best weight to start running a c25k

tryingtolift50kg · August 2015

At the min ibweight 304 pounds

but I'm thinking if I walk like a few minutes a day to start like 10-15 and work my way to 250 pounds I duno help please

Wytcher9 · August 2015

Now is the best weight. The key is to race against yourself not other runners. I weight about the same when I tackled my first 5K. I was at back of the pack, but my arms were over my head held high as I sprinted (jogged slowly) over the finish line. I also shouted in my head "Fxxx Ya! I finished a Fxxxing 5K!" I had to take a few years off due to health, but now working to tackle 5K in Oct in support of breast cancer research. I hope to be around 275ish.

Just get moving, find a walker friendly 5K in support of favorite charity and sign up. I promise you will finish strong with confidence in your fitness. So many people never take on the challenge to get physically fit because they are afraid to fail. I have finished last in a 5K, but I was full of pride in myself as I crossed the finish line. My goal was to simply to improve my time. Stay strong. You got this!

LKArgh · August 2015

tryingtolift50kg wrote: »

At the min ibweight 304 pounds but I'm thinking if I walk like a few minutes a day to start like 10-15 and work my way to 250 pounds I duno help please

Walk. And keep walking until you can walk for about an hour. Get there slowly, at whatever pace you can manage, increasing time from wherever you are now, then increasing pace. It is not a race, you need to build stamina and stranght. Whenever you can walk 4-5k, then it is the time to start a runnign program, regardless of weight. First you need to learn to walk, then to run. If you can do it now, start running now. If it takes a year to be able to walk the distance, start then.

JennieMaeK · August 2015

I started the C25K program when I was at my heaviest - 238 pounds. I had to repeat some weeks and even went back a week because I struggled too much with one of the weeks. It took me about a little over 3 months to complete the 8 week program, but that's okay because it was working for me.

Another great walk/jog program is the Zombies, Run 5k. It's a little less structured than the C25K program in that there is more what they call "Free Form" runs where you decide how much you jog or walk.

That being said, if you're not ready to start jogging, just walk. Either work on increasing the time or distance you walk. Maybe you'll work on walking 10 minutes a day and increase it to 30. Or maybe you'll walk a certain distance and try to get faster each time. Either way, set a goal that is a challenge, but achievable. Once you reach that goal, set another.

Feel free to add me as a friend if you want more support, I'm a firm believer we all can use as much support as we can get.

mwyvr · August 2015

tryingtolift50kg wrote: »

At the min ibweight 304 pounds but I'm thinking if I walk like a few minutes a day to start like 10-15 and work my way to 250 pounds I duno help please

You need to consider more than just your weight - what body type are you (large, medium, small frame) and how tall? Do you have any problems with your joints? (Knees, ankles, etc)? Are you muscular at all?

If you aren't suffering from any medical issues, don't have joint or foot problems, and don't suffer from pain when you walk, then you should probably set your sights higher than walking 10-15 minutes. That said if that is all you can manage at first, you aren't ready to run. When you can walk somewhat briskly for an hour, that's probably a good time to consider starting a program like C25K.

For comparison: I'm a 53 year old medium framed male, 5' 7.5" tall, and was 255 pounds (95-105 pounds overweight depending on goal) when I started running last fall. While I was very out of shape from a cardio pulmonary perspective, I could still walk for hours at a time.

I started running early September last year on my birthday. I couldn't even run 1km without stopping frequently, wheezing, but I stuck with it doing a combo of walk-running and then as I improved moved to run-walk-run and then to running without walking. I was only running 2, sometimes 3 days a week, and not very far at that. Over those four months I ran only 250 kilometers (155 miles) - not very much at all, but at the time it felt like a ton of running of course because I was starting from zero!

By November I was running 5km steady on the flats and started to lengthen runs and do hills. Over the winter I picked up my dog walking too. I forced myself to run in all sorts of weather and, well, was hooked.

By Christmas I'd dropped 36 pounds from the combo of eating more reasonably and being much more active. That Christmas / New Years season was the first in many years where I did not gain weight. My clothes were fitting loose and that encouraged me further.

Long story short my love of running, and monthly volume, grew steadily from there. I now run 250 - 300+ km monthly and will run in one, maybe two trail half marathons this fall and am setting my sights on running a marathon by late winter with a view to building to a trail ultra marathon next year.

When I started I thought it was going to take forever to lose weight and get fit, but I was wrong.

You can do a lot in a year.

dirtyflirty30 · August 2015

mwyvr wrote: »

tryingtolift50kg wrote: »

At the min ibweight 304 pounds but I'm thinking if I walk like a few minutes a day to start like 10-15 and work my way to 250 pounds I duno help please

You need to consider more than just your weight - what body type are you (large, medium, small frame) and how tall? Do you have any problems with your joints? (Knees, ankles, etc)? Are you muscular at all?

