I am a "Runner in Training" ;)

Posted on January 21, 2015

1 day (recently) out of the blue I sat up, put on my sweats and went for a walk. I did the same the next day, and the next (I was feeling very wierd by now, cos this is SO NOT ME, to go out and do ANY kind of excecise. The most exercise I normally get in a day is moving my fingers and typing on the internet :P). I was now walking almost every day for a week! WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED TO ME!?!?!?

And then 1 day (about a week into my daily walking) I said to myself, What if I tried to run, just a bit? And I did. Not for a long distance by any means but I quite enjoyed it, oddly?!?! (I HATE running).

I always told myself that I hate running, I hate how running feels, all the jumping and jiggling...urggghhhh. But then I did it again, for a short distance....WHAAAT?!?! I was actually very confused inside my head: "I hate running, so why am I doing this and actually enjoying myself???"

I got home and researched just a bit, how to start running, and then one of our fellow DietBetter suggested that I try 1 minute running and 1 minute walking for 20 minutes. Ok, so Sunday (last 18/01/15) I went out and tried that. OH BOY! It was hard!!! But I kind of pushed through, jogging only a fraction faster than walking, but i did it.

So when I got home I looked up on YouTube on "How to start running" and came across a thing called C25K (Couch to 5 kilometers). And I though this sounds doable. I am currently on the couch and yes, I would like to be able to RUN 5k.

So I surfed the net (again great workout for my fingers ;) ) and came across some podcasts, which is the C25K program in 9 weeks with music and prompts for every seperate week, telling me exactly when to walk and when to run.

General C25K page I am using for info: http://www.c25k.com/

Podcasts: http://www.c25k.com/podcasts.htm

So I have downloaded all of them and I am doing week 1 at the moment (day 2 finished).

Practically it is that you run 3 days (well, walk and run) a week, and 1st week is 5 min warm up, with a brisk walk, then 60 seconds of running and then 90 seconds walking and then again 60 seconds of running and so on, for 8 cycles. And then you finish with a 5 min cooldown walk. Total of 30 minutes every other day. I also do a 45 min moderate pace walk on the days I don't run/walk. I builds stamina :)

And to my great suprise I am actually enjoying these run/walks and I am looking forward to them, I would have NEVER thought I would enjoy running.

Not too sure what the next week holds, or how hard it will be. But it is ok, I can ALWAYS repeat a week, if I am not ready, which I love about this. I will do what I can.

I am sure I CAN DO IT! And so can YOU!

xxx

Comment Now!

Bogdan P.

08/03/2022 2:28PM

Hi,We live in a world where health is very important, especially when we work from home and barely get to go outside. A very interesting article and a beneficial initiative for health! Bravo! I, in addition to trying to do sports and lose a few kilograms, also try the product from Exipure - https://bit.ly/3zsxePu. I hope it helps you too! Good luck!

Jeff

01/28/2018 5:03PM

You are on a great course and can achieve whatever you want. In 2005 my wife started doing the same thing. After three kids and an extra 50 lbs., she was determined to become a healthier person. She started the same way as you, and in 2007 joined a local run club. She lost the weight, discovered she loved running and continued because she felt great. She stuck with it and in 2013 ran the Boston Marathon. I love her story because she never set out to become a runner; she simply started doing something to improve her health, and one thing lead to another. There is an exciting adventure ahead for you.

WhiteStar

08/30/2016 5:35PM

Many moons ago, I used to run. Enjoyed every minute of it. Don't know when I stopped, but I am going to try the C25K. After so many years, I need to start of slow.

Laura

01/22/2015 5:52AM

C25K is awesome and I plan doing it for the next 9 weeks too (starting this evening as I just yesterday joined a gym and I want to do it on the treadmill rather than outside). I used to hate running, and then the fact I couldn't do it bothered me and being the competitive person I am, I signed up to some runs and went through the C25K programme. I stopped running when my knee popped during an 11 mile run preparing for the New York Marathon. I never made the marathon and have since piled on the pounds. I'm resigned to the fact that I'll probably never run more than 10k again as I don't want to injure myself like that again, but my overwhelming motivation now is to be able to just run, like our bodies are supposed to. Watching my son develop (he's almost 2) and seeing him learn to run, jump, roll etc makes me sad for my lack of mobility at my current weight. My aim now is to be able to run, skip, hop, cartwheel or whatever fun things I feel like!

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Ruby541

01/22/2015 5:06AM

I never used to be a runner either. I did an outdoor boot camp a while ago and he would make us run laps in a parking lot. That got me going then I kept it up, now it's nothing to run 3.5mls 5 days a week. I agree, you can do it!

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Maria P.

01/21/2015 8:26PM

awesome...I started walking this time last year and after I was down quite a few lbs, I thought 'hey, i'm walking about as quickly as i can...what if I just ran down this block?!' and I didn't die. psh, could have pushed me over with a feather. :) Good luck, I also want to be able to run a whole 5k :) Good luck on your progress!

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Ali

01/21/2015 3:42PM

Isn't it funny how something you always hated and never thought you could enjoy can one day become something you WANT to do?! I was the same with running. I always believed I hated it and couldn't run for more than a minute without feeling like I might die. Now I love it. I just ran a marathon! Keep up the great work and you'll be running that 5k in no time!!

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Antonieta R.

01/21/2015 1:54PM

Love this post! Yay! More runners in training :D I started C25K twice and finally the third time I tried it I finally made it through. I ran my official 5K last month and it felt awesome! I have pledged to run one every month this year. We'll see how that goes. Have a great run!

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Jocey

01/21/2015 1:19PM

Awesome! I wouldn't call myself a runner...but I do run, so I suppose that I am one...? Anyways, that annoying jiggle will go away as you lose weight. As I was on my treadmill today, I noticed for the first time that there was a definite lack of jiggle in my back and butt region - it felt amazing!

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Hedi S.

If you run, you are a runner ;) I run ( a minute at a time) I am a runner :P

Hazel

01/21/2015 12:01PM

C25K sounds interesting! Just found an app...going for a run now! Thanks for a good read! :)

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