Extremely beginning aspiring runner....

I would really like to try and start a jogging/running routine but every time I try I just get SO out of breath I just cant do it and i get totally turned off by the thought that I just stick with my normal walking routine. - I have been exercising regularly for only 1.5 months now so I am definitely in no shape to just be "going for it" (especially when going too hard causes me a migraine :-/ ) Anyway I have looked at the couch to 5k and that seems like an option but even that seems like it might move a little fast (usually after a minute I have to walk!) Anyone have any thoughts/ideas/suggestions?

Replies

  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,605 Member
    I think you'll find the C25k ok - I'd say just have a go. You'll surprise yourself.

    If week 1 is too hard, do a pre-week one, with slightly shorter intervals. But my guess is, you'll find you can do it.
  • flechero
    flechero Posts: 260 Member
    True, most new runners don't have the "wind" and get frustrated & quit.

    C25K is great in that the early intervals alternate your body's development of your lung capabilities and muscle... before you really know what happened, you can actually run! Just remember to take it one day at a time and before you know it, you'll be jogging real mileage!
  • lamerek
    lamerek Posts: 18 Member
    5K Runner (another C25K app) is how I started, and I took MUCH longer than the regular schedule to complete it. Now I'm hooked on running—doing a half marathon in April 2013!

    Read up on running—there are some good online sources out there. There are also LOTS of people out there just like you who are just learning to run. I love John "The Penguin" Bingham's book, Running for Mortals. It's SUPER inspirational and has good tips about fitness, nutrition, training.

    If you are SUPER winded, you are going TOO fast. S.l.o.w. it down. You should (believe it or not!) be able to hold a conversation while running (not sprinting, jogging/running). If you take off running and feel like your heart and head could burst, slow it down. If you feel like you're barely moving faster than a walk, it doesn't matter. Slow and steady will help build your cardio capacity and make sure you don't burn out on it! :)

    I've been running since September 2011, and I *still* run slow. I know speed will come with more work and patience, when my body is ready.

    Also, check out Runner's World's beginner's section. The mag/web site is DEFINITELY not just for elite runners. I LOVE it!
    http://www.runnersworld.com/topic/0,7122,s6-238-520-0-0,00.html

    For what it's worth, most runners still don't LOVE every run they do, but they do have those brilliant, "This is incredible!!!" runs regularly (for me, it's about 30% awesome runs, 35% okay runs, the rest are frustrating—but this builds mental strength!!!).

    Congrats on taking this first step to a new running/active lifestyle! You will do this! :)

