This is a 'weekly' post for the runners of LoseIt. All levels of runners are welcome, from beginners just starting Couch to 5K (r/C25K) to experienced seasoned ultra marathoners. This is a place to come and post an update on your progress, ask questions, share advice, celebrate victories (NSVs), and complain when you are facing challenges and injury.
The post is most for the posting of a weekly status or run reports. Ran this week -- let us know! First time running -- share how it went! Got in a good week of training -- what was your volume (km/miles)? Finished a week of C25K -- which week? How did that go!?
This is a supposed to be a weekly post for the runners of LoseIt. I've been remiss in getting these posts out but it's temporary. I've either failed to post a composed message or been just so busy early in the week that this didn't go out. Sorry folks, I know how motivating this weekly post can be. It helped me stay on track sharing here. That's why I've kept it going.
In addition to the weekly check-in, I also ramble on about some topic related to running and the LoseIt community. This week -- when is it safe for you to start running?
When to start running?
I think a lot of people start their journey here with little fitness and are at a weight where they aren't sure if they should run or not. That's two issues, really. Am I fit enough to run? Will my body tolerate me running?
FYI - this is not medical advice, this is simply a topic of discussion here where I plan to share experience and encourage others to share. Hopefully this will encourage people who could run but don't because they feel they aren't fit enough or are worried their bodies can't handle it.
Am I fit enough to run?
Everyone comes to this question from a different place. That place is almost always, "Not yet." Likely you will need to ramp up slowly, suffer immensely, and embrace the slog to get to running level fitness.
Here's how I arrived at running fitness. I started my journey completely sedentary. I did some weekend walking/hiking. My weekly step count was under 25,000 . I can tell you right now if I had tried to run at the beginning of this at 355 lbs and a multi-decade couch potato -- I would not have done much running ever.
I started by talking with my doctor about being more active. My doc cleared me to do what I can do without fear of heart or breathing problems besides being way out of shape. I said I would start with walking and he was on-board with that. So I walked, aiming for 10,000 steps a day. I got there pretty quickly.
At that point if I had tried to run, me at a daily 10K step activity level, I'm pretty sure I would have had a very challenging time with it. But I didn't start there. I ramped up my walking to doing 60-120 minutes six days a week of some exercise. Lots of treadmill incline walking. Lots of outside walking. Some elliptical. Some biking. Some circuit stuff.
By the time I started running I was doing an hour or more of brutal, sweat pour off me, exercise just about everyday. I started to do a running treadmill warm-up as part of these routines. And after months of tough workouts doing steep treadmilling and hard resistance/fast elliptical work, running was still damn hard. It took me many weeks of running 3 then 4 then 5 minutes to get to where I could start a workout with a 10 minute run without issue. From the first 10K step day to the point where a run wasn't a challenge was 6 months.
Much like losing weight - this running thing takes time. You chip away at it each workout. You can't cram for running fitness (well, most of us can't). You need to progress at this perhaps at 30 seconds or 1 minute of running at a time. See Couch to 5K training plans for a great way to proceed.
For those at a very low level of fitness like I was when I started but who want to wade right in, I suggest looking at the week -1, week 0, and week 0.5 for Couch to 5K. These can help you get there even more gently --
From the r/C25K FAQ --
Week -1: Do a 5-minute warm-up walk. Run 30 seconds, walk 60 seconds. Repeat the run and walk. Do a 5-minute cooldown walk.
Week 0: Do a 5-minute warm-up walk. Run 45 seconds, walk 90 seconds. repeat 3 times. Do a 5-minute cooldown walk.
Complete each of the above 3 times in a single week and then, either a) move onto week 1 or b) complete "Week 0.5" below
Week 0.5: Do a 5-minute warm-up walk. Run 60 seconds, walk 90 seconds, repeat 4 times. Do a 5-minute cooldown walk.
Will my body tolerate me running?
Running is an impact exercise. People know it. Lots of people say to me when I tell them I run, "But what about your poor knees?!?" My knees are just fine. They don't ache with me pounding out the miles. But I didn't arrive here on day one.
You will need to decide if this running thing is something you are up for -- and then commit to it. It may require you to do more than just running. You might need to stretch. Do strength work. Go very slowly. Wear comfy trainers/sneakers. Or all of these.
As I was ramping up my walking to 10K daily steps, I will say that my knees didn't like it. My right knee felt oftentimes like it was going to give out. Bend the wrong way or something. This went away with the treadmill and other exercise. After a few months, I didn't feel any discomfort.
Then I started to run and wow I ran into knee discomfort, not really pain but more ache, right off. If I ran too much or back-to-back days my right knee complained. So, I backed off right as I got to the point where I could run 10 minutes without a problem for my warm-up.
Everything I read told me that what I was really experiencing was imbalances and weakness in my muscles. Tight quads, loose stretched hamstrings, lazy AF glutes, and weak hips. So, I started to do leg work, one-legged stuff, squats, deadlifts, step-ups, lunges, and balance work. It corrected all the issues I had with running.
But what about weight? Well, I didn't run at my top weight. I more or less have run between 220 - 245 lbs / 100-110 kg. At 6' and a 48 yo male, I handled running fine in terms of the impact -- as long as did some leg work to keep all the leg muscles engaged and ready to run. (I'm running at the top of that range now in terms of weight and I'm older, still handling it.)
I feel now, had I been prudent I would have run at 300lbs without a problem. It would have been slow, it would have been hard, but I would have been able to do it without hurting myself by being prudent.
Ready to Run?
If your doctor says you can exercise and you are willing to be prudent and listen to your body -- I'd try running.
Here's what I would suggest --
- Do the C25K program.
- If running is very, very hard or you worry it will be then do the extra pre-program weeks above.
- Go SLOW.
- Even slower.
- Learn to squat deeply, with good form, and do some 1-legged bodyweight exercises. Just 15-20 minutes of exercises a couple days a week.
- Stretch -- not before a run, but after a walk or another workout. If nothing else, do a couch stretch every other day.
What about running form, expensive shoes, and all this other stuff?
Once you are running 20-30 minutes straight three times a week -- then worry about this other stuff. If you ease into running, go slow, follow a plan like C25K -- it's mostly about you putting in the regular runs than whether you can tolerate it or have the fitness.
Can you take it slow? Can you follow the training plan? Can you tolerate slow improvement? Can you resist the urge to do too much too soon? Then you will do just fine!
Weekly Check In
How did your week go? Get in the miles/kms you wanted? Run for the first time? Finish a week of C25K? Are you on the mend taking time off from running? Let us know. And if you have questions for the runner of LoseIt -- ask away. You'll get lots of good advice and experience here.
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