Jogging/Running - will it get easier?

Trafty024
Trafty024 Posts: 57 Member
edited September 26 in Fitness and Exercise
Yesterday I went for my first jog ever. I can’t say run, because I went pretty slow but I did a mile in 12.5 minutes. I never, EVER ran/jogged for a mile straight so I was pretty proud of myself. I’ve tried the Couch to 5K program before and never stuck with it. I think it’s because of the intervals. It stressed me out to keep track of time. What I did yesterday seemed to work – I picked a marker (Stop sign, corner, etc) to keep jogging to and when I hit it I ended up telling myself “you can keep going! Go until the next marker!” and before I knew it I had made the whole mile!

So, what I’m looking for is some motivation Just looking for some motivation and confirmation that a) what I’m doing will work and b) that it’ll get easier [will I learn to love it??]. My goal is to be able to run a 5K this year. If I keep jogging this mile as often as I can, adding speed and distance when I feel comfortable, do you think I’ll gain endurance and it’ll get “easier”?

Logically, I know it should. However I’d like to hear from people who haven’t done intervals like the C25K and just pushed themselves to jog/run as much as they can instead.

Thanks guys!

Replies

  • JenBrown0210
    JenBrown0210 Posts: 985 Member
    When i ran my first time I thought was going to die. I am using the couch to 5k program (c25k). I absolutely love it. My endurance has built up now. I can jog for 10 minutes at a time.
  • psuhaze22
    psuhaze22 Posts: 3
    Practice makes perfect. I know when i started running it was terrible. Keep it up, its going to suck in the beginning. Trust your body about speed and distance. I cant promise you will fall in love with running, but it gets a lot more tolerable =]
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
    It does get easier. I couldn't jog for five minutes without stopping. I also used to get painful shin splints. I kept working on it. I didn't do the C25K program, but I did other cardio workouts including treadmill work on my lunch breaks. I've done two 5K this year so far and I plan to do many more. So keep working at it. Also, look into changing out the insoles in your shoes. Spenco insoles are great.
  • nomoremuffintopness
    nomoremuffintopness Posts: 275 Member
    I am curious as well. I have never been a jogger/runner. Even when I was in the best shape of my life, I could only run for 5 minutes straight. I'd like to learn to jog/run for miles! Sorry Im no help
  • Mamapengu
    Mamapengu Posts: 250
    Yep, that sounds like a great start. don't worry about the speed, just keep going. I've used telephone poles and mailboxes too! Some days will be harder, some days will be easier, but it's like everything else the net result will be a bit easier and better. In a week see if you can add another block, then add another. Soon you will be doing that 5k! It helps to log your distance, time, and how you felt so in a couple of months you can look back and see where you were and realize what you've done.
  • Melis25Fit
    Melis25Fit Posts: 811 Member
    I never did the C25K either because I didnt want to keep track. I can run a 5K now, but it's at a 12min mile. And honestly some days I LOVE jogging, and could keep going at the end, and other days, it would take the world to get a half mile out of me. Some people are born runners, some people are going to have to work at it, and I've realized as much as I want to be able to be one of those every day 5 mile runners, it's not me, and I just take it day by day! Good luck!
  • Loggerwife
    Loggerwife Posts: 18
    I do a variety of cardio including running. I can say this not every run is good but I notice that is the case with any of the exercises I do. There are times when I get finished and think to my self man that was great and other times I am like blech :grumble: this was crappy. Basically I think it has to do with my mood and different stressers that I am dealing with. Bottom line any exercise is good including one that I think sucked. :bigsmile:
  • allie_00
    allie_00 Posts: 73
    I was one of those people who always said "I'm not a runner" but I'm happy to say that today I am! It's one of the only things in life for which there are no shortcuts. You train, run a little more bit by bit, and slowly you become better. I remember a few years back I couldn't run any longer than perhaps 5 or 10 minutes. Now I run 10 kms like they're going out of style. Stick with it! And the marker thing made me laugh because I used to do the same thing!
  • chewy8874042
    chewy8874042 Posts: 38 Member
    6 months ago, I couldn't JOG for 2 minutes straight. Last weekend I ran the Cooper River (10K) bridge run in 1:01! Didn't walk once. IT WILL GET EASIER. If you don't like the timed intervals, stick with the distance ones, but just make sure you keep it challenging. Maybe after a week, try running through 2 markers and and walking two or one, and I constantly switch my routine up between intervals, distance, pace, etc. I am not 100% sure exactly what I am doing, but it is working so far! LOL! STICK WITH IT, and definitely sign up for a 5K so you have something to work toward and will keep you motivated. Good Luck!
  • msarro
    msarro Posts: 2,748 Member
    Lance Armstrong once said, "It never gets easier, you just get faster." I've found it to be pretty true. You'll find that your endurance will improve by leaps and bounds, but the actual act of running will never be "easy." I'm at the point where I can run a 5k without thinking twice, but I still get sweaty, I still feel a little winded, and usually I'll finish the run completely spent. Myself, I don't run because its easy. I run because its time I can use to focus on whatever is going on. Or I can use it to focus on nothing. Or I can use it to punish myself if I feel like I did something stupid.
  • soccerjewel47
    soccerjewel47 Posts: 23
    The hardest thing to do is to keep running even when you are sore..There will be morning when your legs hurt and your muscles are sore to touch but the next day you still gotta find stregth to go...Put up a countdown to til the race and set up mini goals of distances...Hope this helps:)
  • kah78
    kah78 Posts: 376 Member
    I like the intervals--I have to work up to the longer distances, otherwise my knees start hurting and I stop. The intervals help me work up to it safely. If you don't like keeping track of the intervals yourself, if you have an Ipod, I highly recommend the Podrunner Interval Couch to 5k series. It's free, and no tracking anything...just walk when the music tells you to, and jog when it tells you to. Warm up and cool down are built in, and it's fun techno-ish music. You don't have to think about it at all--all you have to do is do it! Good luck whatever you choose! It does get easier...I completed the C25k last year, and am doing it again this year--I hope to continue on to the Gateway to 8k series that Podrunner has.
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    It absolutely gets easier, and doing your first mile in 12.5 minutes is an awesome achievement!
  • RMinVA
    RMinVA Posts: 1,085 Member
    If you like it then, yes, it does get easier. Running is great exercise, but quite frankly, it's not for everyone. My husband doesn't care for it at all...he would rather ride a bike. Find yourself a good training program for a 5k (runnersworld.com has some good ones). Also get fitted for shoes and don't increase your distance by any more than 10% in a given week.

