Any runners who were not good runners before?

I used to die trying to run for even 3 minutes. And I used to hate running. I sucked it up and slowly built up to 6 minutes, then a mile, then two... now I run 2-3 miles almost every day and I love it

I am seriously in awe of all the amazing running stories I'm reading here. OP, I really hope it's clear to you how running has affected the CONFIDENCE of everyone who shared their story. I can share mine...

2 1/2 years ago I weighed over 300 lbs & hated myself. I started running when the pain of staying the same outweighed the shame of exercising in front of other people. I started with Couch to 5k as others have & was religiously consistent. I did modify the program to progress a lot slower due to my lack of fitness to begin with, but I did my walk/jog 3x a week Every Single Week. I stretched it out over 8 months instead of 2, which was fantastic because by progressing slowly, my body got used to the increased intensity pretty comfortably. Most of the time, it didn't suck. My confidence skyrocketed as I discovered what my 300 lb body was capable of.

8 months later & nearly 70 lbs lighter, I ran my first 5k straight through, no walking...& I was hooked. I never stopped. I've lost a bit more since then, but I still have at least another 50 lbs to lose. I don't "look" like a runner, & I always finish my races at the back of the pack. Do I care? Hell no. Because I'm awesome. And because being a Runner (as opposed to a runner) takes so much dedication that the average person doesn't do it.

The great thing about running is that dedication is the only requirement! You can be any age, shape, or size & you can still be a Runner. Even at 50 lbs overweight, I trained for & ROCKED OUT a duathlon, 10-mile race, & half-marathon within a month of each other not long ago. I'm not fast & I'm not skinny, but I am a Runner.

Run outside, no dials to look at and you can just concentrate on how you feel. I still do a run walk regime but it gets me outside in fresh air and at the end I feel better. Some runs are good some not so good but that is life. I have a variety of places I can run, mainly flat as I hate hills ( I know they are good for me perhaps one day) I set myself a target run to that tree etc. If you can get outsidfe it is so much more interesting and the tme and distance flies by.

As a teenager I hated running.
Running at school always meant running at a high pace and gasping for air. My toothflesh was aching that much I barely could stand it. I decided that running and me never would be friends.

Than I moved and went to University. My landlord was a passionate runner, he did (and still does!) marathons and always told me that running is great. Ha!

And then, I must have been about 24 or 25, I found myself buying running shoes. And I ran. I got me a book with a similar training like C25k and it worked for me. For the first time in my life I understood that the secret to successful running is slowliness. Start as slow as possible, walk in between and go on.

For a long time I stopped running for several times. I moved, started working and had a new boyfriend who hates sports (and is the thinnest man ever!). In late August this year we've spent our holidays in Sweden and I took my running gear with me. I made an awful job, running to fast and felt like in school. After being home again I've bought a new pulse monitor and grabbed for my running book.

And yeah, I did it! Was out for 38min today, 33min running without a break. And my pulse was never over 135bpm. I feel so great and yes, I love running! It makes me stop thinking and worrying and gives me a much more positive feeling about everything.

I recently started running again. First, I had to do a year of other exercises including cycling, bootcamp, weight training, etc., to get to the point where I could run without wanting to puke after 30 seconds (even when running s...l....o....w...) or having too much discomfort in my ankle/knee/hip joints. Now, with more cardiovascular fitness and more strength, I am running again. Still slow but I'm doing it. Ran in my first 5k race the beginning of this month.

I think C25k is a great program and, obviously, many people have success with it. However, it really didn't work for me. Even though I had a smartphone app to cue me for the changes, it felt too restrictive to me.

I found I do better with a more free-form fartlek style of training. Run to the tree, walk to the driveway, run to the corner, yada yada. I'm now running the whole time (unless I'm doing hills and then I sometimes need to walk on the steepest inclines) but I run as fast as I can to the tree, run slow to the green house, etc. Sometimes I find I can run faster for longer than the target and will keep going for awhile before I slow down. Although my fast is still pretty darn slow, it's nice to be slowly building speed. When I first started, I drove to the flats and ran there but, now, I train exclusively on hills (since I live on one). I'm enjoying that and believe it will help my running. It's fun running down, that's for sure! And a fun challenge to try to sprint while running uphill.

