I CAN'T jog for two minutes straight!

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  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
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    You're almost certainly going too fast. Here's a link to my beginner's running tips:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/BerryH/view/20-things-i-wish-i-d-known-about-running-when-i-started-103936

    Particularly bear in mind point one:
    When you start out, it’s HARD! Even if you think you’re fit, running is so different to anything else you’ve done before you will get out of breath quickly. Stick with it. Can’t manage a minute? Go slow. Still can’t? GO SLOWER!

    Forget the mythical 10-minute-miles - it's not for everyone. I've been running 15 years and can barely keep up that kind of speed for more than a couple of minutes! Running is personal, as soon as you change your gait from a walk to a trot and both feet leave the ground, you're running, even if it' barely faster than a walk.

    As others have said, try C25K but adapt it as you need. You might want to start with just 30 seconds and have longer walking breaks until you get your breath back, for instance. Or you might need to repeat a week or two until you've got it in the bag.

    Also get outside as soon as you can. Being able to select the pace you need at that particular moment rather than having it dictated by the treadmill setting will make a world of difference.

    Do wherever it takes, and you WILL be a runner, I promise!

    Feel free to add me if you'd like running support :flowerforyou:
  • kjerstenkipp
    kjerstenkipp Posts: 139 Member
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    Slow down...seriously to go from nothing to 10 minute miles...that's asking a lot...try 5mph (12 min miles).
    And while I didn't use it, I have heard that C25K is excellent.
  • vegamy
    vegamy Posts: 204 Member
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    I REALLY need help with jogging. I even find it hard to jog for two minutes (6mph).
    Please help me be able to jog/run for WAYYYY longer

    Couch to 5k :-). And jog slower at first, I had to work up to 6mph (after like 9 months of running lol).
  • Moriarty_697
    Moriarty_697 Posts: 226 Member
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    Pretty much what everyone else says. Start slower. Run for shorter periods if you need it, like 1 min. run / 4-5 min. walk. The trick is to not slow your walking pace. It doesn't make any sense to go all out for a minute or two if you have to follow it up with a really slow walk. I never did C25K. What I did do, though, was spend a lot of time walking before I even started to run. Then I eased into the running, making sure I didn't slow my walking pace.

    Good luck and have fun. I never thought I would ever enjoy running. And for the most part I don't. It sucks and it's hard and it hurts. But there are those fleeting moments - when it's sunny out and the air is crisp, and even my clumsy, clomping feet feel like they're flying - where I truly feel great. It doesn't last long, but it's a feeling that's well worth chasing.
  • myjourney2
    myjourney2 Posts: 424 Member
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    At this point I can barely run 90 sec but I am determined to push through the c25k no mater how many weeks or days I have to repeat!

    You are not alone in this!
  • rorytate
    rorytate Posts: 21 Member
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    I've found a couple - which is the best one to use?
    C25K Couch to 5K by RunDouble
    C25K - by Guy Hoffman
    C25K™ - 5K Trainer FREE
    Simple C25K
    Couch-to-5K

    Bump

    Anyone? :) Which has been used? These are the apps available on Play for Android
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
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    Anyone? :) Which has been used? These are the apps available on Play for Android
    I didn't use C25K as such, but my very similar plan was entirely manual so I could use it wherever I was, so long as I had a watch! Here it is in basic minutes:
    http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml
  • Deedle20
    Deedle20 Posts: 8
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    What about for people with severe asthma?

    I'm a beginner runner. I am terrible at running, but I can't help to think it's due to my asthma. I eat well, drink a lot of water, take multivitamin and I am pretty active other than when I am a the gym (waitress). Along with my inhaler I use symbicort every morning and night to help prevent using my rescue inhaler, which I still need to use every day (especially when exercising).

    I started the C25K program 2 weeks ago and I am starting Week 3 Day 1 today. I'm doing it but I am really struggling. I walk at 3.5 and jog at 5.7.

    Will my asthma forever prevent me from being able to run straight for a long time? Am I doomed?!
  • vjohn04
    vjohn04 Posts: 2,276 Member
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    Jog slower first. Try it at 4.5.

    ^^ this....

