Beginner is definitely the word!!!

Hi All,

I've made a decision that I'm going to tackle an ever increasing waist line and lack of any kind of fitness by taking up running.

For me - this I have a thousand reasons flowing through my head urging me not to and most of them fall under two categories - 'you are too lazy' and if you do start 'you won't keep it up'

And all the excuses they bring - I haven't got the right clothes, you are to unfit - you'll be walking most of the time, you are too busy.  You wife has just had a baby – there’s no less time than before etc etc ...

But here I am – I haven’t gone out yet but I intend to either tonight (Friday night)(depending on when I finish work) or tomorrow. (Saturday)  I know if I start then hopefully it’ll become easier to go the second time and third time and so on.

So here I am just saying Hi – and raising a flag hoping for someone to come along and say something nice and encouraging haha. 

Ian – Rhondda Valleys, South Wales

ps. providing I can overcome myself - I'm thinkin about starting a blog to blog about it, my journey etc

Comments

  • Hi Ian,

    This sounds just like my story even down to the wife having our first child, I decided I needed to get fit but I knew I needed a target so I signed up to do the GNR for the British Red Cross, I have been traing for just over 8 weeks now and the change in my fitness level has shocked me, I still have a long way to go but after the first month it stoped being a chore and turned into something I look forward to.

     

    My advice is get a plan that fits into you life and take it steady and you will be suprised at what you can do (I went from walking every 5mins to running 8 miles straight without stopping in 8 weeks).

    Good luck 

     

  • Hi Ian. Well done for making the decision to run. You know you can't beat running outside, a million times better than being stuck in a gym on a treadmill any day, particularly, I imagine around the Rhondda Valleys. Even in the rain you just can't beat it. Just take it steady, run/walk to start with, and set yourself small, realistic goals, i.e. SMARTgoals: sensible; measurable, achievable, realistic and timely, and hopefully you'll soon be hooked.

    Good luck, no more excuses, just go for it, you can do it, and I hope you enjoy it as much as the rest of us image

    Clare

  • Well done for starting! and I agree with Clare about running outside, especially where you are!

    If you have a smartphone, get yourself a C25K app (Couch to 5K) which will give you an 8 week course starting off somewhere like walk 2 mins run 1 min and build up SLOWLY from there. If you follow these programs day to day you will hopefully avoid the usual injury problems caused by doing too much, too soon and too fast!

    If you walk a lot and run slowly, you should stay uninjured, you will be happy image Your distance will improve as you get fitter, as will your speed if you want it to, just dont be in a rush.

    If you try to run too fast early on or for too long then you will get injured image and thats very demotivating

    Good luck with it.

  • +1 to everyone, well done.

    Stay slow and build up slowly. Injuries/niggles are very common in the first few months of running in particular.

    If you like gadgets and gear and can afford to, reward yourself with things as you progress - buying my new trainers after a month or so of running really spurred me on (and took away my shin pain - my old skater type trainers were not great for running!) and buying a Garmin after my first half marathon gave me lots of data to play with.

  • All I can say is don't put off tomorrow what you can do today. I always had an excuse not to train or to go to the gym. But after a while of going through the motions it gets really annoying when you have a genuine reason to not run i.e. life getting in the way. 

    Slow easy steps is the best way forward. Dont let anything bar injury stop you. the first few runs are the worst. It does get easier but then you have to push yourself again  lol. 

    The pain is rewarding when you have to put another new hole in that belt again. never a chore image

  • Lots of us have been there, starting from the beggining and working our way into it all.  It does get easier generally, though many people like to move their goal posts and their own personal idea of "difficult" keeps on evolving!  But that is part of the fun as you will find I guess.

    Anyone can find excuses not to go out there if they want too, its being able to keep going though that will get you to your goals. For example I keep telling myself that its the bad weather runs that count the most, and I have never let bad weather stop me going out for a run.

    But you will find getting out there becomes easier once you get into the routine of it, and thats the main thing to sticking to it I found. The C25K app mentioned above is definitely a good place to start as that builds you into running 3 times a week, and gradually adds a bit of running time each time you go out.

    Good luck with it all. All good fun. image

  • Good luck Ian. Is there a parkrun near you? If so, could aim to do it in about 6-8 weeks time. If not, good idea to sign up for a 5 or 10k to keep yourself motivated.

