Runners who used to be seriously unfit - how did you do it?

Start small (walking uphill, elliptical machine, etc) and build up your leg muscles' stamina and your heart and breathing. Try a combo of walk/run, and build up gradually to being able to run for 20 minutes straight. You'll be at 30 before you know it.

Also, what helped me was always running on FLAT surfaces... I didn't need any incline knocking me for a loop while in my stride and just barely hanging on to my breath support.

And, for me, the hardest part was figuring out the breathing. Once I got that settled down (for me, frequent VERY shallow breaths was the trick) it was much easier.

You can totally do it, I'm proof! What helped me was being realistic with myself and not trying to push too fast to be a superrunner. I told myself to just wait until I was really ready to get into it, and then that helped me deal with the anxiety of doing something totally new and totally hard. Also, the breathing.... that was the key.

When I started I always ran 10 min and walked 1 min. This helped to stretch out my legs in between. As well, when I run on the treadmill I put the incline up a bit. It should be between 1.0 and 2.0. This helps to have a little more give on the band and is easier on your joints. It also makes the transition to outside elements easier. I agree that slower is better - your body gets a great workout when it can keep going for longer periods of time, even if it is a little slower than you would like. Drink lots of water to hydrate and rest days are important (although I always have a hard time sticking to them too!) I kept up with the run 10, walk 1 for about 2 1/2 years and have only gone to solid running for the past few months. Before cutting out the 1 min of walking I just slowly increased my speed.

You can do it! All the best as you continue to run

First read this -

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324432004578304250252788528.html

It sounds like your limits are maybe very low, so you need to work on pushing them up. If you are pushing yourself too hard, too soon, you could just build up more and more negative psychological reactions to exercise, which will only harm your progress.

My personal path was to start with simple daily walks. I tried to time my walks so that by the last 2 minutes I was having a hard time keeping up the pace. I didn't push myself harder than that. I kept that up for about a month or so. Gradually I found that the pace and/or distance of each walk would increase slightly. If I was nearing home and could tell I still wasn't nearing my limit, I'd go a little further. It wasn't a 'sexy' workout by any means, but it gave me my foundation.

I then moved on to C25K. I started out walking/running at 4.0/6.2 mph (6.4/10 kph) but by week 3 found that this was too aggressive. I repeated week 3 and dialed it back to 3.5/5.5 mph (5.6/8.8 kph). At these speeds I completed the course. I have now gone back to week 6 at a pace of 3.5/6.2 mph (5.6/10 kph), with a view to work up to a 30 minute 5k time.

Your experience will of course be different. Many people take the runs very slowly, especially if they are short. I've heard of people doing the program at 2.5/4.5 or even 2.0/4.0. The trick is to find a speed which is just 'emptying the tank' for you by the end of the run. Each week you'll find that the tank is a little bigger, and the runs progress a little to empty it.

I hope that helps.

TL;DR : Don't worry about speed. Find the speed you can just about manage and go from there. If you have to slow down to finish a week, do it.


By the way, I used to be 220 lbs, and struggled to run for the school bus if I was late to pick up my daughter. Now I'm 178 lbs, and I can sprint for the bus if I need to. So my method worked, for me at least.

¿Are you resting enough?. Back when I started I began running every day. Big mistake. The only thing that got me was knee pain and a couple of weeks of doctor mandated rest.

Your running speed could be a little too high. As others have said, you should be able to carry a conversation at your training pace.

Finally, I think joining a race is a great motivation. Signing up gives you a goal and a deadline. Plus races can be a lot of fun! If you don’t feel like you can run the whole time, don’t worry. A lot of people do walk/run intervals during races.
Best of luck!

+1 on speed and rest.

I found out the hard way that even if you're physically capable of running faster, you can injure yourself by doing so. I had issues with my hip in the last week of C 2 5K because I was running too fast. I was capable of doing the longer runs but pulled something in my hip that after a few weeks is just finally starting to heal.

