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AIBU?

4 months to be able to run?

26 replies

Pinkbutton85 · 22/02/2019 09:18

I'm unfit. Really, extremely unfit. I'm going on holiday to Majorca in 4 months and I have a dream/vision/goal to be able to wake up as the sun is rising and go for a jog along the seafront.

Back to the I-am-so-unfit...

I have a gym membership, a treadmill at home and I live between the beach and the ashdown forest. So lots of options to get out and about.

I just don't know where to start. Couch to 5K maybe? Or something similar?

Is this even a realistic goal?

Thanks!

OP posts:
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Furrydogmum · 22/02/2019 09:20

C25k is great! Crack on with it now and you'll be ready for sunrise jogging in no time 👍

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MissKittyBeaudelais · 22/02/2019 09:22

Couch25K. Excellent.

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StrongerThanIThought76 · 22/02/2019 09:22

C25K is ace! Careful though, you might just catch the running bug.... Smile

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CMOTDibbler · 22/02/2019 09:23

C25K is the way to go - in 9 weeks you'll be able to run for 30 minutes at a time.

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MaggieAndHopey · 22/02/2019 09:25

Deffo a realistic goal. People can train for half marathons in that time! Never tried couch to 5k myself but have heard great things about it. Good luck!

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Moltenpink · 22/02/2019 09:25

Race at your pace is also good. I did 25 miles across January and went from not being able to run a mile, to doing 5k (stop start but still proud!). Got a medal and running top at the end, sign up fee was £14.

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Teateaandmoretea · 22/02/2019 09:26

Start c25k. I didn't catch the running bug though still hate it and am rubbish at it and much prefer my beautiful bike but its efficient for keeping fit in the winter..... The programme is meant to take 8 weeks it took me longer because I got stuck at 2 miles - parkrun in the end forced me up to 5k.

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Dixiechickonhols · 22/02/2019 09:26

There is an nhs app for couch to 5k. About to start it myself.

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Pinkbutton85 · 22/02/2019 09:55

Brilliant, thank you. I will give C25K a go!

OP posts:
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lastqueenofscotland · 22/02/2019 09:58

C25k is excellent. Get some decent trainers and sports bra before or it can be a miserable experience

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lurkingfromhome · 22/02/2019 10:04

Also, worth noting that by far the hardest part of running is getting to the point where you can run for 30 minutes. After that you've done the ground work and anything more than that is just about building stamina.

C25k is amazing. It will get you there in 9 weeks and after that you can spend the remaining time either getting faster, getting fitter, running further, or just maintaining that base fitness and running 5k a few times a week, whatever works best for you. Who knows, you might end up addicted and doing your first half-marathon ...

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Blackbear10 · 22/02/2019 10:11

Run, Zombies is really a good app for starting to run! They do a c25k/beginners app you download first which will take you to being able to run 5k then you can download the main app which gives you lots of different runs and stories. It has made me want to run!

It is an amazing little app if like me you don’t particularly enjoy running, Although if you don’t like the idea of zombies and running to a story mixed with your music then maybe give it a pass.

They even do virtual races with medals and I’m doing my first in April! ConfusedGrin

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Imustbemad00 · 22/02/2019 10:39

Has anyone got any advice? I’ve never got past the bit where you run for 5 mins doing c25k. I just can’t do it. Don’t have the stamina. I can’t breathe, sweating, dizzy and legs hurt.
This time round it’s hurting my knees so I’ve had to stop altogether and I’m only on week 2 Sad

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AskMeHow · 22/02/2019 10:51

Imustbemad00

Slow down. Honestly. Barely above walking pace is fine. You shouldn't be feeling like you're exerting yourself so much you can't breathe. A slow jog is very acceptable! Speed will come in time.

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Imustbemad00 · 22/02/2019 10:55

I don’t go fast. I’m just really unfit. Not massively overweight either (11.7 stone). On the treadmill a pace of anything over 7 means I can’t breathe after 1 or 2 minutes.