    I had to work my way up with time and speed. there is NO way I could have ever just started out at 6 mph....
  • threeonethree
    threeonethree Posts: 182 Member
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    Might have to try that C25K... i'm a bigger guy and I can only jog for 3-4 mins at 4mph right now.
  • biddy249
    biddy249 Posts: 76 Member
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    The shoes you displayed look like cross training shoes. They will work but are somewhat heavy. I would get a good pair of running shoes and only use them when you run or walk. A good sporting goods store can lead you in the right direction. Start slow and work your way up to jogging, it's a process you must learn and your body will need to adapt. C25K is used by many with great success. Good luck.
  • PatriceMG
    PatriceMG Posts: 232 Member
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    I use the Couch 25k by RunDouble. It is great. When I started I could not even run a minute. Now I can go 3 miles! I had to repeat some weeks but it pushes you more each week. It took me from a non-runner to 3 miles! You just plug in your own music and it tells you when to change your pace. You can set it up for distance or time. Love it! Just do it!
  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
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    I didn't read all of the responses so I'm sorry if this is a repeat...

    For one thing, you need to slow down. Jog as slow as you can! You can add speed later.

    Try C25K, (couch to 5k). Zen labs has a free app and you can use it and listen to music too. I used the treadmill version that is based on time, not distance. If you can't jog 2 minutes straight, jog 1 minute, then walk. Repeat! If you can't do one of the days, repeat the last one. Also, when I finished the treadmill program, I was jogging so slow that I wasn't running 5k. However, the next time I ran, I was able to do it easily.

    I'm 51 years old, a grandma to 3, (4 tomorrow!), and I have high blood pressure, a kidney tumor, stones, blah blah blah and I finished the program and now I'm doing the 5K to 10K bridge. If this old lady can do it, you can. Just slow down and don't try to do too much at once. Your body will get used to it! I promise!

    Good luck, you can do this!
  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
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    Might have to try that C25K... i'm a bigger guy and I can only jog for 3-4 mins at 4mph right now.
    Do it! If you can already jog 3-4 minutes, you'll do fine! I'm 51 and finished it, now I'm working on 5k to 10k. :)
  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
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    I've found a couple - which is the best one to use?
    C25K Couch to 5K by RunDouble
    C25K - by Guy Hoffman
    C25K™ - 5K Trainer FREE
    Simple C25K
    Couch-to-5K
    I used C25K Trainer FREE, if it's the one by Zen labs. I love it and I'm doing their 5k to 10k bridge now.
  • brandie_lou
    brandie_lou Posts: 46
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    I'm not a runner, or a jogger. Never have been and probably never will be. But I can say that before you can even think about jogging, you need to exercise and do some cardio to get your body ready. Jogging and running are exhausting and physically demanding. If you haven't been exercising there is no problem with walking. It's better than no exercise at all. It's the same way, you go from not being able to do 1/2 mile to going over a mile, then longer. Then you can go for better times.

    I would highly suggest an elliptical before just out right jogging/running. It is much easier to track heart rate, calories burned, and how fast you're going. Not to mention it is A LOT less impact on your joints (which I'm partial to that kind of thing because I've had my entire ankle rebuilt from cadaver organ bones/tissues so I'm still learning to walk again after over two years). It's just a thought, because you get more benefits than walking. It's most definitely a workout!!
  • lovechicagobears
    lovechicagobears Posts: 289 Member
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    What about for people with severe asthma?

    My doctor suggested taking a puff off my inhaler and then a second puff a few minutes later (which gives my lungs a chance to open up after the first puff). Doing that right before exercising really does help. I rarely have to use my inhaler mid-workout now.

    OP: Everyone is right. Start slowly. I always had to walk a good portion of the mile when we did it in gym class. I could barely jog a 1/4-mile at a time. It always took me 14 minutes to finish. We did this every Friday, and I hated it.

    One day, though, I felt okay. I was tired, but I kept pushing, and as I reached a half-mile, I thought, "I can do this!" I ended up running the entire thing. It took 12 minutes, but I RAN the ENTIRE THING. I was so proud of myself.
  • seansquared
    seansquared Posts: 328 Member
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    There's a treadmill version that I am thinking of doing, just because I will be too embarrassed doing it outside and once I've completed it I will start jogging/running outside. Will this work?

    The first hurdle is to stop being embarrassed. You're out there running, it's not a fashion show, it's not a fat camp, it's you and the road and that's it.

    Second hurdle? Jog for a minute if you can't jog for two. Then jog for 1:10 mins. Then for 1:20. And just keep going up.
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
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    Might have to try that C25K... i'm a bigger guy and I can only jog for 3-4 mins at 4mph right now.
    Even people running marathons were at point when they first started out. Fortunately it gets a lot better pretty quickly once you commit to it.

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