Not able to run 5k thread

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  • Hi all

    I only started running 2 weeks ago although I have completed 2 moonwalks (power walking for 26.2 miles at midnight).  So far I can only run for 9 mins at a very slow jog!   I am 53 yrs old on tuesday and at least 2 stone overweight!  Is it actually possible for me to run a 5k without stopping - at the moment it seems very much out of my reach.  I suppose what I really need is some encouragement! xx

  • This might sound like a dumb question lucia

    But where are u from?

    Im on a loser here - cos if its wakefield ill feel thick, and if its not ill feel thick for thinking it could be. image

  • HI Lucia Im also at least 2 stone overweight and when i started just after easter could not run for more than a minute it does get easier i promise - ive not lost much weight yet but have toned up a bit hoping the weight might go once i start more mileage.

  • Hi all

     This forum has made me feel so much better about my inabilities to run!

     Earlier on this year I moved to a new area where everyone seems to run so for the first time in my life I felt inspired to take up running. Took me weeks to build up the courage to up the speed on the treadmill, but when I did (even though I was dying after about 30 seconds) I loved it. I was doing the run/walk intervals, going from R1/W5 to R1/W2 for 20. However this is when I made a very silly mistake. I enthusiastically signed up for the Race for Life with 2 colleagues at work. All good, until I decided with 8 weeks to go that training for only 20 minutes wasn't enough and upped it to 45 minutes, as this was the time I had in my head to complete 5k! After the first session my knees hurt and after 2 or 3, I was in agony in one knee with an inability to bend it in certain directions. A trip to the docs later found I had damaged the ligaments, with the doctors advise "just because its called the Race for Life doesn't mean its a race...". I stupidly carried on running for another week before pain took over and I ended doing no training in the 3 weeks leading. Surprisingly on the day I managed to complete it in 48 minutes, only 3 minutes longer than my original target. However, months later following numerous physio sessions my knee only now feels able to get back running!

    I'm 5ft 8" and weight around 16st, after losing 2.5st since March this year. I'd really appreciate some motivation and support to get back to this - next year I want to run the whole Race for Life!!

     Thanks

    Shell x

  • HullCitySam - you'll do it! I've just done the London treeathlon and a couple of weeks ago slow jogging for 10 minutes was my absolute best. The distance was less than a mile. Even two or three days ago I couldn't get round on the route I'd plotted where i live. But I jogged very slowly the whole way and the time was something like 34.58!!! Its a really friendly race and I'm sure you'll have fun.

    A lot of people walked/ran - if anyone else wants a confidence boost, enter - there's one in Manchester and one in Leeds to go. Like a friend of mine who is a big fan of F1 motorsport reminded me that Graham Hill (ex world champ for the non-F1 fans, but at the time he got slower/not in the top cars) said  - you meet a better class of person at the back end of the grid!!!

     

  • I finally did it managed 5.2k and can still walk today. Hope everyone else is doing ok image

  • Hi

    Slowjoe 1 -  I'm from Camberley in Surrey. Everybody here seems to be into running! 

    Thank you all for your encouragement - I will try to keep at it.  I feel really inspired after watching the GNR.  I am telling myself that it is a whole year away so maybe if i train hard enough I will be able to do it as well!  Is that possible

  • It's taken me about 4 months to get to run 5k without stopping, but I finally did my first 5k race yesterday in 32.45.

    Even just a month ago I couldn't hardly manage 3k without stopping but now I'm looking to take it to the next level and do a 5mile race next Easter

  • Thank you Judy and well done on running a 5k - that is really encouraging.  You did a really good time as well. Maybe there is hope for me yet! 

     My problem is that i am only 4'10 and at least 1 stone overweight.  My legs are so short that i feel I have to work twice as hard as everybody else!

  • 30 mins this morning at 5am

    It was very dark - ran around the park

    Possibly a good thing - cos i went verrrrrrrrrry slowlyimage

  • Hi was out at 6 it was very cold as well - not been cold before but was ok after 10 mins will have to look at getting something warmer to wear for the winter.

  • Well done Sassypurple!

    Cardiff Shell: I started with Race for Life it's such a great event.  Yes you can do it, but as you now know you have to build up SLOWLY, don't get carried away.  And remember to enjoy it!  You might want to try reading Running for Mortals by John Bingham,  I love his stuff.  I'm always last in races (except R4L) and he reminds me to keep going and the reasons I run in the first place.

    How did people do in the GNR?

    Ok need to have brekkie before I head off for a club run.

