Wanting to start running

basically... just get out and start. The "Couch to 5K" is the best beginning plan for those that don't have a running base. I didn't follow it to a T but used it more as a guide.

Be patient with yourself and keep going. It won't be awesome every day but keep it up. It may hurt or be uncomfortable but it gets easier and you get more excited.

Also, if you feel like you need water... take it or what I did was chew gum. Helped a bunch with feeling thirsty.

I think most people would probably say Couch to 5k, but I have never tried it, so I'll leave that description to others.

I ran track in high school, but in college the only laps I did were back and forth to the keg. I started up again by jogging for 10 minutes on the treadmill as a warm up and cool down from weight training. It wasn't super structured. A friend and I decided to do a 10k together, so I worked my mileage up to that. We ran the race, and saw people from the associated half marathon getting medals. Well, damn it, we wanted medals! We signed up for a half marathon, and just upped our long run distance by one mile each week. Sometime in the course of training, we got drunk and registered for the Chicago Marathon. This was back in 2005, and since then I've actually lost count of the number of marathons I've run. I would say that I went from completely sedentary to a 4:22 marathon in something like 9 months, but again I didn't know what I was doing and over trained (I knew how to train for sprinting, not endurance). I was running 4-5 times a week, with each run being at least 10 miles. It was a recipe for injury in the beginning. I could probably do it now, 7 years of distance running later, but it was a bad idea back then. Now I run 3-4 times a week: One long run, one recovery, one set of hill repeats or a hard trail run, and a speed/tempo run session (speed would be intervals...such as 3x 1 mile @ 5k race pace, with a half mile jog in between each mile; temp run would be something along the lines of 5 miles @ my 10k race pace). This has really worked for me, but when starting out, work on endurance first, and speed will follow as your cardio improves.

Don't increase your mileage by more than 10% each week. Don't expect to love every run. Some days will be frustrating. Try to run outside. Treadmills suck, but are sometimes the only option. If you are on a treadmill, run at a 1.0 incline at least.

Most of all, go to a running store and get fitted for shoes. Spend some money on them, they will be your best friends. Good luck!

Hi There,

I joined the running room back at the end of September and couldn't run a block without puffing and panting like I was dying and now I'm running 3-5 kms 3 times a week.

This is the best program ever!!

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/weight-loss-program-walk-run

You sound exactly like me almost exactly one year ago.

I had never been a runner, never even had the desire. I could walk all day long, and walk fast, but running was different, and I didn't like it. Then one day something clicked in my head - don't know if it was the challenge, or the desire to have a workout I could do almost anywhere, or because I had friends running 5k races and they looked fun - whatever it was, I suddenly had the desire to give running a try.

I used the c25k program and loved it. I downloaded a free app, c25kFREE by Zen Labs, and it worked perfectly. I followed the program exactly, running 3 days a week, meeting the goals for each day's session of walking & running. I was slow, but I completed the time - and by the end of nine weeks, I was running without stopping for 30 minutes straight. :bigsmile:

And I'm still running. Just hit my longest distance of 7 miles last week. I have no desire (not yet anyway) to run a marathon, or even a half just yet. I ran four 5k races last year and had a great time, and would like to run a 10k or two this year. I still run three days a week, anywhere from 3-5 miles or longer most days. I try to mix things up with a shorter 2-3 mile run with intervals to work on speed, a decent paced 4-5 mile run, and/or a longer run to push a little farther than my longest run, depending on how I feel.

I highly recommend the c25k program - I had no injuries or problems with it at all. I started with a new pair of shoes (great idea to get fitted at a good running store if you can) that I was comfortable with (Asics have always fit me well), planned my weeks according to the weather, and off I went. Also fun to find a 5k race in your area that's happening a few weeks after you will have completed the program - it's a great motivator to stick with the training, and a fun reward for your hard work!

Alongside trying a program like C25k, it's important that you make it something you look forward to doing, especially at the beginning.
I started running a few months ago using the app Zombies, Run! which really got me excited for runs because I heard a story, played a game, and got some great exercise! Now I just enjoy running (even though I still run with the app!) So do whatever will make it more enjoyable for you. Be it trying a game like that one, or finding interesting places to run, or running with friends. If you look forward to it, you're more likely to get up and go. Quickly you'll find yourself enjoying the run itself, and look forward to just getting up and moving.

If it's something you enjoy, you're more likely to keep doing it and not give up.

