hi all
I'm new to this forum and was hoping for some advice please.
Six months ago I weighed 312 pounds. Since then I have lost 42 pounds and got a LOT fitter (I am now at the gym for over an hour 5 times a week). My aim is to be able to run - I am booked onto a race for life 5k in June. I tried running at Christmas but all I did was hurt my achilles tendons.
My question is - do you think its too soon for me to run? I am terrified of undoing all my hard work but I'm aware that if I don't start running soon I won't be able to run the race for life..
thanks in advance for any help
Elaine
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Comments
also, worth googling 'Couch to 5k' and seeing if that plan works for you.
The couch to 5k is a good programme - that's got a lot of people running.
I'd not worry too much though - you can always walk bits if you want.
So I'm about 20st and I've just started running (around 2-4 weeks). I try to run once every day between 3-5k and often half way through my run i'm getting pains in my shins (which sometimes extends up to and around the knee). I've also recently been getting a 'stich-like' pain in both my sides extending around to my back.
I don't know if I'm doing something wrong and may be putting myself in danger of injury or if this is just my body working and adjusting. It hasn't got easier or gone away which worries me - I've been reading around and the general advice is to start off walking to ease my body into the running however I guess i'm being impatient and want to gpo faster than just strolling and I would have thought that my body would have adjusted by now.
some of this is your body adjusting, some of it is you going at it like a bull in a china shop. Run every other day and find some other cardio but non/less weight bearing on the off days. C25K program as above is good.
Leg pain could be shin splints- generally a sign of overdoing it. You are running in properly padded running shoes aren't you Off road (grass, paths) are more forgiving surfaces than pavement or road.
I'm feeling like I want change quickly and therefore running more will give me that.
I've been told multiple times to do some swimming in between as it is a better alternative that covers morr areas and takes the weight off my feet and legs however I don't feel comfortable undressing infront of other people.
Goodluck in the marathon KieranG I will be watching around tower bridge cheering all of you on! Hopefully get some inspiration. I'll try to moderate my work out but it feels like a difficult task going from nothing to daily back down to a lesser work out. It feels like I may be going backwards but is it really backwards?
Rest days are the one of the most vital parts of running training. It is during rest days that your body makes adaptations and gets stronger. If you run every day you don't give your body time to adapt.
Sorry that all sounds rather negative; I plan to start by aiming to walk for 20 minutes 5x a week; then build up to 30 -45 minutes, then increase speed and maybe then I'll be ready to plan for a 5K unless anyone has any better ideas - Id be so grateful for any advice.
Once you've got your walk up to 45 mins, then try popping in a few very short pick ups in speed towards slow jogging pace... perhaps no more than 4 or 5 paces to start with, and like the walking, slowly increase the quantity and duration... once you are jogging slowly for perhaps 30 secs, then have a go at C25K
The secret IMO of succesful C25K is to do it at YOUR pace, not the pace that someone else thinks is right... if that is a jog that is just a bit faster than walking, then that is absolutely the right pace for you.... as many of the posts above have said, the biggest single cause of failure (besides just giving up through lack of determination!!!!) is getting injured or overly sore/painful from trying to do too much too soon... even the elite athlets take rest days, and at the very top level, will train hard for a few hours and then do absolutely nothing at all for the rest of the day, not even get up of the chair to cook a meal!... most of us don't have that luxury, so have to be even more mindful of the importance of pacing ourselves and taking rest.
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> The secret IMO of succesful C25K is to do it at YOUR pace, not the pace that someone else thinks is right... if that is a jog that is just a bit faster than walking, then that is absolutely the right pace for you.... as many of the posts above have said, the biggest single cause of failure (besides just giving up through lack of determination!!!!) is getting injured or overly sore/painful from trying to do too much too soon... even the elite athlets take rest days, and at the very top level, will train hard for a few hours and then do absolutely nothing at all for the rest of the day, not even get up of the chair to cook a meal!... most of us don't have that luxury, so have to be even more mindful of the importance of pacing ourselves and taking rest.
I feel in pain pretty much half way through every jog. I don't know if it's because of my shoes (which hopefully I will replace soon); my lack of consistency between speed of jog, the concrete terrain, the weight of my body on my legs.
Referring back to a previous post; if I was to tone down my daily jogs to say 3 lunch time jogs a week. What should I be doing on the other days?
E.g.
Mon -> jog (4-5K)
Tue -> ?
Wed -> Jog (4-5K)
Thu -> ?
Fri -> jog (4-5K)
Sat -> Long (casual) walk
Sun -> Rest?
Also does anyone advise getting a devices like a fitbit for tracking and monitoring my fitness?
Better to still be running in 3 months, than injured in the next 3 weeks...
patience is really important here until your body develops the strength and resilience to cope... those tendons and muscles have a lot of tightening up and strengthening to do!
It will get easier... if you really desperately need to do something on some of your rest days, go swimming... but I would seriously try and take the rest for a few months until you have got used to the effort and the weight is coming off.
On the Fitbit front, I am addicted to data, so not impartial, but I track everything and love it all... and find it very motivating... but not everyone does.
Did I'd my first full 5k yesterday in just over 35mins. Probably sounds pretty pathetic to some but considering I was 19st 7lbs at new year and couldn't run for 2 minutes, now I've managed to lose 2st 10lbs and can cover 5k in 35 mins I'm over the moon!!
I think the Fitbit gives you small victories and less you look back and see how much you have come on.
I'm already thinking of doing my local 10k in December lol
I wish to get to a point where I can do my (4-5K) jogging route from start to finish without stopping. Currently it takes me around 40-45minutes with at least 3 stops in between. I think it sounds trivial but I guess I'm being hard on myself.
I think I will look at investing in a fitbit. I want something small and reliable to track my health. It sounds like a promising gadget.
I've read in various blogs / websites that for women a sports bra is important.
Steady progress is better than an all out assault - just to reiterate what others have said, getting injured will set you back a lot further than easing up and taking the longer route. Cycling is good cross training, as is just walking.
As for the bra - us ladies have ligaments which support our boobs (or should) and a bra is essential to stop them stretching. For you lads, there's not the same structure, so just go with what is comfortable. Underarmour is good, but getting it on and off can be quite challenging.........
Im coming up for 3 stone loss now, I was 19stone new year! I'd say running has been the reason for most of my weight loss
I am waiting for this injury to go away.
Mum completly new here and have zero experience with running, except for about 3 years ago when I attempted c25K and struggled to even get past the first day! I'm 23 and have struggled with various health conditions -asthma, anaemia, vitamin D deficiency, depression, anxiety and sciatica! But I really want to improve my health and would love to start running.
I've read a few posts of people saying to start doing 60 seconds or so running which I don't think I could do if my life depended on it! I get so out of breath and get this burning feeling in my lungs and feel like I'm going to collapse after about 20 seconds! Is this normal? Does anyone have any advice? Xx