Is a walkathon too soon for me in June?

I'm just starting out. I have a bad back and knees. I'm 249 lbs right now but I want to do a run and fitwalk walkathon on June 5. I know its really soon and I'm out of shape. I do 2 miles at a very slow pace right now in the mall. My back hurts some after but my knees seem to be ok.

My husband thinks its a great idea. My mother tells me that I'm not fit enough. I want to try. If I come in the last person, I can accept that because I did it. I've always wanted to do one.

What do you think?

Replies

  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
    GO FOR IT!
  • lewcompton
    lewcompton Posts: 881 Member
    I'd go for it too!
  • VelociMama
    VelociMama Posts: 3,119 Member
    Having a goal will help push you to continue on days you don't want to do anything. Go for it. Walk it at the fastest pace you can safely manage.
  • Sweet_Gurl_Next_Door
    Sweet_Gurl_Next_Door Posts: 735 Member
    your mom is wrong. I did a 5 k walk and I started out at 250 pounds. I have done two of them.
  • jessykab74
    jessykab74 Posts: 167 Member
    I agree!!!!! Go for it! That is a GREAT goal to keep the motivation going!
  • mjculbertson4512
    mjculbertson4512 Posts: 157 Member
    go for it. One step at a time.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    How long is the walk?

    If you are doing 2 miles regularly, 5k (3.1 miles) won't be too much of a stretch for you. You should keep working on picking up the pace of your two miles. You could even train for a 10k in two months. Anything longer than that and you might be pushing it too far.
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    I coached a 325 pound woman through C25K and she ran about 98% of the 5K race we did together at the end of the program. Listen to your body and not what others tell you your body can do. If you feel good then go for it.
  • kcaffee1
    kcaffee1 Posts: 759 Member
    I agree with the others... Go for it! You say you may walk it slow, but that's just fine. You DID it, which will give you a nice victory to look back on and say "See! I CAN do this or that!" Don't let the naysayers pull you down. And, if the odd chance comes that you can't complete it, well, then you STILL have a victory to claim because you TRIED. (Which is more than most do in the first place!)
  • vedra_b
    vedra_b Posts: 136 Member
    two years ago i did a 5K i was at 222 and no training hadnt even walked across the street much less 3.1 miles. took me 2+ hours but i did it. you can do it also i would incurage you to google how to train for a walk or marathon there are some good ones out there. i think there is one called from couch to 5K. anyway good luck and keep us posted!!! YOU CAN DO THIS NEVER LET ANYONE TELL YOU YOU CANT DO ANYTHING PROVE YOUR MOM WRONG!!!!
  • boatsie77
    boatsie77 Posts: 480 Member
    Piece of cake...er...make that piece of apple--you CAN do this...sign up now and your body and mind will see that it happens.

    Amaze your mom....amaze yourself!
  • kmm7309
    kmm7309 Posts: 802 Member
    I think it's a great goal! You could probably drop 10-15 pounds between now and then, making the strain on your back and knees a little easier. It's a reasonable goal with a reasonable amount of time to reach it.

    I weight 202, my starting weight was 269. I'm participating in a 5k in 22 days! I signed up in February, and at that time I had never ran or jogged. I've been faithful with training and I can jog a mile so far, and I'm hoping to increase even more by April 20th. For me, it started with a goal and a little faith, and now I'm confident that I can do it :)
  • kmm7309
    kmm7309 Posts: 802 Member
    I forgot to add, there are many benefits to training. I increased my calories and I'm still losing weight. My clothes fit awesomely (well, they are too big to fit, which is perfect) and I've lost inches. My stamina is better in everything too. It's worth it, no matter how long it takes you on race day.
  • tamiz2013
    tamiz2013 Posts: 21
    Thank you all so much. The walkthon is 5K. I have decided to go for it. I'm a little nervous but I'm going to trust my instinct an go o it. I'm sitting here crying. I can't begin to tell you what your support has done for me. Thank you so much
  • Coyoteldy
    Coyoteldy Posts: 219 Member
    Do it I have done five half marathons on a knee they want to replace.. start training now slow and work up you can do this!!
  • FrenchMob
    FrenchMob Posts: 1,167 Member
    I did a half marathon in 2:30 at 258 lbs last November with a bum knee. You can do this.
  • dsjohndrow
    dsjohndrow Posts: 1,820 Member
    Just do it.
  • LauritaS767
    LauritaS767 Posts: 71 Member
    Agree with everyone here. Just do it. Goal setting is important in weight loss and in fitness. You will be sooo much stronger both physically and mentally after it. You are stronger than you think, listen to your body!
  • pwittek10
    pwittek10 Posts: 723 Member
    Go For It!
    I did my first 5k walk -run after loosing 75 pounds,
    I was dead last but the fact that I did it keep me going for months!
    My husband and friends cheered me on!
    It was great
  • dsckrc
    dsckrc Posts: 194 Member
    Thank you all so much. The walkthon is 5K. I have decided to go for it. I'm a little nervous but I'm going to trust my instinct an go o it. I'm sitting here crying. I can't begin to tell you what your support has done for me. Thank you so much

    you can do it!!!! wait and see, after this one, you'll be doing them every month :wink:
  • kpstacy
    kpstacy Posts: 41 Member
    DO IT!!! Most important thing is that it isn't about the race.... it is about you accomplishing something FOR YOU!!! You already are realistic that you may come in last, and so what???? You can finish, which is more than what most will say. If we keep saying, oh, I need to be in better shape....it is only an excuse.... Listen to your body, stretch that lower back and legs gently and consistently while you train. I bet you will do it and finish it! Let us know how you do.....
  • chadgard
    chadgard Posts: 102 Member
    Go for it! As a matter of fact, why not try to run it?

    Seriously, couch-to-5K (c25k) is 8 weeks long, and takes you from, well, sitting on the couch to running a 5K. I'm just about to start week 8 (was supposed to do week 8 day 1 today, but, well, trying to run an organic farm as a 2nd job around the weather we've been having means I had to take full advantage of the weather today. But I'll run it tomorrow). I had to look it up, but I weighed 257 when I started, and I started running BECAUSE I have a bad knee (under the advice of an orthopedist). I was 248 last week, but it looks like I'm going to loose way over my goal this week, and probably be about 3.5 pounds down for the week (working so much I literally can't eat enough to keep up with the 4,000+ calories I'd need to eat a day, but this is an oddball week).

    There was only one workout where I couldn't achieve what was asked by the plan so far, and that was actually the day after splitting firewood all day, and I was stiff, sore, and tired before I started. I also took a week off early on in the process because I was ill, so it's taking me an extra week to get through it.

    Anyway, if I can do it, you surely can, too. Ask your doc, of course, as you don't want to make your knees/back worse. But even if you can't get through the whole C25K so that you can run the whole thing, you will be able to run/walk it, or walk faster. and you'll feel great in the process!