  • Oh and I forgot to add in REST image Its the most important part during the first few months, make sure you have a day resting after each run, however much you feel/want to get up and run again. Its the time needed for your muscles to repair and condition after each run or run/walk. Without it, they will deteriorate until you get an injury.

  • Ian Martin 18 wrote (see)

     

    For me - this I have a thousand reasons flowing through my head urging me not to and most of them fall under two categories - 'you are too lazy' and if you do start 'you won't keep it up'

    Thoughts like 'you are too lazy' are just thoughts; there's no inherent truthfulness about thoughts like this - they're just thoughts; not facts.

    Once you start running and maintain a fitness regime, negative thoughts like these will change to other more positive thoughts.

  • David Seaman 3 wrote (see)

    My advice is get a plan that fits into you life and take it steady and you will be suprised at what you can do (I went from walking every 5mins to running 8 miles straight without stopping in 8 weeks).

    Went for my first run this morning and probaby did a mile and half and stopped every 5 mins to walk for a few mins etc... but in my head all along was your quote above saying you started like that.  So felt pretty good

    Alison McIntosh wrote (see)

    Good luck Ian. Is there a parkrun near you? If so, could aim to do it in about 6-8 weeks time. If not, good idea to sign up for a 5 or 10k to keep yourself motivated.


    Yes, there's a local cemetary near by home that's probably about a mile and half all around that's mainly flat but has hills in certain bits - can't avoid the hills where I live, unfortuntely everything is on a hill.  But I'm going to do what you said and start aiming to get all the way around in 8 weeks.  Thankfully the way the gates in the cemetary is the run starts and ends by my house - so providing I do ok in 8 weeks, I can start aiming to do 2 laps. Thanks for your advice.

    CheesyRider - Born to be Mild wrote (see)

    Oh and I forgot to add in REST image Its the most important part during the first few months, make sure you have a day resting after each run, however much you feel/want to get up and run again. Its the time needed for your muscles to repair and condition after each run or run/walk. Without it, they will deteriorate until you get an injury.


    So far I'm going to do what I did this morning, so I'm going to run on Monday, run on Tuesday, REST on Wednesday, run on Thursday, REST on Friday, run on Saturday and REST on Sunday and so on.  What do you think? Friday's are brutal for me with work, up at 5am home at 6pm etc so I've worked it around that really.

    Thanks for all your encouragement by the way - I'm glad I've started and one thing I would say - as it was a nice sunny morning here in South Wales the views of the mountains in the sun as I run through the quiet cemetary was awesome.  I'm glad I started just for that and am already looking forward to the winter (sad I know) as the mist and clouds around the mountains will also look awesome.

    Thanks all again image

  • Hey Ian image I'm new to running (only been at it 2 months) so i know how you feel! i was terrible when i first started (seriously couldn't breathe after 2 Min's ha ha not good) but in the last 2 months i've come on leaps and bounds - if i do say so myself image! managed my first 10k in 1.09 on Saturday, which before i wouldn't have even dreamt of!! now signed up for another couple of 10k's and a half marathon in October. . . . . yes my brain has temporarily left me!

  • Sweeney wrote (see)

    Hey Ian image I'm new to running (only been at it 2 months) so i know how you feel! i was terrible when i first started (seriously couldn't breathe after 2 Min's ha ha not good) but in the last 2 months i've come on leaps and bounds - if i do say so myself image! managed my first 10k in 1.09 on Saturday, which before i wouldn't have even dreamt of!! now signed up for another couple of 10k's and a half marathon in October. . . . . yes my brain has temporarily left me!

    Hi Sweeney, that's absolutely awesome - I've got no excuses now - it's just a mental shift in your mind isn't it - for me it's just about fighting to get a routine established now, cause I'm shattered after work, the morning seems to be better for me even though it's a git trying to get up out of bed earlier.  Thankfully we've got a 4 week year old baby at home who wakes me up nicely for my run.

    I'll take inspiration from your short testimony there. I bet you feel on a big high after doing the 10k.  Good luck for the Half Marathon - doing a half marathon or a marathon is the stuff of dreams for me so not going to go there in my head yet ha

  • trust me if you can put your mind to it, it can be done! i never thought i would be able to run but the more i pushed myself and the harder i worked the easier it became. im not brilliant but i can hold my own when im out on my runs now ha ha image

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