Any non runners just get up and run one day?

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  • grum84
    grum84 Posts: 428 Member
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    Couch 2 5K program.

    I hated running with a passion. My girlfriend at the time and I signed up for a 5k to try out. I did the whole C25K program and ran my first 5k last year. Still hate running, but I find by signing up for races it gives me some motivation to actually run when I don't want to, since the girlfriend is gone.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    i'm still not a great runner, but getting better at it.

    i used to ride my bike for all my cardio. but one day it was raining and didn't feel comfortable riding in that weather. but i really wanted to work out. so i decided that i'd just go for a run, and if in five minutes if i didn't like it or feel comfortable, i'd just turn around and walk home.

    thirty minutes later i had run 2 miles. i was very proud of myself, because i hadn't run in years. decided i could work it into my routine.

    btw, i just did those two miles last week, and knocked it out in a little under 19 minutes.
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
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    You probably have the cardiovascular capacity to run, in theory, but you haven't built up the muscular/nervous adaptations yet required to do a long distance haul. Start slow with run/walk intervals, and be sure you do a good warmup with dynamic stretching and a good set of cool down stretches after.
  • JingleMuffin
    JingleMuffin Posts: 543 Member
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    i did. lost a hundred pounds. 4 - 5 years later im running marathons and i love it.
  • lacurandera1
    lacurandera1 Posts: 8,083 Member
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    I hadn't run since I was 15 years old (but then when i did, i ran track and cross country and was pretty well versed at long distance) until i quit smoking 6ish months ago. I quit smoking and needed stress relief. i started running and the first day i went out, i ran a mile. I was also in general good health and fairly fit. Now I run 4 or 5 at a time with no issues.

    There are programs that others probably mentioned to get you running, but if you went out and just did it (with a good preemptive stretch) you probably would be ok. And, if you can't run the whole route, stop. Walk. Run again when you have caught your breath, feel better, etc.
  • taylorckt1
    taylorckt1 Posts: 263 Member
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    I have used the c25k app a couple of years ago but only when running on a treadmil, and I found when I actually ran 5k outside it was a lot harder. When I started running last December i just got Nike + and built different types of runs into a plan. I started off just running intervals, running as long as I could and trying to keep the walking to a minimum. I now do one 'easy paced' 5k a Tempo run and I'm trying to get a longer run in as well.

    The biggest problem I faced was stitch, I would just get it constantly, but once I focused on my breathing and technique it stopped completely!

    Good luck!

    What is stitch?
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
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    Stitch (side stitch) is a sharp pain in your sides from improper breathing (chest vs gut), and to an extent, eating right before you run.
  • Zekela
    Zekela Posts: 634 Member
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    Once upon a time, in a far away land, I was a non runner martial artists. I decided to take up running to build stamina for fighting. I got shin splints and the likes fron increasing distance and speed too quickly. Probably what I should have done then was run shorter distances and not do it everyday. Now, I'm a running beast since I haven't found a martial arts school here to satisfy my thirst for blood... *evil laugh*
  • BflSaberfan
    BflSaberfan Posts: 1,272
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    I live out in the country and am a little afraid of loose dogs, no one has their dog on a leash out by me. I see people running all the time and am assuming they survive but I have to admit this is my biggest fear.
  • stillwatergirl
    stillwatergirl Posts: 44 Member
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    I just committed myself to run a 5k in a few months (for charity) so I NEED to get out and run. I am also a non-runner . . last summer I started training for this 5k - the event day came and I didn't feel ready so I didn't register. This year I decided is the year I am going to do it!

    I am also a non-runner. I have tried the C25K and didn't like it (nor did my teenage daughter), especially when we got towards the middle of the program. It felt like once we got into a groove, then it was time to 'walk' and then it made it harder to start running again. We found it easier to first start out walking 3 miles, increasing our pace each time and then adding light jogging with the fast walking and taking breaks (by walking) when we needed to. This is the approach we are going to take again - as soon as all the ice on the sidewalks has melted! And this year I AM going to run that 5k, even if I have to walk half of it, lol.
  • NeverTooLateForChange
    NeverTooLateForChange Posts: 131 Member
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    I did and I tore up my feet and my ankles. Heel spurs, shin splints, plantar fascitis and more. I ended up limping for almost 3 years. Start SLOW. Trust me. We are not kids anymore. I'm still not where I want to be. Try the C25K and go easy on yourself.
  • ruwise
    ruwise Posts: 265 Member
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    4 and a half years ago my husband had never run in his life. He used to laugh at people out running from the luxury of his car and thought they were mad. Then one day when he was trying to lose weight he decided to try it. He ran around the block and was absolutely knackered but bless him he's a stubborn guy and he kept at it until it got easier then he starting going further and further and further. To cut a long story short since then he had enter 5 10km races, 3 half marathon's and on Saturday we are off to Paris as he is running the marathon. he never thought he'd be a runner but will now admit being slightly addicted to it.
  • Mich4871
    Mich4871 Posts: 143 Member
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    I am not a runner, but decided last year I was going to try. Now I LOVE it. Just start with intervals (as others said, download a C25K app and go from there). Less than a year ago I could barely do a mile at a very slow pace. Now I am consistently doing 4 mile runs at (what runners might still consider a slow pace) an average of 10 minute miles. I did 2 5K's last year, and have 3 this year plus I am training for a 10k.