I'm chuckling at some of you saying that your 11, 12, 13 minute mile paces are slow. When I started, Endomondo said I was doing a 19-minute pace per mile. I'm now down to about 16:30 per mile. There are people who can walk faster than I run, LOL. But that's OK, I may not be fast but I'm doing it and that's what counts to me. I usually just run twice a week doing my bootcamp, kickboxing, weight training, and cycling on other days because I would get bored just running. But the two times I do it, I kinda enjoy it but I don't love it and I wouldn't like it if I did it more often. So, no, I don't love it but I love the way it makes me feel and I know that running will help me achieve other fitness goals and activities I want to do

I want people to keep going on this one so I'm bumping it. I love reading everyone's stories! Very inspiring. Also it's reminding me that my slow running is AWESOME. At least I'm doing it. I get runner's envy sometimes when I see people flying by or posting about running in so and so time or pace- but at least I'm doing it and i CAN!

There is absolutely nothing runners like more than to talk about their running (lol!)
I'm like everyone else, and couldn't run for even 5 minutes when I started running 6 months ago. Last Saturday I ran 13 miles in a little more than 2 hours. And, I am 45 years old. I sooo wish I had started running 20 years ago!

I think this is the best post I have seen on here! I am also training to become a runner. I did my first C25K on Tuesday (12/11/12). That very same day I sat down and found app for every stretch of the was, 0-5k, 5k-10k, 10k-half amrathon, and half-full. I need the apps because I need to just do what I got to do without looking at a watch every second lol. But after I mapped it out I realized that using these apps and not pushing my body crazy hard I would be done with the full marathon training app by Demember 9th 2013. So in just one short year I can go from now more than a block of running to a full marathon. Fricking crazy awesome! Just know that we may suck now but everyday we get out there we will suck just a little but less.

You can easily do it on a treadmill. Just be careful, go slowly, and make sure you have GOOD shoes fitted at a running store.

I've always wanted to get into running, but I suck at it. Even being in sports all my life, running a mile I thought I was going to die.

Now even running 1/2 a mile on a treadmil I feel like I'm going to die. lol. They say slowly work yourself up, but does that really happen?

Anyone like me that turned out to be a long distance runner??

Felt like that the summer of 2010 when I decided to try running regularly....took a couple of months to get a routine going and build up, but now I average 25-30 miles a week, running my second Marathon this Sunday, and I'm actually bordering on competitive times for my age group now (OLD GUYS!). Be patient, make sure you are in the right shoes (only a running specialty store can do this for you the right way!), and keep at it!

Every runner starts off barely able to run a mile. You just keep at it. I'll go run 10 miles like it's a stroll in the park now... but I'm still a "bad" runner... nobody cares... it's something you learn to love and do for yourself regardless of performance... or it's just not your sport.

take it slow and easy. there's nothing wrong with intervals (run/walk/jog). you aren't in a race (yet) and it doesn't really matter how you look. find good music to listen to that help you keep a steady pace (regardless of how fast or slow) and for goodness sake it should feel more good-er than bad-er! sore is okay but pain isn't.

I love, love, love this thread! There's just something that fills you with pride when you can say "I'm a runner." I've been a runner since junior high (I'm in my 30s) was a sprinter/mile relay/hurdles so my runs were like 3-4 miles for many years. I always come back to it because there's just something about the commitment & mental fortitude of running and TRAINING. Half Marathons are do-able for me now, never done a full (yet ) but setting a goal and training is so rewarding for me. I've used PodRunner (on i-tunes) for the last few years, it's so helpful for increasing stamina & endurance. My joke is running is like being in a codependent relationship sometimes, you HATE it at times (that first 2-3 miles before you find your stride, the injuries strains/sprains) but you LOVE it so much, the endorphins, the meditative experience. I don't care if I'm the best, or the fastest, I only care about being part of the "I'm a runner" club

Running was and is a real challenge for me. I have changed the way I run and I enjoy it now and look forward to it. But I am not a runner by nature. My 5 km time has decreased from 29 mins to 20 mins...so I have improved a lot, but I won't call myself a good runner. Faster, fitter, stronger as a person, but not great at running...

EVERYONE, and I mean EVERYONE hates it at first. The only people that have always loved it played sports as a kid and never quit, or are liars. And even the sport-as-kids people (myself included) generally have an injury or life circumstance that puts them out of the game for a while, and hates it at first when they get back to it.

There's no reason to sugarcoat the facts- it's hard as *kitten* when you start. You have to push yourself through it, and every fiber of your body will scream "QUIT!", but you WILL get past that with determination. And then you'll feel an unbelievable sense of accomplishment, worth every miserable mile. Even once you get past the hurdle, you'll have occasional bad days....but they end up making the good ones feel THAT much more awesome. Just keep at it, and you will get past the hurdle. I promise, cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye.

I would try C25k. I've never tried it, but I have heard wonderful things from people like yourself. Now lace up and get going! :drinker:

^ I love this! :flowerforyou: