I'm not a great fan of running, and the fact of actually going out and braving the elements is enough for me to chicken out.
But I started going to the fitness 2 months ago, and I do mostly cardio (30 min of elliptic, then some machines to tonify my muscles, then 25-30 min of very fast walking in the treadmill with maximum inclination). The fact it's very close to my place means I have no excuse not to go, they have a tiny daycare in the mornings if I'm with my kiddies which is great too.
I could see the effects very quickly: I'm getting stronger, can go on for longer, and I've already lost 5 kg and 1 good clothes size (in started on the up part of a normal BMI). This encourages me to continue! I try to go every other day.
it is a series of podcasts; music mixes to help you keep the tempo. The whole point of the programme is that you start slow (very slow), and gradually build up your energy week after week.
First week it will be mostly walking, with very short light jogging; and then running times increase slowly and walking decrease. Extremely effective, because you will avoid the horrible feeling of running too much too early, loosing breath, etc.
Previously she hadn't enjoyed it but now she loves it.
She can run for an hour now and the only reason why she's not running for longer is that I've hopefully convinced her that the way to stay injury free is to ramp up the time and distance slowly.
She's running up hills now that she thought she couldn't possibly run up a few months ago.
Benefits for her: Less stress and more energy.
Benefits for me: She now understands why I go out running.
Don't think about some detailed plan. Running is something that we can all do. Just go and do it rather than post about doing it on here!
I started running twenty years ago when I was feeling guilty for not going to the gym with my sister.
I started by jogging down the road and back, gradually building up the distance. I didn't follow any training schedule, just did what felt right. Eventually I could run half marathon distance, I mostly ran just for the fun of it, occasionally ran 10k races and fun runs, once I entered a half marathon and loved the buzz it gave me!
I felt so much fitter than I had ever done.
Twenty years on, I still run three times a week, on my own, through the woods and up and down the hills around our neighbourhood, love it!
Go for it Nil, you won't look silly, no-one will laugh and you will feel great!
Sorry, I disagree. It IS important to follow a plan because what most people do is overdo it hugely on the first run, get a stich, hurt their muscles and really don't enjoy the aftermath and don't carry on. Its important to start slowly and build up gradually or injuries can occur
Follow a plan makes sense if your starting point is the couch and you don't know how your body reacts to sports. But people who have a basic level of fitness don't need to start with 1 min running, 2 min walking and can push it a little more.
Yeah okay, some sort of plan is a good idea to begin with but it doesn't have to be complicated. I don't think that puts people off, it just prevents them from starting.
Here's my tips:
Nobody should be running if the can't walk (not dawdle) for an hour or two without problems.
Don't start out on tarmac or concrete. Find some paths or grass or a track.
I had knee problems when I started running and to be honest, even though I was fairly fit, getting to 5K in a month would have been too much for me.
I ran for 5 minutes three times a week for a couple of months.
Then I took it up to ten minutes.
However, everyone hates running when they first start. It takes a couple of months before you even begin to enjoy it and don't spend the whole run worrying whether you'll finish.
Now the spring is here I see a lot of people starting to get out and run in the nice weather.
I've been running for many years and there are so many different abilities out there. Some people are running to train for something, others are just getting out for the fresh air and to get themselves a bit puffed out.
The trick is not to get to the point where you are puffing like you are dying. Start off running as far and as long as is comfortable then slow down to a walk. If you feel self-concious about slowing down, use the opportunity to blow your nose or fiddle with your trainers.
If you want to avoid the pain the next day, read up on stretching and do a proper cool down after running. Yes, you will perhaps feel a bit of tightness the next day but if you are stretching correctly it won't be too bad, plus you are protecting yourself from injury further down the line.
Pain where your movement and sitting down is impaired the next day is a warning you're doing it wrong.
EDIT: Just realised you started this thread ages ago, Nil. Good going for finally getting out there... :-D
I don't know much about asthma, but I do remember that when I first started, my main problem was being out of breath and that was the deciding factor in how far/long I could run. After a few months, my respiratory system was no longer standing in the way, it was my body and joints that would determine how far I would go. Hopefully you'll adapt, if you have trouble, keep repeating those days until you can finish, then move ahead maybe? (One of the best female marathoners in the world has asthma if I recall correctly)
I started C25k about 4 years ago, since then I've run over 5000k, done many marathons, etc. It's a really great way to get into running and learn to enjoy it.
It's amazing the number of people who either ignore or underestimate the importance of both warming up before and cooling down after exercise by performing simple and effective stretching techniques.
I am pretty certain that my running buddie's various continued aches and pains and a recurrent foot injury resulted directly from her not doing any of this before and after we go running together.
To be honest, someone without asthma who just started out with running would probably not be able to run for more than fifteen minutes either so I wouldn't worry about it.
Baby steps...
There was an article in that fountain of knowledge, the Daily Mail when they measured the fitness of several people.
The man with asthma had the lowest lung capacity but was still fitter than the others because of the amount and intensity of exercise he did each week.
Interesting, the woman who ran three times a week, with her friends, so they could chat' was probably wasting her time from a fitness point of view as she really wasn't putting in any effort.
(But, if you are starting out as a runner, you should take it easy for the first few weeks).
* I don't know who came up with that ridiculous statement that if you can't have a conversation when you run, you're pushing yourself too hard.
Evidence suggests the contrary.
*Obviously, this last bit does not apply to asthma sufferers.