Is it possible to 'become' a runner?

MeganKyGirl82 · June 2015

Sorry if this is yet another redundant post, I know how prevalent those are here, however...

Obviously I still have some work to do, but I consider myself to be in decent shape. I can handle a good solid hour to an hour and a half of cardio without being terribly winded. (I'm not sure if that's an appropriate measuring stick or not but hey its what I have to work with so bear with me here.)

I would love to be able to run. I AM NO RUNNER.

Last October my 10 year old daughter and I ran in a 5k Color Run. For those unfamiliar, a color run is more about the fun than the run. Proceeds from entry fees generally go to a charity. This one went to lymphoma. The idea is to dress up in white (my kid sported a white tutu) and run 5k while people dump color on you. At the end you look like a tie dyed sweaty mess.

My daughter absolutely loved it. She wants to run track some day. While I had a blast, this little event did a number on me. I felt like I had been through minor surgery for several days after. My entire body ached, and all I wanted to do was sleep. See ... I told you ... I am no runner!

So back to my point, is it possible to train yourself to run??? She wants to do another one and now her sister wants to as well. Advice much appreciated!

jaxass · June 2015

I think so.

Have you tried the couch-to-5K app? It'll slowly train you. Then you can get the couch-to-10k app and so on and so forth.

Gluck!

sarahharas5 · June 2015

Couch to 5k for sure! I used that and could hardly do the 1 minute of running at a time. I'm not sure I would really classify myself as a runner but I really enjoy it now and my latest long run I was able to go over 5 miles.

I did cardio before I started running too which I'm sure helps but running seems like a different beast! Just take your time. I think if you rush it you'll end up dreading running instead of loving it.

Good luck!!

Need2Exerc1se · June 2015

Yes, of course. My daughter did just that a few years ago. She decided she wanted to be a runner and started working toward that goal. Like the post above suggests, she started with C25k. She ran her first 1/2 marathon early this year.

MeganKyGirl82 · June 2015

Thank you for the replies! I very much want to encourage her with her running. If it's important to my kids it's important to me. I am going to look into the suggested app!

FitFitzy331 · June 2015

So I consider myself a runner, I run with a group 3 days a week and have a few races under my belt. I HATED and refuse to ever participate in the Color Run ever again. Going into it I figured it would be a fun little run but the color, which was just ground up chalk, made it so I couldn't breath, and for the most part it was a miserable experience and I was still sneezing chalk for the next day or so. IMO that's part of the problem with why your body hurt afterwards.

Outside of that, I've heard great things about the Couch 2 5K program. People who never saw themselves as runners have completed that program and raced 5Ks and moved onto 10ks etc... If you haven't checked it out yet it is certainly worth looking into.

Additionally, if there are running groups in your area it may be worth contacting them. Sometimes having people to run with can make all the difference.

If you want to be a runner, you can become one, its just about finding the right way that works for you.

beemerphile1 · June 2015

Running is simply propelling yourself forward while putting one foot in front of the other with a brief period of time in between when both feet are off the ground. Walking is putting one foot in front of the other but one foot is always on the ground.

Like all exercise you are working your muscles. You need to partake in any physical activity a little at a time. If you do too much without build up and conditioning you will experience extreme muscle damage and soreness.

You just simply did too much all at once.

msf74 · June 2015

kygirl8282 wrote: »

While I had a blast, this little event did a number on me. I felt like I had been through minor surgery for several days after. My entire body ached, and all I wanted to do was sleep. See ... I told you ... I am no runner!

Eh? It sound exactly the opposite. You like running. You ran. You want to do so more. You want to train. You are a runner.

C25K is good or something like this:

halhigdon.com/training/50933/5K-Novice-Training-Program

MeganKyGirl82 · June 2015

FitFitzy331 wrote: »

Going into it I figured it would be a fun little run but the color, which was just ground up chalk, made it so I couldn't breath, and for the most part it was a miserable experience and I was still sneezing chalk for the next day or so. IMO that's part of the problem with why your body hurt afterwards.