    After I ran my first 5k, I was hooked. I promptly went home and decided to train for and enter my first half marathon. 3 years and several races later, I am still running!! And people that don't get the "runner's high" just don't run far enough...doesn't start to kick in until after you have covered 3-4 miles. It's a great feeling!!
  • sloanrox
    sloanrox Posts: 2 Member
    Simple answer - yes, it gets easier. You will probably even like it. There is a decent shot you'll love it.

    You are on the right track for sure. You might want to try to find a way to work a walk interval in there somehow. Running puts quite a pounding on your body and the walk gives you time to rest a little, drink some water, and just get collected.

    I started running a couple of years ago...always thought runners were odd. Why would anyone go out in the rain and run? Fast forward about 9 months, and I was outside in a snow squall training for a 15 km race. It took about 2 months and then I started feeling that runner's high that I always thought was a myth. Now I love it, and I'm nursing a torn achilles which is keeping me from running. I see runners now and I'm insanely jealous.

    Running is a great activity, great exercise, a great way to push yourself...overall its, well, great. ;)

    Keep pushing yourself, you are going to be fine!!! Good luck!!
  • JenSol
    JenSol Posts: 13
    It will get easier on most days. Some days you'll feel like your feet won't move, on thise days walk as fast as you can. I can't say I'm a runner either but I don't dispise it anymore. I actually do like it when I hit a good groove and can go for a long time. I've been running for a little while now and just did 3.5 this morning. Keep at it and good luck. It will get better.
  • bbush18
    bbush18 Posts: 207 Member
    IT WILL GET EASIER!! You're doing a great job setting small marker goals. That's what I tell everyone to do when they start running. Stop sign...check. next street sign...check. And like you said, when you reach that checkpoint, you tell yourself that you can go another 50 yards and the next thing you know, you've ran more than you have before! It will get easier though. You'll start to push yourself further everytime. And when you finish that 5k, all your training and hard work will pay off!! You're doing a great job and keep it up!!
  • Trafty024
    Trafty024 Posts: 57 Member
    WOW, you guys are awesome! Thank you for all the responses, support and honestly. I love the idea of tracking my distance, time and how I feel. Also I need to just register for a 5K so I have it as a goal date.

    Thank you guys again, seriously. You've given me the motivation and confidence to keep going.
  • JoAnnLeahMurphy
    JoAnnLeahMurphy Posts: 39
    thanks for posting that question. I am in the same boat as you and loved reading the responses! keep it up!
  • trio25
    trio25 Posts: 34 Member
    Sounds like a great run!