    My 2014 goal is to run a half marathon.
  • buffcleb
    buffcleb Posts: 150 Member
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    I still don't consider myself a runner... but can not do 3-5 miles holding a 8 minute pace... 1 mile in 7 minutes... I started last September 90 pounds heavier and could not run 100 yards... would run 1 block walk a block... took me two months to get to a mile... I have leveled off on the distance... I ussually run 3 miles at a time now... I get board...

    I still do not look forward to running... but am keeping at it...
  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
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    I live out in the country and am a little afraid of loose dogs, no one has their dog on a leash out by me. I see people running all the time and am assuming they survive but I have to admit this is my biggest fear.

    Get pepper spray for the dog issue, better to have it and not need it and all that.

    As for how I started running, I was incredibly out of shape and overweight so I started with walking because there wasn't much else I could do without hurting myself. I did a lot of my walking at night. It was horribly boring so at some point I thought to myself, 'hey what is it like to go hauling *kitten* down the street when you weigh over 220 pounds?'

    I found out it felt great. For about five seconds. Then I thought I was going to die. But I worked my way up from there and now I really love running (especially when I have some good music on the MP3 player).

    However I listened to my spine and joints then and still do now. If my muscles give me grief I'm apt to keep going, but if my spine and joints hurt I will walk, take a rest day, do weights or the bike or elliptical or something else.
  • kluvit
    kluvit Posts: 435 Member
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    I sort of eased into it. I had a treadmill program with intervals alternating between increasing inclines at walking speeds and increasing running speeds on flat. I used to bump down the speed on the flat, so I could stay at a fast walk, but one day I just did the program as designed and realized I burned a lot more calories. Now, I actually increase the speed of the runs to sprints and the incline walks to jogging speeds.

    This prompted me to set some other "running" goals to increase my 5k time, run for longer intervals, etc. So, I went from never, ever running, to trying to reach new running milestones...all because I decided to just do it one day and liked the resulting burn!

    Best wishes on your running journey.
  • LadyRuhon
    LadyRuhon Posts: 8 Member
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    several people have said it, but good shoes really are the most important thing! It's too easy to really hurt yourself when wearing older/ "broke-in" shoes. Just because they are comfortable doesn't mean they offer good support when running.
    My first attempts at running I wore my favorite pair of shoes and 2 weeks later had horrible shin splints, my right hip was so sore I couldn't even lay down, and I had severe back and neck pain. I asked my chiropractor what was up, i felt like I'd been in another car wreck! He knew I was trying to run and asked how old my shoes were. 6 YEARS!!!
    I went that day and bought a new pair of running shoes and the pain - ALL the pain- was gone in 2 days.
    I was doing a c25k program through Nike and felt great! Now, I just have to get through the first five minutes of it and I'm good to go as long as I want. I don't like to go more than a few miles though- I feel like I'm just wearing out my knees at that point.
  • bluefox9er
    bluefox9er Posts: 2,917 Member
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    I am currently doing Insanity and am thinking I'd like to add something else to my routine, and was thinking about taking up running. The problem is - I dont run. I dont even walk - well I do walk but you know what I mean. So was any one an anti runner and now someone that enjoys running? Did you just put on some sneakers one day and start running? My street is a mile long, I was thinking about running there and back, is a mile a good start?

    Me..I hated running, even the very thought of doing it as a sustainable exercise. i did walking, cycling, everything except running and swimming ( because I can't swim..).

    I started and gave up c25k on FIVE separate occasions, and eventually gave it one final chance. this time I forced my way through it and have learned to become a long distance runner. I LOVE it, I LOVE it for the sheer resolve it demands from you and for the steep learning curve, and especially for the rewards it brings.

    Running is now every bit a part of my life as watching TV, using the internet, hanging out with friends, etc etc.
  • xprettyreckless
    xprettyreckless Posts: 297 Member
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    I believe that's how we all started.

    I crawled, I walked, I ran.
  • xgg2rs
    xgg2rs Posts: 128 Member
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    I read on facebook my cousin who has MS ran 8 miles on a "training" run. At the time, I had never ran a mile in my life. This motivated me to start the Couch 2 5k and 3 years later I just ran my first full marathon. I couldn't imagine not running now.

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