Well, for those of you who are younger (most of you, I would guess...) this may sound kind of silly... but....

I was quite athletic as a younger woman... I did a lot of sports and was pretty fit.... I was never a terrific runner, but okay...

But, I think about ten years ago, I just plain stopped running. I don't mean, going for a run, I mean running at all. Maybe a few steps to run after a kid, but it used to worry me all the time that if I really needed to sprint after a kid, I might not be able to do it.

Then, maybe five years or so ago, I started dreaming that I was running. In my dreams, I'd take off at a run and I'd be fine-- not out of breath and struggling, just running along.

That dream always made me sad because it made me think about what I had lost... the fitness that I had let go of...

So, this morning, I was reading the other thread about getting started running and I was inspired.

So, I went out to the backyard with my dog, and I ran across the yard with her. It was no big deal. So I went out again, and ran across my yard with the dog again... a real fast jog this time, like a normal person would do.

No big deal.... The thing is, it has been so long since I've run that it didn't even occur to me to do it....

But, it turns out, I can run...:car rot:

Congrats When I first started running, I ran with my dog in the soccerfield near our house. I started by running half the field, then walking half a field, repeat. I then increased it to running the entire field, walking half a field. Anyway, after a certain point, I started looking into structured running programs and was able to run more than 3 miles. Unfortunately I got injured and had to start back again at a lower level but it was amazing how quickly I went from not running to running a mile or more.

Somehow running with a dog just doesn't feel so much like running...

But I am amazed, and inspired.... running was not on my radar at all. I walk and swim... but I thought running was strictly for the skinny girls...

I'm going to incorporate it into my treadmill routine right away.

Congrats! That's awesome. I really like to run...I've never been a runner. But I love to do it now. I never thought that someone couldn't run... I mean like there are people who can run really fast, and some people who keep it a a light jog...but now being able to do it? I don't see how its possible...sorry...that just intrigues me.

Well, I'm impressed with you that you are fit enough that you can't even imagine what I'm talking about...

Maybe you're younger than me? I mean, it's not like I completely lost the ability to run, but it just felt so awful and I got so quickly winded that I couldn't imagine running more than a very short distance...just a few steps and I had to abandon it. And it didn't feel like running at all.

Even now, I can't imagine running very far. When I do my cardio workout, I keep my heart rate in the target range just by walking somewhere between 3.4 and 3.6 miles per hour....which isn't really that fast.

Congrats i personally hate running with a passion when i played rugby my nightmare was getting as pass on a break with clear field in front of me i'd always look for the nearest person to ran into. same with football i chose DT over linebacker due to the less running.

i really should do it i know and i will have to but i'm putting it off for as long as i can but i think you've sparked something in my mind

I think we all have our own abilities. I was always a fairly active person, even when I was at my high weight. I couldn't have imagined someone not being able to walk a mile but I've read stories from women who weighed much less than I used to weigh who started out walking just a few feet. I even remember reading in a magazine that a woman, who didn't weigh much more than I did when I started, that walked to the end of her driveway and back while I was used to taking 3+ mile walks.

The good news though is that fitness ability grows exponentially with practice. So just getting out there and starting running means you are on the path to run more and more.

I'm curious now why running has been so hard for me...

Because, I could walk four miles without trouble even at my highest weight...

But, I get winded fairly easily, so I had to take it easy on hills while walking, and running... it just felt like sacks of potatoes strapped to my body bouncing up and down while I huffed and puffed. I got winded after a VERY short distance...

But, now I'm kind of psyched to think I might actually be able to do it!

It would make me feel like less of an old lady and more of a JOCK!

Uber -

Running was an important goal of mine too. I had basically never been able to run since I was a kid either and the thought of it seemed very freeing to me as someone who had been over weight a long time.

You CAN learn to run you're actually at a fairly safe weight to start out. I was about 240 when I did a learn to run program and now I can run 8+ miles at a time. When you're heavier it is harder to ease into, but it's very possible!! Try doing walk run intervals. I followed a program from the book that was something like 13 week learn to run program.

Make sure you have GOOD shoes though and make sure you ease into it as a heavier runner we're much more easily injured by taking on too much too fast.

congrats to you

I just started the C25k today...I did it a few years ago and it helped me ease my way into jogging....and here I go again

Soon, I'll be running too!

Can someone explain what C25k is? I've heard others refer to it, but I don't know what it is.

And IdealMuse, that's really inspirational!!!

I actually did sports and high school and college but I was never as good a runner as the other girls... I could go far, but I couldn't ever go very fast.

It's been years since I've even considered running-- I just figured I would be a walker...

Luckily, I've got good shoes and a decent treadmill, so I'm probably already ready in that sense.

http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

It's a running plan... Its a little progressive so you may have to repeat weeks before moving on, but lots of people have used it with success.

I've never been able to run... but i have always felt like i have a runner somewhere inside me. i ALWAYS get the urge to run when im on the treadmill, but i start and then have to stop after a few seconds, my body cant handle it yet i guess. I also have those dreams of running, around and around, up hill, on long roads... i live for those dreams, i always feel so free in them. i cant wait till i can be that person irl.

I would urge anyone who wants to run to try the Couch to 5K program. I have always had that secret dream to run and tried a few times but couldn't go very far. Now I can run (OK, it's more of a good jog) for approximately 2 miles. Sometimes I take a short walk break in there, sometimes I don't. But I have to tell you that it feels really good and I was amazed at how quickly my body learned to adjust.

I weighed 222 pounds when I started the program. I had to stop for a few months due to asthma, but I started again in September and run 2-3 times a week. When I started, I joked that I needed a butt bra because there was a whole lotta shakin' going on back there, but I don't notice it so much now.

Give it a try!

That is great! Seems like you had a bit of a barrier and I am glad to hear you were able to get past it!