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TimeIhadaNameChange · 22/02/2019 11:02

Imustbemad00 - I agree with Ask - SLOW down!

I'm assuming you mean 7km/h, which is about 4.3 mph. Go down to 5 and see if that's any better, if not, try 4.

The other thing would be to go to your doctor and ask about exercise asthma. I have asthma, and know that if I go about 5.5mph I can no longer control my breathing. I'm better than I was, due to being given better inhalers, but I still have a trigger speed which sets me off. So I just keep slow and steady. It might be worth investigating, though.

As for OP, definitely do C25K. Best fun ever, IMO! I went from Couch to a half marathon in 11 months.

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CatandtheFiddle · 22/02/2019 11:36

Have a look at the running threads in the Exercise forum.

Get decent shoes and a good sports bra and make sure you stretch - or go to your gym for Pilates or yoga classes or even Body Balance.

The principle of C25K is that you do intervals of walking and running. So you can just do that yourself

5 mins brisk walk warm up
Then 30 secs running/ 30 secs walking

Repeat for 20 mins

Then 5 min walk cool down.

Do this every other day over a week and have a rest day.

Then in the second week up the running to a minute each time, alternated with a
Minutes walking.

And so on. I’m sure others more expert than me will give you better walk/run ratios.

But That’s the basic principle. I do a similar thing on the treadmill but with increasing speed - 30 secs on runnning at 10kph, then 30 secs off. Each minute I increase the speed by 1 notch - although I’m not that fast - the fastest I’ve ever managed is 20 secs at 16kph.

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JellyBaby666 · 22/02/2019 12:14

Totally realistic. I did C25K a few years ago as an ardent non-runner, and I genuinely surprised myself by being able to run AND enjoy it! Worked my way up to a half marathon! What's nice is that some days I needed to repeat, and you can do that, you're totally in control! And then I lost lost all running mojo and have to now go all the way back to needing C25K again because I got incredibly lazy

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Geekster1963 · 22/02/2019 15:55

Yes it's realistic, I highly recommend the couch to 5k nine week programme it really works. I did it five years ago and I've never looked back and still enjoy running.

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Teateaandmoretea · 22/02/2019 20:06

Has anyone got any advice? I’ve never got past the bit where you run for 5 mins doing c25k. I just can’t do it. Don’t have the stamina. I can’t breathe, sweating, dizzy and legs hurt.

I dont think everyone is an equal runner, I am truly and utterly awful despite being a semi-reasonable club cyclist. I had some athletics coach trying to tell me it must be because I was going too fast, I don't think so 😂😂😂

I would repeat the weeks until you feel more comfortable, it took me longer than 9 weeks. Also try park run and do intervals/ what you are comfortable with some people do that really slowly Smile

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JellyBaby666 · 23/02/2019 23:31

I just wanted to add to this that my knee couldn’t tolerate running the whole distance for a while, and so I continued the run/walk pattern, using the Jeff Galloway method of planned walk breaks. A really supportive Facebook group ‘girls who Jeff’

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babysharkah · 23/02/2019 23:53

C25k is great but I have never completed it. I'm very fit, strong and physically fit, I do HIIT and CrossFit 6 tines a week, but I can't fucking run. C25k has got me up to a 20 min slow jog after about 6 tries..

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Teateaandmoretea · 24/02/2019 10:37

I think the key babyshark is to maintain it, feel pleased that despite not bring a runner you can run 2m (which most people can't) and then step up to 2.5 then 3m a couple of months later.

I've just been out and waddled 5k at 11 minute miles, terrible Grin but I can still run better than I could in my teens which I actually think is amazing Smile

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MissKittyBeaudelais · 24/02/2019 10:50

I repeated weeks 1/2/3/4 for months, lost 22lbs, felt great anever finished the programme as such. Ar 57, I knew what was do-able for me. It works very well and got me moving.

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MissKittyBeaudelais · 24/02/2019 10:51

Typos 😐

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