shhh.. don't tell anyone .. but I have fallen in love with running. My next goal is a 10 min mile. I'm currently doing 11.19 so I have a ways to go. If any of you are interested in getting started may I suggest the Nike chip - it's such a huge motivator!
I wish I could run. I was trying to complete the Couch to 5K program; however, I have a bad ankle and it just couldn't handle the stress of running. Maybe at a lower weight, but I've made peace with the limitations I have.
I'm a huge elliptical fan. I also like just regular old walking, but only outside.
I'm currently working on my own flavor of couch to 5K. I was doing the normal couch to 5K in the fall and then had all kinds of issues that made me have to stop. I recently started over, but doing it my own way and I'm doing much better this way. I get on the treadmill for 60 minutes each time and I am counting the minutes that I spend running and the minutes I am jogging. Right now most of my minutes are just walking, but my plan is to increase the running and the jogging over time until I have little to no walking left. My last trip I ran 7 minutes (1 minute at a time) and jogged 6. I figure I'll get to a point where I am about half running and half jogging and then I can start moving jogging minutes over to running. I'm also working on increasing my walking pace so that it's not such a leap each time I change a walking minute to jogging or running. I'm still really slow running (5.3-5.6) and jogging (4.1-4.5), but I'll work on speed later, after I get the time in. Because I'm doing more walking than anything else my mile is really slow still. My fastest so far was 15:57. For those of you who are already more advanced runners than me, does my plan sound like a good one to become a runner?
Chabar - That nike chip sounds so cool, but I can't ask hubby to get me a whole 'nother ipod just so that I'll have the kind it works with. Maybe once I get a job...
duckyyellowfeet - you probably will have an easier time of it once you have lost some more pounds and strengthened your legs more with the elliptical. My ankle was one of the "issues" that made me stop in the fall, I have an old injury. I did elliptical and outdoor walking along with the treadmill. Then one day a couple weeks ago I felt like running so I did. It's much easier now, I'm only about 10 pounds lighter than when I gave up before, but by my BF% I've lost about 15 pounds of fat, I also strengthened my legs a lot using the elliptical. I'm not sure how bad your ankle is, so I don't know if the same thing might happen for you or not, but don't give up hope just yet
I want to be a runner but right now I interval and it's really jogging more than running. I was using a treadmill but DH says I "fight the belt" and that my form wasn't good and the impact was too high. So I've started running on the indoor track at the Y and that's going much better. I try to run a lap-walk a lap but after a mile I generally end up walking two and running one. It's all good - I run more and walk less all the time. My goal for February is to run two laps, walk one lap.
daisy - I like those people and want to be one, that's why I'm doing what I'm doing. I'd like to run a marathon, but that's not any time soon, just eventually.
This thread makes me sad. Because I used to be a runner. There was a time in my life (for a few years) where I was physically fit and loved to run. I have many fond memories of running in the snow, the 1st time I ran a mile, the 1st time I ran 3 miles, my first pair of "good" running shoes...the list goes on.
But I also have sad memories...of going the other way and remembering the day I couldn't even run a mile. I just couldn't go any farther. I was so full of sugar, depression, and all sorts of nasty things I was putting into my body. That was in my 20's. Now that I am 49, and have damaged my body for so long (knees & feet) I don't know that I will ever be able to run. So my sadness is grief. Grief for what I have lost.
I have been running off and on. I'm a fair weather runner Actually I really want to lose some more weight before I run again. I live where there are lots of hills!