    kate.
  • lamerek
    lamerek Posts: 18 Member
    Forgot to mention, there is also the Galloway method of running/walking intervals. Lots of folks swear by it. Google "Jeff Galloway" and you'll find it. I have a friend using this method to do the Marine Corps Marathon this fall and she swears by it! :)
  • LunaMischief
    LunaMischief Posts: 166 Member
    I'm starting the C25K program tomorrow, and I am also an extremely beginning runner. I think it's a great program to start running with. If you think the program goes too fast, no one will hold it against you to repeat a day or a week. Just go at your own slow and steady pace! =)
  • konalove3
    konalove3 Posts: 79
    couch to 5k is amazing. im on week 3 day 1 today. seriously just start it (today!) and stick with it and you will surprise yourself and be amazed at your progress each week. coming from someone who never ran. ever. lol. just really make sure you do it 3x a week with a day rest in between. and stretch before and after!!! I do it sunday, tuesday, and friday. I also use the C25K app on my iphone which really turns it into a no brainer work out, I highly recommend it!
  • AussieRachG
    AussieRachG Posts: 43 Member
    I've not looked at the C25K, but I learnt to run with a colleague during our lunch breaks. We made a circular route in the streets around the office in the city and used the street blocks as progressive targets. We were never allowed to stop, but if we had to stop running we would walk for a black and then start running again. At first, we would only be able to run 1-2 blocks at a time, walk a block and then run another 1-2 blocks... within a few months we were able to run the whole thing. We did this 2-3 times a week. I found reaching goals easier than watching that second hand ticking by. Running outdoors and making yourself reach that next tree, or that pond in the park, or that sexy yellow Lamborghini, is a great way to keep pushing yourself past that comfort zone. Good luck! I don't have a single running cell in my genetics and yet now I can comfortably run 6km of hilly landscape and last year I even did a triathlon!
  • KathyMarie1970
    KathyMarie1970 Posts: 68 Member
    I used 5k runner. Started in March of 2012. I hated it in the beginning because I was so frustrated that I couldn't even run for 1 minute! But I stuck with it and I am proud to say that I completed my first 5k on May 26 and my second will be on July 4. I'm hooked. I'm very slow by I run 45 minutes 4 days a week. It hurt at first but by about week 3 you start to get your breathing under control and that was the key for me. If you feel like repeating a day you can. I always try to remember that I will have bad runs - the painful ones when I wonder why am I doing this! But I push through it and it is usually followed by a great run. Give it s try and don't get discouraged!
  • kd51411
    kd51411 Posts: 33
    Thanks everyone!
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    My sister gets migraines, too. Make sure you drink plenty of water throughout the day, don't run in the heat, and take it slow. It's ok to walk more than you run, and when you run, it's ok to run slowly. Eventually, you will pick up the pace and distance. I agree with everybody here - run/walk intervals are the best way to start. Good luck! :flowerforyou:
  • kristyb1982
    kristyb1982 Posts: 21 Member
    Try C25K. My sister and I started it on April 15th of this year. We were both completely out of shape and had never run before. I was 245 lbs and she was 265. We are both incredibly short, too. 5'3" and 4'11". We couldn't even run all of the intervals on week 1 when we started. We just kept repeating it over and over until we could do it, probably 6 or 7 weeks! When we moved on to week 2, it was so easy we felt guilty for not trying to move up sooner. We are doing week 3 day 3 tomorrow. We'll probably repeat W3 for another week, but that's okay. You can go as slow as you need. Just try. You'll really surprise yourself. Your body is capable of amazing things! Good luck!
  • theresmynapkin
    theresmynapkin Posts: 183 Member
    5K Runner (another C25K app) is how I started, and I took MUCH longer than the regular schedule to complete it. Now I'm hooked on running—doing a half marathon in April 2013!

    Read up on running—there are some good online sources out there. There are also LOTS of people out there just like you who are just learning to run. I love John "The Penguin" Bingham's book, Running for Mortals. It's SUPER inspirational and has good tips about fitness, nutrition, training.

    If you are SUPER winded, you are going TOO fast. S.l.o.w. it down. You should (believe it or not!) be able to hold a conversation while running (not sprinting, jogging/running). If you take off running and feel like your heart and head could burst, slow it down. If you feel like you're barely moving faster than a walk, it doesn't matter. Slow and steady will help build your cardio capacity and make sure you don't burn out on it! :)

    I've been running since September 2011, and I *still* run slow. I know speed will come with more work and patience, when my body is ready.

    Also, check out Runner's World's beginner's section. The mag/web site is DEFINITELY not just for elite runners. I LOVE it!
    http://www.runnersworld.com/topic/0,7122,s6-238-520-0-0,00.html

    For what it's worth, most runners still don't LOVE every run they do, but they do have those brilliant, "This is incredible!!!" runs regularly (for me, it's about 30% awesome runs, 35% okay runs, the rest are frustrating—but this builds mental strength!!!).

    ^^THIS!! everything she said I one hundred percent agree with. Except I just started on my own run/walk intervals and didn't follow a program. consistency is the key as well. if you stop for a week or two in the beginning phases it will set you back farther than you'd think. once you're conditioned more days of rest don't put you back as far. stick with it and you'll get there!!
  • Balance05
    Balance05 Posts: 53 Member
    I did C25K about 11 months ago, and have run 2 5Ks. I'm still slow, and I actually stopped running a couple of months ago. However, when I was running everyday, I got to the point when I could run 4 miles-without stopping! That, to me, was more important than my time. As you do it, and keep going, look for the little changes that you make that make have nothing to do with your time. Go the same route at first so you can gauge how far you can run without stopping as opposed to how far you could run last week.

    Also, it helps to have a motivated running buddy. I lost mine a few months ago to P90X (said she was exercising too much) and thats why I stopped running. It was hard for me to motivate myself.

    Good luck!! Remind yourself that everyday you go out there and at least try, you're doing better than you did 2 months ago. :) You can rock this!
  • AussieRachG
    AussieRachG Posts: 43 Member
    Any updates? How are you going?