To not be able to run…

[ManchesterBeatrice]

I'll pre-face this by saying that I have tried the couch to 5K, but that didn't work out for me.

I have full gym membership, and access to treadmills, there are plenty available.

But I just can't run!

It's almost like I feel extremely heavy when I try, I weigh 9 stone, So not carrying lots of extra weight, but I just can't get the breath right.

What am I missing? Is there some kind of secret Runner's trick! I just can't seem to run, and I'd really love to be able to, as it's such a great way to lose weight, and keep weight off Physically when I don't have access to the gym.

Can anyone share their success stories of learning to successfully run on the treadmill, and then being able to take that outside to running outdoors.

When I was a size 10-12-14 (I'm almost six foot) and two decades younger I was determined to be able to run a mile. I could just about but hated every second. I walked three miles to and back from work, did aerobics, lifted weights - I was in good shape, but just could not get running! I'd still want to be able to do it and next pay day am thinking of getting a walking pad (you can jog on it).
I guess there are plenty of other things I could do, but somehow being able to run, even if just a mile, is an important goal.

Run on soft ground or paths. It’s harder work, but much easier on the body. Go slow. I prefer the Nike app with is tutorials

Also... the c2 5k is really a c2 30 mins. I find it very hard to keep up the pace to run 5k in 30 mins.

Freya Active is your friend

I have been using the NHS app. Are there any better, more motivating apps? It's a beautiful day in London and there are runners sailing by me with swishy ponytails😁

I am also the same! One day I set off to do a run, barely made it a km before I gave up but I went home, got changed, reset and ran 6K.

I can't drink before a run and I also can't run on a minimal amount of calories so it is hard trying to lose weight and increase my running. However I am in the normal weight range, I just want to lose more because I think I look and I definitely feel better for it. Plus a lighter weight is good for running but not for lifting weights which I also want to get better at.

Take short steps!
Honestly, it was a game changer for me when someone pointed that out. Often when people try to run slowly, they keep their longer stride length and try to just take fewer steps per minute. That way of trying to run more slowly definitely made me feel heavy and "ploddy".

Aim for around 160-180 steps per minute (around 3 steps per second).
Even if it's just tiny steps to start with, as you get fitter you can increase your stride length and, voila!, you're running a lot faster.

Think of it like a car - keep your engine revs steady (3 steps per second) and just change gear (stride length). Short steps again for uphills and longer ones for flat/downhill.

Also be aware of your posture. You should land with your weight directly over your leading foot. If you're too far back, you're effectively using your landing leg as a brake and that will knacker your knees.
Also keep your head upright, not ducked forwards. Heads are super heavy and you'll make life harder than necessary by having to counterbalance a tilted head, particularly with the additional acceleration forces while running.

Good luck with it! And let us know how you're getting on.

I joined a local running group in Jan. Zero to Heroes. The aim is to be able to run 5k after 12 weeks at our local parkrun. The programme is based on the c25k one. One of the best things I've ever done, and I completed parkrun 2 weeks ago in 37.35 mins. Not bad for a 56 year old with dodgy knees who hates running. Trick now is to keep it up!

I used to run, but I can't any more. I just end up with shin/knee/hip pain and so it's just not worth the risk any more. I exercise every day though, and like walking and cycling.

I do miss running though as I was quite good at it before the injuries.

Someone once said running is always recommended as being great and a universal cure-all by people who are good at it. Like dancing, or art.

I just felt constantly humiliated by not 'being better' and not enjoying it. Like I was dysfunctional in some way.

I love singing, and believe that most people can sing, even if they think they can't. However, I no longer say that, having been told by the swishy ponytail brigade 'oh everyone can run. You just have to go slower, do the C25K app, breathe, find a good route, do park run, etc'.

I’m rubbish at it. Very slow, would never do park run etc. or run with others. But it’s still good for me. But each to their own: I’d never cycle for fitness

Cycling takes too long for the amount of calories burned! Running is very good in that regard, but not worth the anguish.

I do swimming and heavy weights.

What was it about C25K that wasn't working for you?

I agree with everyone that says slow down! But just wanted to add my story here too

I could never run, even as a kid, I walked round the cross country routes and painfully ran the last bit to finish. I couldn't understand why anyone would even WANT to run, or why some people did it by choice.

In my 30s some colleagues were talking about doing a fun run and I have no idea why but I decided to sign up, despite not being able to run at all. I found a training plan similar to C25K and started to religiously follow it 4 days a week - I was OK on the first week but had to repeat the second two and realised I was going too fast on the run parts!
Then I found a local weekly running group with a beginner's group following a similar plan so I signed up to that - it was great running with others in a simlar position. Made it to the end and did the fun run without stopping, and loved the atmosphere of the day so much I decided to carry on and see if I could run 10k! I graduated from the beginner's running group amd joined the main one, amd was amazed that even though I'm not the fasted I am also not the slowest and could actually keep up with some of the people who I thought of as "proper runners".

