Opportunity to try running

I used to hate running, but now i'm in the army.... . anyway, i'm from the pacific northwest, and the area out there is super pretty to run in plus, there tends to be no humidity, low altitude, and moderate temps. Just look into the surrounding area's so you can do "scenic" running, and let yourself just enjoy it. Don't try to run to beat time, just get the feel of enjoying running for fun. Might be fun to bring along a small camera..... dunno if that's your style.

5K Runner, or any C25K app, is brilliant. 2 months ago, I couldn't run for 3 minutes without stopping. I completed my first hour long run today Add me if you would like any beginners advice and/or support, I still consider myself very much a beginner. I use Nike+ to track my runs, my username is lm91.
The most important thing is to enjoy it! I understand the appeal of running just to burn calories, but unless you enjoy it, every run will be torturous. It's good that you have a scenic route and you're using that to try running, good luck!

Zombies, Run! is another C25K app, only it's like a 'game' where you have to run away from zombies...or be told that's what you're doing :indifferent: It has never appealed to me but some people like it.

I used to be like you. I'd read in books how running was so great and refreshing and just really satisfying, and then I'd get out and try to run and after 2 minutes I'd feel like I was effing dying. And I used to do some pretty hardcore high-impact aerobics in those days, so it wasn't that I was unfit.

Running just takes slowly getting used to it in order to give it a real chance. I used cool running's c25k program (http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml) to help me get started. The first two times I did it, I was stupid and pushed too hard with the runs, and inevitably burned out within 3 months. Now that I'm doing it right (aka, keep your run portions at a pace where you're not exerting so much effort that you couldn't have a conversation in complete sentences), it's completely wonderful. Yes, it does still sometimes burn for the first little bit, but after I get past that, it's honestly the best 40 minutes of my day.

Trust me, the only trick to it is to start light, go slow, and give yourself time to adjust. If you ever feel like you're dying, stop that because you're not doing it right. This isn't to say that you won't ever have to push yourself. You will. Getting over your mental roadblocks is just as vital as physically preparing yourself. Many people have mental blocks against the discomfort of doing something like running. You have to bust through those.

Go google for beginning runner tips. Some of the best ones, IMO:

1. TAKE IT SLOW! It doesn't matter if your run looks more like the "old man getting to the bathroom" shuffle -- if that's what you need to do, do it. You'd have to be able to walk a mile in under 12 minutes to outdo the benefits of running, even slowly running, so don't feel discouraged by a slower pace no matter what.

2. Try and focus on good form and good breathing from the get-go. Good form is arms bent at about a 90 degree angle, eyes forward, body not slouched forward, torso up, shoulders relaxed, hands loose (not clenched), arms swinging naturally to the pace, and a stride short enough that instead of striking the track with the heel of your foot when you stride forward, you're hitting at about your mid-foot. That's going to take a LOT of discomfort off of you. To be honest, that's the only way I can run, because doing those high-impact heel strikes bounced my fat everywhere and was highly uncomfortable. If you're confused at all, google this. There are tons of examples to see.

3. Breathing - If you're like me and you're prone to side-stitches or even chest-stitches, doing an uneven breathing pattern can help. What I do is inhale-inhale-inhale-inhale-exhale-exhale-exhale, so 4 inhales and then 3 exhales. I used to do 3 inhales with 2 exhales, and you can of course do whatever variation you like. Just pick the one that works for you with your lung capacity and how deeply you're breathing. Each inhale and exhale should match up with a foot strike -- mine thus looks like this: inhale as left foot strikes, inhale as right foot strikes, inhale as left foot strikes, inhale as right foot strikes, exhale as left foot strikes, exhale as right foot strikes, exhale as left foot strikes, and then I start the cycle again, this time with the first inhale on my right foot. The goal of this is to ensure you aren't always breathing in on one foot and then out on the other one. Why it works isn't important as long as you know that it works. Also, if you do still get a stitch, which is entirely possible, raise your arms up over your head and rest your forearms on the top of your head. This helps alleviate the pressure in your thorax causing the stitches.

4. Hydrate and eat properly - You have to make sure you're staying properly hydrated, or it's really going to come out at running time. You'll get muscle cramps and side stitches much more easily if you aren't properly hydrated. As for food, never eat within 3 hours before starting a run. I typically run at 7 pm, so I don't eat anything after 4 pm just to be safe. Some people can have small snacks up to an hour before starting their runs. Figure out what works for you ^_^.

Hope this essay post helped! These are the things that have helped me go from hating my life as I tried to do Week 1 of C25K to running 40 minutes nonstop on Week 9.

I used to be like you. I'd read in books how running was so great and refreshing and just really satisfying, and then I'd get out and try to run and after 2 minutes I'd feel like I was effing dying. And I used to do some pretty hardcore high-impact aerobics in those days, so it wasn't that I was unfit.