The best way to start doing something is just to put one foot in front of the other and start it. start with what you can realistically do. If that's a 10 minute walk around the block, then that's your starting point. and just expect yourself to do it better and quicker each week.

I started by walking around my apartment complex.. then upped it to intervals. (walk 1 minute jog 1 minute.. I had a plan to get me to running for a full 30 minutes using intervals in 4 weeks.. i can't find it but I just found it online).. I got sick and got hurt or I'd be running by now, but after i thought about it I realized.. I don't really like running. but I was up to 4 laps around the complex before all that.

If it's right for you, you'll do it and you'll love it! I feel like crap when I don't exercise now. I love to exercise!

I'm doing the C25K. I've done 5K's before and it works. My goal is a 5K in February. I started with the goal this year to run 1 mile without stopping. I gave myself 3 months to complete that goal and I made that goal about a week ago by slowly and steadily working up to it. That's the good news.
Here's the bad news and where I become a cautionary tale.
I did the bad rookie thing and said "These are <insert brand name shoe> and I don't wear them often for running because I walk a lot and they're about 8 months old but they'll work because I don't wear them that much so I don't need new shoes." Yeah, that was an epic fail. I'm now sitting at home tending to my shin splints and shoulda-coulda-woulda.
Get fitted for good shoes at a store that specializes in running shoes. Ask them why they suggest one shoe over another. Try them on and, if they have a track or a treadmill, get on it and get a feel for the shoe. Ask what they think about different running programs. How did they start? What 5K's are coming up? You're only racing against yourself, so why not make the goal to do a 5K in May or March?
As some other people have suggested in other posts, cross train with weights or other aerobic activities so that your body is strong all over.
Enjoy that runner's high. You'll know it when you feel it. It's goooood stuff!
Take it slow and steady. You don't have to do a 5K on day one. Just work up to it. And smile when you're done with every workout because you just finished another day of awesomeness!

Until recently i didn't do any running, I've now been using the C25K app and although I'm only half way through I'm really enjoying it, and so is my friend that I have started doing this with. I have never been able to run well, not even in school. I couldn't get my breathing right etc but have been doing much better by building it up slowly. Its definitely starting to feel achievable! Good luck.

What i do is start off walking for like 3 minutes and then joj for 3 minutes and do that for about 15 minutes everyday and running will get easier

Have just started and love it,weight is falling off.

SO HARD to leave the house - once you can get out of the house it is plain sailing. Try interval running as it works your heart in a more healthy way and puts less strain on your joints.

I smoked for over 20 yrs, quit then started walking/running 3 years ago, a little bit at a time. There will be good d ya's and bad days.... Just be your own guide, beat your own times, nobody else's....at the start just every other day, or 3 times a week, iAds more running than walking,,,, in a month you will be amazed at how long you are running for..... I ran 6 races last year and and set for 7 this year, 2 of them half's and a warrior dash!!! You can do it!!!

1. Buy good shoes.
2. Start slow.
3. Mix in some strength training.
4. Do intervals.


Go to a good running store & get some help buying the right shoes. It might turn out that the shoes you have are fine but, if not, you'll save yourself a lot of pain.

Don't worry about how fast you're going. What worked for me was finding the speed that I couldn't maintain a fast-paced walk... at that point, it felt more natural to jog (although it took a while before it felt natural to jog for any length of time).

If you're not already lifting some weights, I really think it's a help. Building the muscles that support the joints makes a big difference. Some pretty basic resistance dumbbell exercises work wonders.

Go with intervals... C25k seems to be pretty popular, and how I started out, although I switched over to my own intervals pretty quickly. C25k just wasn't working for me, although I'm still not sure why.

In the end, I didn't have an exact routine, but I basically did something like 5m walking, 2m jogging for starters. Then every week I'd jog a bit more until I was doing 5m of each, then I'd go longer, starting 10m walking, 5m jogging and week to week reduced the walking minutes while increasing the jogging minutes. Pretty much just pushed myself to jog a bit more, but I always kept 2-3 minutes of walking mixed in between the jogging intervals.

I ran my first 5k on a treadmill about 10 weeks after I switched from C25k to my own interval mix, and I've done a few treadmill & road 5ks since. Even now, I really only go for 30-60 minute runs, and I'm still slow as molasses -- but it's quite a stretch from where I was a few months ago. ;-)

pretty much this. before last year, the furthest i had ever ran was 5 miles. i'd always considered myself a runner, but now i'm a serious runner. the only other bit of advice that i can give is have fun with it and take your time.