[NTexas]

OP here again with an update.

Ok, I listening to y'all's advice and decide to slow down. I put on some music and jogged really slow. I did two miles (gasp! yeah me ) and while I was huffing towards the end, I wasn't miserable! But it took f-o-r-e-v-e-r. It took 32 minutes for me to complete 2 miles. My heartrate at the end was 158 so I was working hard, much harder than when I walk at the same pace (which I do every day for 2 miles with the dog) when my heartrate barely gets over 130. Does that sound right? Anyway, I guess I should put on my running shoes and jog with the dog, instead and burn an extra 3-4 calories a minute (based on heartrate), lol.

Thanks again for listening to my whine and hopefully this will encourage me to keep it up!

OT, I base my workouts by heartrate. Calculators for walking 4mph say I burn ~400 calories an hour which corresponds to my heartrate at 125 being 7 calories a minute, again, ~400 an hour. Unfortunately there is no calculator for running 4mph (is it really running at that rate, lol?), but the walk/jog says ~500, while my heart rate in the 150s suggests closer to 600 if not 650. I take all these numbers with a grain of salt, but consider 'moderate' or vigerous' exercise based on heartrate.

[BluCypressLily]

Originally Posted by NTexas

OP, here. Thanks for catching my mistake. I run at 5 MILES per hour pace for 1 mile straight. [I originally had minutes - woops] Therefore I already run as slow as molasis, lol. I can walk 4mph quite comfortably and 5 can't be much faster.

Ha! I read it several times wondering if I was reading it right!

I think "slow" is relative. Running/jogging presents different challenges to your body than walking does. The running motion in itself uses your muscles differently than walking. So comparing your walking speed to your running speed isn't really indicative of how challenging the switch from walking to running can be on your body.

When you're starting out, focus on time segments or distance..how quickly you get from point A to point B shouldn't signify. The better conditioned you get, the faster you'll be able to go...and the easier it will be to breathe.

[BluCypressLily]

Originally Posted by NTexas

OP here again with an update.

Ok, I listening to y'all's advice and decide to slow down. I put on some music and jogged really slow. I did two miles (gasp! yeah me ) and while I was huffing towards the end, I wasn't miserable! But it took f-o-r-e-v-e-r. It took 32 minutes for me to complete 2 miles. My heartrate at the end was 158 so I was working hard, much harder than when I walk at the same pace (which I do every day for 2 miles with the dog) when my heartrate barely gets over 130. Does that sound right? Anyway, I guess I should put on my running shoes and jog with the dog, instead and burn an extra 3-4 calories a minute (based on heartrate), lol.

Thanks again for listening to my whine and hopefully this will encourage me to keep it up!

OT, I base my workouts by heartrate. Calculators for walking 4mph say I burn ~400 calories an hour which corresponds to my heartrate at 125 being 7 calories a minute, again, ~400 an hour. Unfortunately there is no calculator for running 4mph (is it really running at that rate, lol?), but the walk/jog says ~500, while my heart rate in the 150s suggests closer to 600 if not 650. I take all these numbers with a grain of salt, but consider 'moderate' or vigerous' exercise based on heartrate.

Yay!

[GlamourGirl827]

Originally Posted by fatburner77

Four years ago, I was exactly at your spot: I weighed ~165 and was a complete couch potato (not that you are/were, but I had come from a history of zero exercise). I huffed and puffed when I tried to run. My face turned such a god-awful shade of red that I used to wear a lighter shade of foundation while I exercised so as to compensate. As I ran, the metallic taste of blood entered my mouth. My lungs ached. My legs felt like lead. I didn't know how my amrs could propel me forward. I was out. of. shape.
I kept at it, determined to be a runner. I just had this feeling that I had been blessed with a gorgeous athletic body, I reasoned, but it was covered up by a thin layer of fat! Fast-forward four years: I run 15 miles per week and barely even break a sweat. I look as if I've been at it my entire life.
Do not give up. The cardio-pulmonary benefits of such intense exercise are amazing. You'll be able to climb flights of stairs faster than your colleagues looking like a superwoman.
Good luck!

I was lurking!! And I just wanted to say that your post was very motivational to me. I started running about 5 months ago (and maybe 30 bls heavier). Just with the weightloss, I've noticed a difference, but some days I feel like I will never really be a runner, even though I want to be. Your post made me realize to keep at it.