Beginning a running program at 54. With no prior experience.

ttspncr · December 2016

I am 54. Have lost 170 lbs. I want to jog again like I did when I was 21. Is it to late. Need motivation from someone that does it. Thx

Briantime · December 2016

I'm 49 and completed C25K about 3 weeks ago. It is not too late. In two years you will be 56. Think how good you will feel then with two years of running behind you :-)

pondee629 · December 2016

I re-started running at 59 (after surgery) and did my first Half Marathon at 61, finishing in 2:17:10. Lost 30 pounds in the process. Feel great, look great (according to my wife) and just keep plugging along.

At 54 you're still a baby. You want to jog, jog. You want to run, run. You want to walk, lift, ski, cycle et al.; you go right ahead and do those things. You do what makes you happy and helps you enjoy life.

Couch to 5K (C25K) gets lots of play here and is probably a good program to start. I did Personal Running Trainer off Amazon. From what I hear and did the programs are similar. You start walking and running and SLOWLY progress to running exclusively. Start slow, increase your distance slowly, keep most of your runs at a conversational pace. If you can't sing Happy Birthday, you're going too fast/hard. Rest days are important to allow recovery.

One step at a time, remember to see the sights while outside, enjoy the sunset/sunrise, listen to the birds, feel the breeze, and watch for cars, bikes and dogs ;-) Most of all, Enjoy Your Runs. If you aren't enjoying it, you won't keep doing it. Find something you like and it's not a work out, it's a pastime.

Welcome back

mgalovic01 · December 2016

Just land more-so towards the front of your foot to absorb some shock with your calves. This will take some stress off your joints. I wouldn't say it's too late. I'd just take greater care to watch my step, to avoid spraining your ankle or falling. Kicking around a soccer ball is a good way to improve balance, coordination and stability. Making time to do some stretching will help with range of motion.

KeepRunningFatboy · December 2016

Its not too late to enjoy running. Google search the couch to 5K program, really solid program. You can also check out Galloway running for a walk jog strategy.

Lonestar5715 · December 2016

I started running when I was 56 (now 59) and ran a 10k three weeks ago. I did it a lot like the guy above me. I began with walking fast almost every day of the week and then simply began running small distances and gradually stretched it out. I now run two or three times a week for 2 to 3 miles.

Oh yes, good shoes are important. Go to a shop where they can fit you and be prepared to pay a bunch but you will never regret it.

I would like to say I enjoy running but I don't. What I do enjoy is the feeling of accomplishment when I have finished a run and it has done wonders for my stamina and overall health. My resting heartbeat is 60. Running also boosts my self-confidence that I can do things I didn't think possible.

Best of luck to you and congratulations on losing so much weight, you have probably literally saved your life!

TavistockToad · December 2016

Definitely use c25k to get you started!

faramelee · December 2016

I'm 41. At the beginning of August I started the C25K app. I have never been able to run for many reasons both physical and no doubt mentally also. I followed C25K to the letter and one week after my 41st birthday I was able to run 5k (despite many times believing that Laura, who talks you through it, needed to be punched (obviously I am joking and I do not advocate violence)). I remember one week there seemed to be quite a jump in running times and I laughed believing that I would never be able to do it, but persevered and I did it. I now run 5k three times a week, regardless of the weather, and I thoroughly enjoy it. Now 41 is slightly lower in age than you but let me tell you what inspired me to start in the first place. I bumped into an old friend who I hadn't seen in quite a while. I have never, in the many years I have known her, known this lady to 'exercise' in any way, shape or form, but she told me that she had completed C25K a couple of months earlier and now ran several times a week and had entered charity runs etc. We have actually met up and run together on a couple of occasions too, work permitting. This lady is 55 and she still inspires me, so I say go for it, give it a try. I agree with @pondee629 though, if you aren't enjoying it then find something else but take pleasure in the sights and sounds around you. Here's a guilty confession.....sometimes I look at my shadow running and think 'that's me' and have a little smile to myself.

I wish you the best of luck

esjones12 · December 2016

I personally know a 52 year old that does 16 mile Spartan Races up VT mountains.

Never too old. Just make sure you build up slowly to avoid injury. Maybe chat with a running coach to review form, etc.

sbrandt37 · December 2016

I'm 51 and just a couple of weeks into C25K after 18 months on an elliptical (and getting bored with it). I doubled the length of the workouts, but otherwise found the intervals about right. I just did my first 20 minute straight run on Wednesday and I am looking forward to increasing that today. In fact, I'm off to run now!