You may have something there. We had it in places I didn't even know would be possible, and even following the recommended guide to cleaning it off afterwards, the purple pigment still left a stubborn stain on our skin. Thanks for the advice!

mbaker566 · June 2015

yes you can become a runner. work your way up to your next 5k.

I'm becoming a runner. I used to be a "if you see me running, something very bad is coming after me" and now I feel strange not running in the mornings. and I'm still working on my first mile

WhatMeRunning · June 2015

If you are human and have no physical disability that would prevent it, then yes you can be a runner. It is what our species evolved to do and we are among the top 5 fastest animals on the planet for long distance running (cheetahs can only go a short distance).

You seem to have cardio capacity already. What you need to work on is strength in the joints and muscles for running. Start by running slow. Think casual jogging more than running. Do the couch to 5 k program as it builds at a good rate to reliably get people to a 5k distance.

I too never thought I would be a runner. Even just one year ago today. Turns out I just had to try, and do so in an informed way.

markiend · June 2015

Definitely can , there are loads of stories of people who did the couch 2 5k (c25k) and have moved on to half and full marathons

Also, if you were being chased by zombies, you would kinda have to be a runner :P

go for it

scottb81 · June 2015

Human beings are born as endurance runners. The state of not being able to run (barring some abnormality) is simply being out of shape.

MeganKyGirl82 · June 2015

Thanks all! I'm going to check this out and go about it the correct way this time.

JustMe2691 · June 2015

Yup, I was required to run when in the Marine Corps and hated every step of it. Only ran for the fitness tests twice a year. But about a year ago, I started jogging slowly and finally got to the speed where I considered it running. I actually enjoy it a lot more than I expected I would. I modified the C25k for what I felt I could do, but used the basic program.

I ran a 5k Fun Run with my adult daughter last year and loved it.

AndyCool22 · June 2015

absolutely! my friend quit smoking and started running. he did a half marathon a few weeks ago, after starting running less than a year ago.

sevsmom · June 2015

Raises hand! I didn't start running until a lousy 5k performance motivated me to start. I was rolling up on FORTY years old!! Like you, I was good at cardio...I had been working out/losing weight for 3 months and thought I could handle a 5k. Wrong! It made me mad. So, I trained for a 5k. I ran the 5k and trimmed like 10 min off my time. Placed 2nd in my age group. Won a beer glass that I can't even tell you where it is now. And I was hooked. July 1 will be my 4th anniversary if you will of the day I started *training* for a 5k. I've run like a dozen half marathons, 1 full marathon, countless 5 & 10ks. I usually am in the top 10-15% of women if not all participants. I even won my age group in one of those half marathons! Yeah....you can "become" a runner. For sure!

SingRunTing · June 2015

I did.

I was on track in high school, but didn't run even then (I did field events). I hated running. I hated sweating. I felt like my heart was going to explode anytime I ran for more than a minute.

About 2 years ago, I decided to try the couch to 5k app (the zen labs version). I gave up the first two times I started it. But the third time I made a commitment to myself to finish the program. By week 8, I was hooked. I still run at least 3x a week and feel off if I miss a run.

FRJM · June 2015

I started running when my dad was terminally ill. When I first started I couldn't even run 1 minute continuously. I followed a programme similar to c25k and since then have taken part in 5 half marathons, loads of 10k's and 5k's. So yes, you can train yourself to run

iLoveMyPitbull1225 · June 2015

O course its possible....Perhaps you felt like you got hit my a train after your first one due to lack a stretching, before and after? Not to metion you (presumably) went from zero running to over 3 miles. It's not easy on the body. Definitely check out the C25K.

livingleanlivingclean · June 2015

My marathon running friends all claim it's possible to become a runner..... I don't have the desire to find out though! I think if you want to, you will

MeganKyGirl82 · June 2015

iLoveMyPitbull1225 wrote: »

Not to metion you (presumably) went from zero running to over 3 miles. It's not easy on the body. Definitely check out the C25K.

