn't mean easy, so don't give up just cuz it hurts" and "SLOW DOWN, it's not a race. You can build speed later, now is the time to build endurance". Best of luck to you.

It's not so much my lungs...I know I don't have asthma. It's more like my body just feels weak, like I have NO energy. Like I couldn't take another step even if someone were coming at me with a chainsaw. haha

I think as long as it's not your joints hurting or any other sharp pains, then you can do it. If you can do other high intensity cardio workouts then there is no reason why running should make you more out of breath. My suggestion? Wear a HRM and make sure you're not pushing yourself too hard.