This. PLEASE be careful - I waited to start C25K until I was under 200 as I didn't want to cause knee/joint problems. Weight coming down on your knees and joints while running can be really hard on them.

coreyreichle · August 2015

mwyvr wrote: »

tryingtolift50kg wrote: »

At the min ibweight 304 pounds but I'm thinking if I walk like a few minutes a day to start like 10-15 and work my way to 250 pounds I duno help please

You need to consider more than just your weight - what body type are you (large, medium, small frame) and how tall? Do you have any problems with your joints? (Knees, ankles, etc)? Are you muscular at all?

If you aren't suffering from any medical issues, don't have joint or foot problems, and don't suffer from pain when you walk, then you should probably set your sights higher than walking 10-15 minutes. That said if that is all you can manage at first, you aren't ready to run. When you can walk somewhat briskly for an hour, that's probably a good time to consider starting a program like C25K.

For comparison: I'm a 53 year old medium framed male, 5' 7.5" tall, and was 255 pounds (95-105 pounds overweight depending on goal) when I started running last fall. While I was very out of shape from a cardio pulmonary perspective, I could still walk for hours at a time.

I started running early September last year on my birthday. I couldn't even run 1km without stopping frequently, wheezing, but I stuck with it doing a combo of walk-running and then as I improved moved to run-walk-run and then to running without walking. I was only running 2, sometimes 3 days a week, and not very far at that. Over those four months I ran only 250 kilometers (155 miles) - not very much at all, but at the time it felt like a ton of running of course because I was starting from zero!

By November I was running 5km steady on the flats and started to lengthen runs and do hills. Over the winter I picked up my dog walking too. I forced myself to run in all sorts of weather and, well, was hooked.

By Christmas I'd dropped 36 pounds from the combo of eating more reasonably and being much more active. That Christmas / New Years season was the first in many years where I did not gain weight. My clothes were fitting loose and that encouraged me further.

Long story short my love of running, and monthly volume, grew steadily from there. I now run 250 - 300+ km monthly and will run in one, maybe two trail half marathons this fall and am setting my sights on running a marathon by late winter with a view to building to a trail ultra marathon next year.

When I started I thought it was going to take forever to lose weight and get fit, but I was wrong.

You can do a lot in a year.

This x1000. /thread

Sonyaliet · August 2015

I have started the C25K for the third time this summer and have never made it this far before. I could walk for hours, but the minute I started jogging I suffered major shin splints and my knees killed me and that just shut me down, so I never got past day one or two. This time, everything is different and I am close to the same weight. I hired a personal trainer and started serious strength training and boy, was I weak!! I mentioned to her that I had always wanted to be a runner, but had to give up on that dream and so she made sure to tell me how the strength training we were doing would help strengthen my legs, knees, ankles, etc. and help me run when the time came. That really has made all the difference. I am doing the C25K on a treadmill because it's just too hot where I am (and I'm still a bit self-conscious), but I do it at a 3% incline and--and this is key-- I do it slowly!! I may want to run everyday, but I don't. I may feel I could run faster, but I know that I would probably hurt myself and that would be the end of things. Slow and steady wins the race is my go to motto with this. Getting proper shoes is also very important, again, to avoid injury. I want to be a runner for the long haul, so taking it slow and building up my endurance and strength and ability is the number one goal.

Good luck!! You can do this just take it slow and listen to your body. Even if you are just in the walking phase, walk with purpose!! Walk like a WALKER! Walk up hills and down. Listen to your body, because eventually, before you know it, a little voice will tell you, as you walk along, "run!"

schellies · August 2015

NOW! anytime isthe right time. Just do as much as you are comfortable doing. Dont overdo it. Stay at day 1 as long as you need to

whatatime2befit · August 2015

If you are completely sedentary right now, I'd be worried about jumping into a c25k too fast. Start with walking. When you can comfortably walk for a longer duration, then consider the c25k. Eventually you'll feel like walking is just not cutting it for you, and you'll know you are ready to run.

Please don't jump in too fast and cause injury. There is absolutely nothing wrong with starting your fitness journey with only walking.

mbaker566 · August 2015

it is generally recommended that you be able to walk briskly for 30 min. if you can do this, check with the dr and make sure you are good to go. and then GO!

SueInAz · August 2015

I agree that starting with just walking is probably best for the moment but there's nothing that says it needs to be a leisurely stroll. Why not take the C25K program and convert it to a walking program? Where you should be running, walk as fast as you can and where you should be "walking," walk at a slower pace to catch your breath. You'll still get a really good cardio workout and by the time you're done you should be ready to go back and do it again but running and walking that time.

best weight to start running a c25k

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