Newbie of sorts here

[Bellina]

Hiya, hope I'm posting this in the right section. I'm a newbie to the forums. Let's see: never really run before or did much activity, and I do carry a lot of weight so this has been a challenge. Week 1: painful but great, also helped me quit smoking! I repeated week 1 twice, the second time round I was smoke-free and it was so much better. Now I'm erm in the second repeat of week 2, chiefly because my legs start to hurt Though it's getting better. I never thought I'd enjoy running so much, even though I'm not so good at it. Oh and the weight is dropping, which is great!

[Jenwrenarm Graduate]

Welcome to C25K and the forum that will keep you going! Well done to you for starting the programme and for kicking the dreaded ciggies! That's two amazing achivements already and you're just into Week 2! People on here are lovely and will help you all the way. Good luck with the rest of the programme Bellina

[Sarah-A Graduate]

Welcome Bellina

Well done on becoming smoke-free, and starting the C25K programme.

Running can be super-addictive. I think it is the buzz afterwards that does it.

Looking forward to sharing your journey & reading your blogs.

[Poppy2010 Graduate]

Well done on a great start to c25k and on giving up the evil ciggies! This is a brilliant program and this site is full of supportive people ready to cheer you on and share their stories; ups and downs!

So happy you are finding it a positive experience so far; it's certainly the best thing I have done for years, and I have got my family (2 daughters and son-in-law) running, by showing that by not quitting when I was doing the program all through last winter, then c25k+ and other challenges through the year; led to great health benefits and helped me lose 3 1/2 stone so far ( 2 and bit still to go!); they are all losing weight and felling better too!

Good luck and look forward to hearing about your journey!

[Bellina]

Thank you everyone It's so nice to talk to other people about this. I must look so weird, the fat chick jogging under cover of darkness - but other runners always offer a smile, which is so very very encouraging. I'm hoping to eventually graduate to week 3, heh we'll see how that goes

[mhussain Graduate]

Hey Bellina, you have certainly made an impressive start. You sound like you are a person who is about action rather than words. You have said you have given up smoking so that is a terrific achievement in itself given the addiction levels. Secondly, you have made a conscious effort to get fit by doing the C25K programme. Take your time with it and the best advice I picked up on here after a month of browsing was run at your own pace, and slow it down when you need to. This isnt a sprint, this isnt even a marathon, this is a lifelong change with greater rewards at the end of it. You've certainly joined a fantastic community. Oh, try a shoe shop for some expert advice on your running style - I developed sore knees around week 3-4. I purchased some new shoes and the pain has almost but disappeared as I am now wearing the correct footwear with excellent support. M

[susan22 Graduate]

Hi Bellina. Welcome to the most encouraging place to be for new runners. I know what you mean about feeling like the fat lady trying to run - but your size is not the issue. You are actively working to get healthier and slimmer. I have found that once people find out that I am running ( and I am one of the fat ladies) they are impressed once they get over their amazement.

I agree with the last post - look into getting some properly fitted shoes. The other item I think us essential us a good sports bra.

Good luck and keep posting.

[Bellina]

Thanks all I've got a run scheduled tonight and I'm a bit hmmm cos I have a stuffy nose (but am otherwise totally fine). Hopefully my breathing won't suffer too much. I think my shoes are fine (proper running shoes etc) the problem is I'm a bit of a wreck. I've got two broken ankles, multiple old injuries and my right leg is the worst, which is the one that tends to hurt. Pronation doesn't help either. I wear tubigrip for support - tried running in an ankle brace but I just couldn't. I'm trying to do some exercises with leg weights to strengthen the muscle, but I confess I'm not terribly diligent in this regard (it's boring lol). I've also got an exercise bike, to try and improve my cardio - it's going well so far, but erm my ample backside much prefers running to a bike.