    I started running years ago and do it on and off now. At first I'd get up early and I had a loop, the first time I ran (jogged) it all without stopping I was so happy. It took my 10minutes and when I measured it in the car it was half a mile. Eventually I ran a marathon, not fast, but I was so happy that I had managed to do it.

    keep going!
  • robwilliams1111
    robwilliams1111 Posts: 3 Member
    Congratulations on completing your first run, a couple of hints to make it more enjoyable, invest in a good quality pair of running shoes, look on the net for ones that suit your needs, but basically the more padding the better! also i found that interval training helped not only my fitness levels raise very quickly, but also made the running more interesting. Try jogging at your normal speed for two minutes then having a burst for 30 seconds as fast as you can, then back down to normal speed jogging and keep alternating it. Also if you've got access to a gym try using a Cross Trainer (also known as an eliptical trainer) it does the same job as running, but there is no strain on your joints (knees, ankles, hips) I personally like to wear headphones and listen to my music when i'm running, again it stops the boredom setting in, Good luck, believe in yourself, and above all enjoy :)

    Rob.
  • backinthenines
    backinthenines Posts: 1,083 Member
    Congratulations on your first mile.

    And yes it will get easier....

    but then you will want to go longer... and faster... so in a way... it doesn't get easier!! :laugh:
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
    If you keep at it a minimum of three times a week things in your body will change and it gets a lot easier. It takes time though. At first you will improve rapidly and then improvement will slow down. However, if you are consistent, you can continue to improve for ten years.

    So, what seems hard today will not even make you break a sweat later. You will feel better after an hour of running than you feel after five minutes now.
  • bmontgomery87
    bmontgomery87 Posts: 1,260 Member
    It definatley gets easier. I still find it to be extremely boring though. If you can find a way to switch it up and keep it interesting, you'll be fine.
  • fumblerdog
    fumblerdog Posts: 63
    When my husband started running (which he did just to spend more time with me, since I was training for triathlons and marathons and whatnot), he couldn't go a mile without feeling like he wanted to die. I guess that was about 6 months ago? And guess what - he ran his first 5K in December and his first half marathon in March, and he's signed up for two more races before the summer is out! It's never "easy" (if it was easy, everyone would do it), but he has learned to listen to his body and enjoy running - something he never did before. You just have to stick with it - so keep up the GREAT work!!!
  • Cougarsuz
    Cougarsuz Posts: 20 Member
    It will definitely get easier! I don't remember all the details, but there is something to do with when you first start your run, you burn through your glucose stores first, which takes around 10 minutes, and this is when it suuuuucks. Then you switch over to burning glycogen, which is your long term carb storage, you can burn glycogen for a long time, and its easier. I know for me, after I hit the 3/4 mile mark, things seem to settle down and it still is an effort, but it feels like I could run all day. I'm 5'5", 210lbs, 40 years old, and yesterday it took me 46 minutes to run 3 miles with an average heart rate of 151. I would experiment with running slower, but longer, keeping your heart rate in a target zone, and see how you feel.

    Also, I'm very new here, and would love more friends!
  • jam3114
    jam3114 Posts: 250 Member
    I'm hoping it will get easier - I started back to jogging (I can't say run either) on 1st April & picked a 2.5mile loop back to my house & for the first week and I was walking parts of it. Roll on last Friday & I stopped once only for 15 seconds :laugh: & then out on Sat same loop no stops :laugh: & Sunday I went for 5k loop & made it the whole way even up the mountain of a hill :happy:

    I think for me its in my head now I tell myself I can do whereas before I just stopped because I wanted to - I keep my heart rate low well I try to & then I can stay jogging longer - it takes me about 33/35 mins for 5k & I hoping as weight falls off it'll get easier

    I didn't do the c25k either I'd get all bogged down in trying to watch the time & probably would fall over :blushing: I hadn't jogged for about 4 months before 1st April so everything ached & still does ache but maybe with time & weight loss I won't feel like my knees are going to break :tongue:

    Good Luck with it all - I've my first 'official' 5k on Easter Sunday
  • CricketKate
    CricketKate Posts: 3,657 Member
    I like the intervals--I have to work up to the longer distances, otherwise my knees start hurting and I stop. The intervals help me work up to it safely. If you don't like keeping track of the intervals yourself, if you have an Ipod, I highly recommend the Podrunner Interval Couch to 5k series. It's free, and no tracking anything...just walk when the music tells you to, and jog when it tells you to. Warm up and cool down are built in, and it's fun techno-ish music. You don't have to think about it at all--all you have to do is do it! Good luck whatever you choose! It does get easier...I completed the C25k last year, and am doing it again this year--I hope to continue on to the Gateway to 8k series that Podrunner has.

    Thanks for the suggestion. I have never heard of podrunner before. I'm downloading it now.
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