Running just takes slowly getting used to it in order to give it a real chance. I used cool running's c25k program (http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml) to help me get started. The first two times I did it, I was stupid and pushed too hard with the runs, and inevitably burned out within 3 months. Now that I'm doing it right (aka, keep your run portions at a pace where you're not exerting so much effort that you couldn't have a conversation in complete sentences), it's completely wonderful. Yes, it does still sometimes burn for the first little bit, but after I get past that, it's honestly the best 40 minutes of my day.

Trust me, the only trick to it is to start light, go slow, and give yourself time to adjust. If you ever feel like you're dying, stop that because you're not doing it right. This isn't to say that you won't ever have to push yourself. You will. Getting over your mental roadblocks is just as vital as physically preparing yourself. Many people have mental blocks against the discomfort of doing something like running. You have to bust through those.

Go google for beginning runner tips. Some of the best ones, IMO:

1. TAKE IT SLOW! It doesn't matter if your run looks more like the "old man getting to the bathroom" shuffle -- if that's what you need to do, do it. You'd have to be able to walk a mile in under 12 minutes to outdo the benefits of running, even slowly running, so don't feel discouraged by a slower pace no matter what.

2. Try and focus on good form and good breathing from the get-go. Good form is arms bent at about a 90 degree angle, eyes forward, body not slouched forward, torso up, shoulders relaxed, hands loose (not clenched), arms swinging naturally to the pace, and a stride short enough that instead of striking the track with the heel of your foot when you stride forward, you're hitting at about your mid-foot. That's going to take a LOT of discomfort off of you. To be honest, that's the only way I can run, because doing those high-impact heel strikes bounced my fat everywhere and was highly uncomfortable. If you're confused at all, google this. There are tons of examples to see.

3. Breathing - If you're like me and you're prone to side-stitches or even chest-stitches, doing an uneven breathing pattern can help. What I do is inhale-inhale-inhale-inhale-exhale-exhale-exhale, so 4 inhales and then 3 exhales. I used to do 3 inhales with 2 exhales, and you can of course do whatever variation you like. Just pick the one that works for you with your lung capacity and how deeply you're breathing. Each inhale and exhale should match up with a foot strike -- mine thus looks like this: inhale as left foot strikes, inhale as right foot strikes, inhale as left foot strikes, inhale as right foot strikes, exhale as left foot strikes, exhale as right foot strikes, exhale as left foot strikes, and then I start the cycle again, this time with the first inhale on my right foot. The goal of this is to ensure you aren't always breathing in on one foot and then out on the other one. Why it works isn't important as long as you know that it works. Also, if you do still get a stitch, which is entirely possible, raise your arms up over your head and rest your forearms on the top of your head. This helps alleviate the pressure in your thorax causing the stitches.

4. Hydrate and eat properly - You have to make sure you're staying properly hydrated, or it's really going to come out at running time. You'll get muscle cramps and side stitches much more easily if you aren't properly hydrated. As for food, never eat within 3 hours before starting a run. I typically run at 7 pm, so I don't eat anything after 4 pm just to be safe. Some people can have small snacks up to an hour before starting their runs. Figure out what works for you ^_^.

Hope this essay post helped! These are the things that have helped me go from hating my life as I tried to do Week 1 of C25K to running 40 minutes nonstop on Week 9.

I meant this x

Thanks everyone for the valuable advice. This is just what I needed. I will try to take it slow, and focus on my form and breathing. I'll also check out the book and 5K Runner, RunKeeper, and C25K programs.

One question though: one of the apps, I downloaded says that I should only run 3 days a week. Do you think it would be alright for me to run everyday for a week, so long as I take it SLOW?

I'm looking forward to updating you on how how I progress.

Nope! I, like you, always want to try and do too much at the start, too xD. The reason they only have you running 3 a week is because it takes a much larger toll on your body than you realize, just starting to run for that long all at once, which is why cool running's C25K recommends walking a few weeks first and so do lots of others. What you could do is run every other day, let those be your weeks (even though then you're only doing 5-6 days in a "week"), and walk the other days. But remember, you need one full rest day every week. You could do strength training on that day, or yoga, or something else (it's a very good idea to do strength days 2x per week), but give walking/running a break.

And I'll just be the first one to point out the way weeks 4 and 5 push you off the cliff and have you giving your all just to fly. C25K eases you into your first month but then ramps you up pretty quickly. The good news is that by the time you hit that point, you'll either be ready or almost ready to handle it. There's no shame in needing to repeat a day or a week of C25K as long as you keep running, and those 2 weeks are the main culprits for where people need to repeat. Particularly that 20 minute nonstop at the end of week 5.

Keep us updated for sure =D. I'd love to see how you're progressing!