Nailed it! Pretty foolish move. Hind sight is 20 / 20 lol

MeganKyGirl82 · June 2015

You guys are awesome. Thanks for motivating and inspiring!

starryeyedsnoozer · June 2015

I started running a week ago, I couldn't even get to the end of the road without wanting to stop. I have seen a huge improvement since then and now I can run for at least 15 minutes without even thinking about stopping. That's in a week- and I'm an overweight 35 year old mum of 3, who has always said the only way you'd get me running is if I was being chased by a lion. So yeah, if I can see an improvement already then you DEFINITELY will xxx

shrinkingletters · June 2015

You can absolutely become a runner. Please remember: jogging counts. You don't become a runner at any special "speed" or distance logged. You do your best, you're a runner.

hypotrochoid · June 2015

You want to be a runner? Run! Presto, you are now a runner.

C25K is lovely. I used an app called 5k runner. Keep in mind that it is time based, not mileage, and it will get you to running 30 minutes at a go. Depending on speed, you may or may not end up with a full 5k at the end.

Have fun!

barbecuesauce · June 2015

Wait, so you just got up one day and ran three miles without having to train up to that point? I am impressed! What's keeping you from calling yourself a runner? Anyone who runs is a runner.

debubbie · June 2015

shrinkingletters wrote: »

You can absolutely become a runner. Please remember: jogging counts. You don't become a runner at any special "speed" or distance logged. You do your best, you're a runner.

This right here! I always thought that I had to run a certain speed or distance in order to be considered a runner. About 3 months ago, I joined a local beginner's running group and the guy that is the head of the group runs marathons and had us run a mile our first time out with a 2 minute break at the half-way point. Once we finished he looked at us and told us that we were runners from this point forward, even though it took us 18 minutes as a group to run the mile! Hearing him say that after our run gave me the confidence to believe in my ability to run. Since then I have worked my way up to running a 5k without stopping and running a half mile or more everyday (43 day streak).

If I can become a runner at 250 pounds while being annoyed by fibromyalgia, then you most definitely can become a runner! Make sure to have good shoes, start slow (about two steps up from a walk), stay hydrated in the heat, and enjoy your progress! Worry about improving your time and speed once you have built your endurance and can run for 30 minutes or so without stopping. Also, see if a local running group or Moms Run This Town is available in your area to help you find running partners for motivation and safety if you live in a sketchy area.

Feel free to add me as a friend

MeganKyGirl82 · June 2015

Thanks you guys!! The aftermath was just so ugly and vicious lol. No I had never done any actual running before - not for exercise or any reason really. I am a bit of a cardio addict. When my daughter asked if we could do it I was sort of clueless and said sure sweetie let's do this. Afterwards, though, I just assumed that I felt so terrible those following days because I'm in my 30s. I developed this notion that running is only for the athletic elite I suppose haha. All of you have definitely helped me feel more confident in the decision to try again, and hopefully make it a constant thing in my life.

MeganKyGirl82 · June 2015

Oh and I have a tendency to do that. I can throw caution to the wind and just dive in sometimes. It can be a great thing, but more than once it has come back to bite me in the rear end lol.

mwyvr · June 2015

kygirl8282 wrote: »

I would love to be able to run. I AM NO RUNNER.

So back to my point, is it possible to train yourself to run??? She wants to do another one and now her sister wants to as well. Advice much appreciated!

Adding to the chorus, of course it is possible. You've already got the #1 ingredient: D E S I R E.

And... since you dove off the deep end and just ran 3km, no matter how that felt, you've got some innate ability. Voila, you are a runner.

Now... what you want to be is a better runner and you'll get there by slowing down, and easing into longer distances gradually as you are ready.

If at 53 in September last year I could go from post-pneumonia wheezing can't even run 500 meters sack of potatoes to now being able to run half-marathon sized long runs any time I please, a younger fitter you can take on the challenge to make yourself a confident capable runner.

It's great that your kids want to do these things and even greater that you want to join them!

Heh, tomorrow I'm taking my 15 year old son on a 14km run up into the mountains as training for a 24km run much much deeper and higher into the mountains (1,500 meters of elevation gain) in a week or so. I suspect he'll be a bit surprised at how his old man moves now. Last September doing either would have killed me and I don't think I am exaggerating at all.

Is it possible to 'become' a runner?

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