    Paula

  • Did the Leeds Tree-Athlon today (what an ace name!) - 5K around Temple Newsam. Did it in 37 mins flat, or should I say hilly?! God, I'm from Hull, I'm not used to hills.... shame really as I reckon I'd otherwise have shaved a couple of minutes off what is still a rather poor time. Great event though, well organised and good for beginners despite the hills. Inspired me to aim at picking up the pace again, as I'd got out of the habit of doing 5K distances regularly.
  • Steady 20 minutes today.

    Still horribly slow. But I can remember when i couldnt do 2 minutes.  So onwards and upwardsimage

  • Well done - missed my second attempt at 5k this weekend had a bug managed 2 miles this morning but found it hard going.

  • Slowjoe - that makes me feel so much better than you used to struggle to do 2 but now doing 20 minutes. How long did it take you to improve to that?
  • Hi Shell

    Took me about 3 months but this was off and on. Had a couple of injuries and a holiday and a birthday.

    So if id been wiser and more commited could probably have done it sooner.

    However

    U will get to the stage of running for 20 minutes then u will just start looking at 30 minutes, then an hour

    ITS NEVER ENDING I TELL YA!!image 

  • On another note entirely

    Going to the hypnotists - hopefully Friday if i can get in - to help me stop smoking.

    Had this done years ago and quit for 3 months but was in a work situation that developed into conflictt - so i was either gonna thump a guy or have a fag. Had a fag.

    Wish id thumped him.

    Anyhoo - cant help but wonder when the guy puts u under whether he has u doing chicken impressions - just for a giggle.

    Ill really wonder if i go home with my breeches on back to frontimage 

  • Hey Slowjoe,

     Caught this thread - I have been running for about 4 months and managed to break the 5K mark about a month ago. Am gald to hear that all the trouble I was having is common place.

    I found that buying a pace/time tracker helped a lot and that my pre pedometer attempts to run distance were difficult because I was running too fast too quickly; it seems to be either the pedometer or you hook up with some runners who have the same running goal.

    Also, one of my work collegues suggested that I run real fast for a few meters during a run then slow the pace right down so that you are still running but recovering your breath/heart rate/ etc... Kind of an adapted Fartlek technique - it hurts but it works.

     I hadn't intended to spurt possibly redundent info in this post, but those two things really helped me to break 5K and progress my running.

     Good luck with the hypno

  • My biggest achievement of this week is running for 2.5 minutes/0.3km. My further distance and time-wise so far, lol. A small step but one of the trainers at the gym made me recall the day she helped me to run for the first time and after 30 seconds i was dying and took a long time to recover. I'll get there with time and my own patience!
  • Yes you will CardiffShell, as long as you enjoy it and are getting fitter that's the main thing.  When did you start?  I started with 30s of running followed by 2 mins of walking, seems like yesterday, but I know it's not.  Now all I seem to be thinking of is breaking this PB, planning races, reducing my walking time, increasing my running time etc...

    That's why I love this forum, it stops me from spurting on and on to my family, who are tired of hearing about running.

    Can't sleep tonight for some reason, so I gave up trying about half an hour ago and came on here.  I've got a race at 09:00 and am not happy that I will not be rested for it.

  • Hi Paula - I started around June time. But ended up having a long lay off because of my knee so ended up almost starting again a few weeks ago.

     Today I beat my PB of the week with just over 3 minutes of walking. The amazing thing today was I found my recovery time was so much better and recovery was equal to the time I ran, i.e. 3 minutes of running, 3m of walking, 1m run, 1m walk.

  • CardiffShell - you're doing great for a newbie

    I was okay for the race after all.

  • Thanks Paula.

    I meant managed 3 minutes of running in my previous post. I feel like I've grown a new set of lungs this week I feel so much better!

  • Ah yes the lungs are the first things to improve.  I remember thinking I might have asthma after my wheezing and spluttering through my first run image

  • I'm up to a mile and a half so far...YAY!!!  Next week it's two miles.  I hope that in the next few weeks, by using the couch to 5k program that I will be able to run a complete three miles without walking.  Oh!  I'm so excited.  I can almost see the light at the end of a long tunnel.
  • Well done doesn't it feel great Im sure i bore my none running friends to death but I ran just under 7k yesterday and from not being able to run 100m at easter im well pleased.

    Hope everyone is doing well  image

  • Anyone have any updates?  I would love to hear how everyone is progressing.
  • I've just started another thread, then found this one. I think it might be just what I need! I don't feel so alone all of a sudden!
  • Fancy seeing you here ER image

    Okay so progress report.  Last Saturday ie 28 Nov I did it!  I ran the whole way in a 5k Parkrun and I got a 3min PB image (Previously I could run longer distances but using the run/walk method)

    How is everyone else doing?

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