And then some!! I'm 43 years old, not overweight, but not fit either. I've always harboured a secret desire to run, but every time I try it I get out of breath by the time I get to the end of the street, and give up after a few days.
Is there hope for me?
M
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Absolutely possible, the trick is not to over estimate yourself in the very early days.
Can you walk for 30 mins at a fairly brisk pace? If so:
do it & get an idea of how far you've covered,
keep a very simple record of each session (date, distance, time route)
give yourself a few days off then do the same route again, aim to walk briskly again,
next time find a part of the route you feel comfortable breaking into a light jog then return to brisk walking (try not to stop)
next time same again, try a second short jog
keep the pattern up
when you look back at your record you'll see you've started to cover ground you couldn't before
and so it goes on
Also although I know it's really daunting, try to find a local short race (5k) or fun run that you can join in, book your place early so you know what you're aiming.
Most importantly enjoy yourself & don't beat yourself up if you don't always get out when you meant to
Good luck
Look for the thread entitled,'I have been running for 3 months but now feel less fit than when I started'
You will find that there isn't one!
Give it a minimum of 12 weeks(Nick's advice is spot on for you)and you will not believe how far you have progressed.
Stick with the wonderful advice on this and all the other similar threads and you will soon improve. When you need motivation, look in the threads as well!
We have all been there!
Problem was, I'd been trying to sprint. When I decided that, dammit, I was going to do the London Marathon supposing I walked it all, I went to the gym and the fellow who did my induction put me on the treadmill, turned it up to a massive 5mph, and told me to jog at that speed. Revelation! I did half a mile alternating 4mph/5mph that day and knew that running wasn't out of my reach. Three weeks later I did my first isolated 10-minute mile on the treadmill. Within three months I could string several of them together. Then got injured, but that's another story! Did that marathon, never lost the bug and have just started to include races in my training.
Brisk walks including some hills are a good starting point for basic fitness. Swimming and cycling will help too. But ultimately the only way to run is to start slow and teach yourself to run.
Keep posting. Your progress matters to us!
Cheers, V-rap.
Morag
Lots of people here started in exactly the same position as you. You really can do it just like the rest of us have. The advice above really does work
My boyfriend refuses to come out running with me or to the gym and use the treadmill, and he says it is because he doesn't enjoy it. Rubbish.
The real reason is because he wants to be 'Mr. Gold Medal Athlete' immediately, even though he doesn't exercise at all.
'Slow and steady wins the race' (am I using too many old sayings here?).
I started off walk/run a couple of months ago and I'm 30. I can now make a run last for 45 minutes, but would take a walk break if I needed to.
My boyfriend, at age 29, sits on his bottom and does nothing because he has to either be immediately fit enough to compete in a marathon or he will feel a failure.
I think it is the thought that he used to be so fit and do cross country all those years ago at school.
That doesn't mean that he, or you for that matter, should be able to do it all now.
As I always tell him, and anyone who will listen 'better to do a few minutes of something than a few minutes of nothing'.
Keep going walk/run/walk/run and one day you'll be posting on here that you did run/run. Well done for taking the first steps anyway!
Your post strikes a chord. My beloved (37) was 'inspired' by my running enthusiasm and invested in a pair of Asics and took off along the tow path flat out as far as he could go. He got back somehow, hurt like hell, left it for a week, did the same again... And then came out with the classic 'but I'm no good at running' as an excuse for not going again. I (calmly) pointed out advantages of run/walk etc as listed above but apparently that's for girls. To his credit, he went out for a third time yesterday (after a two week break) and seems no worse for it today, so maybe there's hope for him!
My bloke had a spat of going to the gym 4 times pw before his holidays, and that is how I know that he kills himself determined to be Mr. Ultrafit.
10% incline fast walking and 10kmph running, and that was on his first session! Plus weights.
No wonder he got put off going again since he got back from the holiday.
If all you see from exercise is knackering yourself out and aching limbs (his shoulders kept him up all night for a couple of days) then it is never going to fun.
Alas, there is no telling them, is there? He still thinks I'm weird for enjoying running and looking forward to it, even though I've explained why he hates it so much and why I love it. He's a Leo - arrogant, so there's no reasoning with him! ha ha
This is why I've advised the absolute beginner to learn from my bloke's silly mistakes and take it easy at first.
The first time we all had to learn to walk first (those nappies made it difficult!) It's amazing that everybody initially forgets how long it took to get to those days of running fast that most of us think were yesterday. At least the second time around it takes a lot less time but only if... we take it slooooowly
On your advice, first week of walk/run scenario successfully completed - and I managed it without feeling as though I was going to peg out at any second!
I just want to say that all the advice the other have given is absolutely spot on! As you can see from your first week of walk/run.
Like many of the others here, I started "running" 3 years ago (I was 38, very unfit & very fat - 5'5" and 14st 4lb!)and I couldn't even walk briskly for 1 minute! I've been Shambling (I can't really call it running) ever since and I really love it, also I'm now 10st 5lb! I don't go fast but, on a good Sunday I have been known to keep going for just under 2½ hours!
Really - if I ca do it - ANYONE can do it!
Happy Shambling!
Well done you, I'm really pleased it went well for you
Nick
Beth x
So how was week 2?
Good for you! (And it is good for you, too).
Keep up the good work, Morag. I'm no great shakes as a runner - hence the name - but I just love it!
Happy Shambler!
meerkat x
Just back from a week's holiday - I exchanged damp and misty Scotland for damp and misty Ireland!! Kept up the next week of the schedule while I was there (run 3 minutes, then walk) and that was fine, but yesterday when I tried 4 minutes, I was absolutely dreadful. I managed to do it three times instead of five, then gave up and walked home.
Or maybe you were just having an off day. You're allowed!
I haven't timed my run:walk sessions, I just run 'til I start to feel a bit out of breath, then I walk until it comes back again. It seems to be working as I can run further than I could this time last week!