Go slower and concentrate on your form and breathing. This will help when you do start running longer and faster.

I don't fall into the category of people you're asking (I'm not a runner yet) but I am a health coach and wanted to put my two cents in (for what it's worth). Put a focus on nutrition and getting your gut and body healthy. I didn't check to see if you had a posted weight but if you weigh more it's going to be putting a lot of stress on your joints and may cause an injury. You want to make sure you're healthy inside first. With a healthy gut and proper nutrition you will have more stamina, more energy, feel better, and will recover faster. Physical movement is important but running is a high impact movement and may not be where you're at yet. You'll get there though! Push yourself past your comfort level but not so much that you're hating life. You got this! If you do it right you have a healthy habit for life!

^^^ Listen to this lady. Along with my running plan (above) I was pursuing healthy eating, and losing weight steadily. I was also pushing weights on my off-days, though I'm not sure exactly what contribution this made to me completing C25K.

Slow down...the most annoying running advice ever but also the most accurate. You should be able to carry on a conversation while running. If you can't you are running too fast. Speed will come.

As you keep at it, it will get easier.

Ditto!

First, I dropped over 60 lbs before I started running. At my heaviest there would have been no way I could have run! So glad I like biking! :-)

As for running, I have been running for almost 18 months. I started from zero and the Sunday before last I ran my first half marathon. Last summer I did my first 5 k followed by my first, second and third 10k.

It takes time! At the beginning pace and distance are very hard to determine and your body and mind are learning what it feels like to run. I only found the C25K program after I had gotten to the 5k non-stop distance. So, I never used it. I currently participate in group running with the Running Room on the weekends. They have a 10:1 system that I like. Run for 10 minutes (at a pace you can handle) then walk for 1 minute (repeat). This seems to build distance quickly for people who are new to running.

What I did at the beginning was to set a distance. Once around my subdivision was my starting distance (+/- 3k). My first run was my bench mark. Took me 45 minuets and I had to stop to catch my breath 5 times. From there I focused on improving. Faster time and less walking breaks. Once I did this loop with no breaks I added some distance that got me to a little over 4.5k and started over. Once I got to 5k with no breaks I seemed to stay there for a long time! Probably 3 months. My first 10k run was the weekend before my first 10k race! Once past this mark I kept adding small increments in distance every couple of weeks until my big run two weeks ago.

Now I am starting to train for a full marathon! Maybe this fall or maybe next year. However long it takes? I will get there!

BTW - With regards to the above quote. If you can get a couple of friends to run with you or join a running group? I highly recommend. As you run and talk with people your body will adjust your breathing and your pace. Running with friends helped me immensely!

Keep at it and have fun!

I started running at about 260 to 265 lbs. Keep your pace slow like others have said, and make sure you get fitted for proper running shoes. The latter was the hardest for me, as I don't like spending money on shoes, but sooooo worth it. Also, don't worry about repeating weeks in C25K. I've been doing it for about 4 or 5 months (I think) and I'm only on Week 5. Just keep at it, and don't get discouraged.

I started running last summer.... I could make it that first 1-2 minutes, then I always had to walk. I talked to my mom about this.... she is a distance runner, a triathlete, an iron woman, and a former cross country coach... I value her opinion. She told me that it is mostly mental, not physical. She said to slow down at first, find a distraction (I love my music) and when you get to the point where you want to walk, dont. Try to mentally push through it. If you are in pain then stop. I took her advice and it worked. I am now running 5+ miles for an hour at a time. Training to run my first 10K in April. I could never do the interval running because once I start walking, I am usually done. I takes probably at least 5 minutes of running for your body to warm up.... once it does you are good.

I also did the C25K but I did it with a friend for motivation, we run very slow and only three days a week, you need rest days. Now I'm running 5km in 30mins three to four times a week and focusing on distance rather than speed.

Good luck