Race for life

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mamasgonnalose
mamasgonnalose Posts: 28
in Fitness and Exercise
I am thinking of doing race for life 5 km run for cancer research, uk. I am totally unfit and have loads of weight to lose but having lost my amazing Dad to cancer last spring I feel like it is something I want to do but it is terrifying me just saying it out loud or writing it down. Has anyone out there done this? I have over 5 stone to lose to have a healthy BMI. I was mortified to find out last year that I was in the obese category. The run is not until July so hopefully by then I would have lost some weight. It would be good to hear anyone else's experiences.

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  • mamasgonnalose
    mamasgonnalose Posts: 28
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  • sazrina
    sazrina Posts: 99 Member
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    I did the twilight race for life in October, I had only been exercising for 6 weeks before this and had only managed to run a handful of times. They asked you to go into groups for runners, joggers and walkers so there was a real mix of abilities and a very supportive atmosphere. I say go for it, you've got 7 months to get ready for it and it sounds like a great way to honour your Dad :-)
  • mamasgonnalose
    mamasgonnalose Posts: 28
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    Thanks! Well done on your weight loss!
  • sazrina
    sazrina Posts: 99 Member
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    Thanks :-)
    If you can I would try to get someone to sign up to run with you. One of my friends pushed me into it and it really motivated me as I didn't want to drop out and let her down. Good luck :-)
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    It sounds like a great reason to run (my one big fundraiser is a ride for cancer research in September) and you have until July to prepare for it. Even if you end up walking most if the distance it will be a memorable experience.

    I started running at about 235 lbs and I was in terrible shape. The key is baby steps. Start slowly, probably just with walking. Once you feel up to it start adding some short (1 minute or so) slow running intervals - don't worry about speed, keep the pace comfortable - and gradually build up.
  • coral_b
    coral_b Posts: 264 Member
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    C25K app is amazing for starting to jog! I completely recommend it! you do intervals (walk then jog) , 3 times a week- for 9 weeks. But if a week is particularly tough you can just repeat until you feel ready to move on. When I did it I could barely do the 3 minute jog- now I run for well over 35-40 minutes without a stop, and often go for much longer. It may be that when you first start your "jog" is actually slower than a walk- just that your whole body is engaged to do it. Speed comes with the amount of miles you put in- but it's definitely a good cause.
    Race for Life was my first 5k, I completed it in a poor time and did C25K after it to improve- I'm now down 9 minutes from my time.
    Also, just to give you a boost- people walk the whole thing, one lady even walked it whilst suffering lung cancer.. it took her almost 3 hours-she kept having to stop, but she completed it. Waiting for her to finish and cheer her on is one of my most motivational memories!
    Good luck!
  • deoboed
    deoboed Posts: 13 Member
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    I always like to look at the results from the previous year for any race that I do, to make sure that there's a group of people that I will come in with. I walk and jog in intervals, and so far my best time has been just under 45 minutes. Any race that doesn't have a fairly large group coming in around that time, I skip, but most larger races do. Race for Life is also a really supportive atmosphere as opposed to a very competitive one-- not that competition is a bad thing, but in running/jogging I feel like I'll only ever be racing against my own best time.

    It's a good motivator too-- you can't skimp on training, because that day is coming, no matter what.

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