How to get into running...

Hi, I was the same as you a few years ago. I joined a local running club and started by doing one minute walking a one minute running. This then built up eg 2 minutes running one minute walking. I now run 15-20 miles a week and have done a half marathon. I always find running hard even with doing it often!

Couch to 5k! There's an app for your phone, or a website for the program. I couldn't run for more than a minute when I started... ) I love it!

Couch to 5k is AMAZING! I can't believe I can run.. seriously. Don't hesitate.. DO IT.

start off by brisk walking, then slowly increase your speed and distance over time!! if your trying to go for longer distances, don't worry about speed and try to keep a consistent pace! even if it feels super slow it will be better than sprinting then being completely out of breath after two seconds.

give it a few weeks and you will start to notice a difference! also, consistency is key so try to run a few times a week

you got this!! trust me, when i started cross country i remember asking the coach if i was screwed (because on day one i barely managed one lap), three weeks later i was running 3 miles no problem

Work on your 12 minute mile (very slow) pace. This is an important pace as for most joggers it's the cross over between walking and jogging. Start with a really gentle jogging on the spot, then ease it forwards. Think as you're going along, "could I be using any less effort whilst still being jogging?". It sounds like an unhelpful thing to think, but this will help you to develop a good slow-pace to come back to once you're running a little faster.

When I was starting running, I was trying to go much too fast, and a friend of mine who runs marathons had to teach me how to run slowly. It's a different technique to normal running, as a lot of focus is on energy conservation. Each foot lands only a little bit in front of the other, and the knees don't really raise as high as if you wanted to get somewhere quick. At the time, I could run about a mile, but armed with this gentler technique that went up to ten within a month.

Also, look up KwonKicker's warm up tutorial on youtube. What more experienced athletes are doing as warmups, you can do as a workout in the earlier weeks of your progression. You know it's whole-body as otherwise it wouldn't be a good warmup. Do something like this on the occasions where your moralle fails you and you don't get out running. It's important to still have some form of workout, for the "victory from the jaws of defeat" moment.

Check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-YUurBrUbM

The title says Taekwondo, but it's a pretty well rounded warmup (appart from the silly knee bit near the end).

I suggest Couch to 5k, as others here have mentioned!

For me, I literally just woke up one day and decided to start running. I had never been able to maintain a pace for more than 5 minutes, so I just set a goal for myself, to work up to jogging and find a pace I could sustain.
Over the next 3 months, I worked up to approx 5miles nonstop! I was slow and steady, but could keep at it for a long time.
Lately, I've been using the treadmill so I focus more on speed than on distance (because I just can't be on that thing for more than 45 minutes--it starts to bore me!) but running inclines and intervals helped me with my overall speed and endurance.

My advice to you is to just do it, and not give up. Every time I start jogging, the first 5-7 minutes I just feel like I want to die lol. But once you get past that initial shock, it gets much easier.
Good luck to you! You can do it!

I wanted to do the couch to 5k, but im a slack *kitten* for time tables and i got into a routine before i started so i walk for a minute on 5.5km/h then i up it to anywhere between 7.5-10, i watch that clock like its my life support! Once you get going you want to stop, but keep pushing yourself! I only do it for 2kms and usually thats 20 minutes. I worked myself down to doing it in 16 minutes, thats my motivation, to beat myself, i end up running for 2min then walk for 30 seconds instead of waiting, i see a finish line and i aim for it, just push yourself! I once jogged at 6.5km/h for 10 minutes straight, it was my goal to do it and i did it, it nearly killed me, but after 5 minutes you can just keep going and going.
Good luck!

lol well now I want to know if I can ever look forward to liking it? Or if I'll always just hate it but push through it...How long have you been running?

I've been running for a few months now. I loved it right from the start. It's the only exercise I've ever loved, and that's after a year and a half of doing SO many other things that were just bearable. I don't agree with forcing yourself to do something you hate, so I kept trying new things. Unfortunately, running was the last thing on my mind and likely the last thing I'd have tried before having to settle. Fortunately, it's amazing.

Chased by zombies?

Chased by zombies?

Haha, my friend actually works for the company that does all the "run for your lives" zombie races! cracks me up...

this would be awesome!

.... what the best shoes are for running?

I absulutely love my Asics Gels. When they broke, I got a new pair exactly the same. They come in a variety of prices, but the cushioning and support on all of them is top notch. For a beginner, look no further.

As you get more into it, you might consider going to a profesional running shop (there's one in london, "Runners World", I think), where they will watch you on a treadmill, press your foot into clay, and all sorts of cool stuff to make a bespoke recomendation. Until then, get some Asics.

Since I bought my last pair, they've updated their website. Check out this:

http://www.asics.co.uk/running/shoe_advisor/

Edit: "when they broke" was about four years after I bought them. Don't worry about them falling apart soon.

Another vote for Asics Gels here. I couldn't get to a running shop, and as just a beginner I wasn't that bothered anyway. All I knew is that I was getting severe shin splints and needed to stop them. So, I bought the Asics as my first pair of running shoes. They're incredible.

Get fitted for running shoes, then start the NHS podcast couch to 5k, this is what i did.
Next month im entering a 10k race and up until i done the C25K id never run since leaving school around 35 years ago :bigsmile:

i run about every single day... i hate every minute of it.

This. It's f-ing miserable. People who claim to enjoy running are either lying to you or lying to themselves. BUT, it's a good way to burn fat/cals, so I do it. I think I run faster just to try to get it over with sooner.

If you're making yourself miserable to be healthy, you might be robbing Peter to pay Paul. Why not give Zumba or Body Combat a go? There's bound to be something that's both fun _and_ healthy out there.

.... what the best shoes are for running?

I absulutely love my Asics Gels. When they broke, I got a new pair exactly the same. They come in a variety of prices, but the cushioning and support on all of them is top notch. For a beginner, look no further.

As you get more into it, you might consider going to a profesional running shop (there's one in london, "Runners World", I think), where they will watch you on a treadmill, press your foot into clay, and all sorts of cool stuff to make a bespoke recomendation. Until then, get some Asics.

Since I bought my last pair, they've updated their website. Check out this:

http://www.asics.co.uk/running/shoe_advisor/

Edit: "when they broke" was about four years after I bought them. Don't worry about them falling apart soon.

Another vote for Asics Gels here. I couldn't get to a running shop, and as just a beginner I wasn't that bothered anyway. All I knew is that I was getting severe shin splints and needed to stop them. So, I bought the Asics as my first pair of running shoes. They're incredible.

I have mizuno, really impressed.