Go for it. The only thing holding you back is your belief that you can't do it. Just start as slow as you need to and build up progressively. You got this.

ttspncr · December 2016

Thanks so much

HappyAnna2014 · December 2016

esjones12 wrote: »

I personally know a 52 year old that does 16 mile Spartan Races up VT mountains.

Never too old. Just make sure you build up slowly to avoid injury. Maybe chat with a running coach to review form, etc.

This!! (and a couple of the others...) My doctor told me NOT to run. She to said to walk, swim, etc. She said that at my age (52), the meniscus in my knees is thin, and it would be easy to injure them (my knees). That having been said, if you have good shoes, and a good trainer, I think you will be fine. Good luck!! Activity is a good thing, IMHO

MeanderingMammal · December 2016

ttspncr wrote: »

I am 54. Have lost 170 lbs. I want to jog again like I did when I was 21. Is it to late. Need motivation from someone that does it. Thx

Probably not like when you were 21 but it's perfectly reasonable to start. I'd support the suggestion of using something like Couch to 5K to help get your capacity up whilst reducing your injury risk. The main thing you've got is that whilst CV capacity improves rapidly the connective tissues will take a bit more time to build up. As just above you're not in the body you had when you were 21, but it will improve.

I would suggest dedicated running shoes, although personally I'm not particularly hard over on gait analysis. As a complete novice your gait isn't settled anyway, so it's not adding much.

fwiw I'm 46, restarted running 4 years ago using C25K and now tend to do marathons and ultras.

lorrpb · December 2016

I'm 61 and never ran. At. All. Last summer I completed c25k and ran a full 5k event in Aug..if I can do it anyone can!

robininfl · December 2016

Slowly slowly slowly! You can do it, without getting injured, and may be in a better place than someone with existing bad habits. Pay close attention to your form and start out with walking, adding a little more running each time (like a couch to 5k plan, or first a couch-to-mile plan, then mile to 5k)

But at first run less and also slow down your speed. Stop before ANYTHING hurts. As someone else mentioned, staying to the front of your feet and pushing off, with a quick cadence and smaller steps, is usually safer.

spiriteagle99 · December 2016

I started running at 54 using C25k. I got overambitious and trained for a half marathon 6 months later and got injured. However, as soon as I was healed, I started over. I ran my first half at 57 and my first marathon at 58. I enjoy racing and because there aren't a lot of older women running in the local races, I get the fun of occasionally winning age group awards. I never thought that would happen, as I am not fast nor particularly athletic. I had been a walker and hiker for many years, but thought I couldn't run due to bad knees. Funny thing, the running actually helps my knees, by strengthening the muscles that support them.

Just start slow. If you have been a couch potato, start with walking 30-45 minutes a day. Then do a program like C25k and mix in some slow jogging. Keep your pace slow and easy and build the running gradually. Good luck.

ttspncr · January 2017

Awesome thanks everyone

Tacklewasher · January 2017

Another vote for c25k. Been walking/jogging on the treadmill for 3 months now but started it today.

CMNVA · January 2017

I started C25K in October at the age of 52. I have never run in my life. I completed it and was able to run for 30 minutes at the end. I do kind of feel like I'm dying for the last 5 minutes. No, I can't sing Happy Birthday either. Unfortunately, the good weather has gone south and I've been unable to get steady runs in (and it just isn't the same on the treadmill), but I do feel better about myself. I think it's a great, safe program to start out with. For me, there were some days that I felt it moved to fast and I never really "mastered" some of the run time.

Djproulx · January 2017

Congrats on a terrific weight loss! That is a great motivation to start running.

I started running at 54 years old after losing 45 lbs. I'm now 59 and am active in both running and triathlon.

Lots of good suggestions have been posted above. Welcome to the running community!

bonoeuf · January 2017

Use the c25k programme with a good pair of supporting shoes and you will be on your way. I am 60 and need all the support I can get, I use Hoka one one shoes used for ultra runs, they are like running with a mattress strapped to your foot. Take it slowly and you will be away, maybe not like you were at 21, but close enough. I did my first 5k parkrun Saturday past, great fun and no one cares if you have to walk.

Beginning a running program at 54. With no prior experience.

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