At the start I had joined a couple of forums for beginner runners and everyone was really encouraging and in the same position, and every time someone posted about their acheivements it spurred me on to think I could do it too.

Now over 10 years later I'm running 20-30 miles per week and have done 3 half marathons (official ones, I regularly do the distance just for fun and did so yesterday!). I love running - it's my "me time", better than meditation for me.

I'm really not keen on the treadmill although I'll use it as a last resort in REALLY bad weather. Infind it locks me into a speed instead of feeling it intuitively, and my hips always hurt after a treadmill run too.

The best advice I had -
Get some decent shoes (have an assessment at a running shop if you can)
Get a proper training plan
Slow down
Find others in the same boat - be it a beginner's running club or a Facebook group, or better still - both!

Another slow runner here. I don't measure my speed, don't take a phone or have an app or anything to monitor my 'progress'. I run for me, at my speed. I always thought I couldn't run until I gave it a go past the age of 50 when I suddenly realised I give not a single shit about times. Keeping hold of your breath is key, which means slowing down.

I tried to do couch to five k on a treadmill when I was postpartum and I gave up on day 2. It's really hard, and I say that as I head out to run a half marathon right now training for whichever marathon I'm up to, lost count. I can't run on a treadmill for more than two minutes and if I do walk intervals I just give up. Get good shoes and a good bra, slow down, go to parkrun, walk, find someone to have an interesting conversation with and jog really really slowly with them. Then have cake.

I don’t think I’m a “good” runner. It takes me about 40 minutes to do 5k, a long run for me is about 7.5, and I did 10 once and it nearly killed me. I would always have said it wasn’t for me. But I took it up in lockdown because I had to get out of the house, and it saved me. I had goals, fresh air, time alone, a sense of achievement…. I hope I never have to give up now. You don’t have to be good to get something out of it and for it to be worth doing.

I'm not a good runner. Fastest ever was 26 minute 5k but I'm usually between 28 and 30 minutes. Furthest I've done is 12k because I just get bored. Don't fancy park run because the whole point of running for me, is to be alone. I do strength classes with people though. I do function better after exercise.

I'm not a good singer or instrument player either, but doing it makes me happy. And makes my family go out😄

Like many others have said, take it slower. I always say to beginners that if you're running faster than a shuffle you're probably going too fast.

I ran!

Slowly, but I ran! Well jogged really.

90 seconds fast walk then jogged for 60 secs, then 45 secs walk and jogged for 80, and did that for 20 mins.

Thanks everyone 🥰

Find a gentle slope, should be something you wouldn't much notice while walking but definitely there. Walk up the slope. Run down. It's so much more fun. I used to walk / run laps in my local park - walk up hill along the paved path, run downhill through the woods. It feels wonderful to run through the trees with the sun shining, listening to music, and I didn't get distracted by being completely bloody knackered after 20 steps. No idea if there's any health benefit to running downhill, probably not. But at least I was enjoying myself, getting outside, doing something vaguely active. I've also tried couch to 5k, I did see some improvement in the first few weeks but couldn't make it to the end, don't think I even got beyond 3 minutes of running at a time. Not my thing at all.

Breathe in through your nose slowly, breathe back out through your mouth for longer, keep it consistent and it’ll help.

Also podcast over music I find helps.

Great thread and I've learned so much. I am very fit from endurance cycling but it takes a lot of time. Love brisk walking and now I do Parkrun every week but have a real love/hate relationship with it. Hate it while doing the run but I love the end and my achievement. It's quite a fast one here so I run majority of it on my own and that's just fine with me. I know who is normally ahead of me and who's behind me and when the faster people lap me, I know longer feel intimidated and just continue on my way to the end. I was really interested in the Japanese slow running video and going to try it on my next run. Slow is my new mo 😊

Why are lots of people saying breathe in through your nose?
I've never heard of it being a thing to do except in yoga type activites. How do you get enough oxygen into your system if you are doing anything above a very gentle walk/jog?

I can't run either, even though I do want to and try occasionally. My main issue is my heart rate gets too high (as per the alarms on my watch). When I try to do intervals, my HR spikes quickly, and takes ages to come down, the next time I jog, it spikes even quicker than the last time. I suppose if I ran more regularly, it would get better, but it does scare me a little, especially as I run alone.
I am conscious of jogging slowly, but after watching that video that a PP posted, I could go slower, so maybe that's worth a try. I definitely can't talk while running.

Other issue is shin pain and achilles pain, but I know I have tight calves, so I know I need to fix that and I have all the physio exercises to do so, I've just got to do it.

I second this.

At the age of 60+, I've finally been diagnosed with patella alta. My consultant has told me not to run.

I walk as briskly as possible. In the gym, I now have the treadmill up to 6km and hour whilst walking. My weight is beginning to shift down the way.