Brand new to this!! A little scared

[Tvarley]

Hi everyone. I am extremely new to this. I have never been a runner and to be honest I am bricking it a little. I do quite a bit of walking during the week taking my daughter to school and the bits in between but I haven't done any proper exercise in years. I am taking my daughter with me for the next few weeks so at least I have someone to do it with me at the beginning. so here goes on day 1 week 1!!!

[mfamilias Graduate]

Welcome to the forum! The first step is always the hardest, but it's a mind game more than anything else. The vast majority of people here were in exactly the same position as you when they stepped out of the door on the first run. I hadn't done any sport for 28 years when I started in February, and now I'm running on average 3 x 5k per week. f I did it, so can you. Keep us posted!

[Tvarley in reply to mfamilias]

I sure will keep everyone posted. I am feeling great so far today, I know I will sleep well tonight though.

Congratulations on getting that far. It's amazing how many people have graduated and continue to run. I am looking forward to being able to run for more than a minute at a time without feeling tired.

[JoolieB1 Graduate]

Sounds as if you have already prepared by walking, I found that walking was a brilliant way to build stamina. I am 51 and was pretty inactive but just started doing some walking, then cycling and always looked at runners with admiration but thought it was not for me! Only started C25K because of a cycling injury on my hand and now I am on week 5, you can do it. Trust the programme, just when you think you can't do it, you will be surprised that you can xx

[Tvarley in reply to JoolieB1]

Thank you. I feel great today and I know I will have bad days and not want to carry on but for the moment I am determined to do this.

You sound as if you are doing an amazing job. Good luck with week 5

[laurav33 Graduate]

Good luck! I'm about to start week 7 and I was just as nervous as you at the beginning! You'll be amazed at what you can do. The plan is brilliant and you'll be running in no time

[gary_bart]

You'll be fine. Just remember to always make it your target to learn to do it for its own sake, if possible, and to bring yourself back to this when you stray. So if you start using times, distances and measures of any kind as a tool for checking how you're doing, you're going to have to occasionally remind yourself that they don't offer a sustainable motivation for continuing - or maybe a less sustainable one than simply wanting to get out there, and get those legs moving a bit. Yes, at the start of Week 1, you're a long way from having this kind of thing as your main concern, but it's never too late to "sign up for it".

If it's hard, well that's because it IS hard. You have to find your way through the start. But even now, try and find some balance between the "work" aspect of this, and the "play" aspect. (And get rid of as much of that "work" as you can; save work for when you go to work, and go and play whenever they let you out of school).

[Tvarley]

Thank you all for your kind words. I have completed day 1 and surprisingly I feel fine so far! 60seconds of running is just enough running. I think if I had to do anymore I might of stopped but 60seconds is perfect to begin with. I felt a little sick for a few minutes but took my mind off of it by pushing my daughter on the swing. I am looking forward to my Wednesday's run

[JulietB Graduate]

I really do remember feeling just like that when I started...I've always done a fair bit of walking but never anything involving running or jogging, and always got very puffed running upstairs...it's a really good programme; each new week I thought ' wow, that was hard...' But by run 2 and 3 it got easier and I was ready to move on. I graduated last month and am running 5 K each time I go out which I'm still amazed about, but you really can do it! Just listen to Laura and take it slowly. All the best xx

[Tvarley in reply to JulietB]

Wow congratulations on graduating!! That is awesome.

[chalfont_chump]

Welcome and good luck. My one piece of advise is, keep posting and not just the good stuff. The people in this forum are amazing, they will help you long the way, pick you up when you are down and give you all the advise you will need.

Look forward hearing how you are getting on.

[pinkangel16 Graduate]

Hello and welcome.

I was never a runner, never sporty, was a little overweight and unhealthy - and now on the verge of becoming 50, I am a runner. I have a nice collection of sporty 'stuff', am a stone lighter and much healthier generally.

So it can be done - stick to Laura and the forum (there's far more regular folk here than me - generally too busy atm {nearly finished that damned nvq!}) and you'll soon be wearing that shiny graduate badge.

xx

[anniewebb Graduate]

That's just how I felt.

Now about to start week6. Wk 1 was the hardest.

How are you doing now?

[Tvarley in reply to anniewebb]

I am doing pretty well. My last run yesterday was quite hard because I tried a different route and a few hills but I will be going back to my normal route tomorrow.

Congrats on getting to week 6. I know I will be there 1 day in the distant future. How are you finding your runs? Also what app do you use to run with? I like the app but Laura doesn't like me and the podcast music is dreadful and it would put me off my run.

[anniewebb Graduate]

Hi, I'm finding it fairly ok. I go very, very slowly and realise that we're training our muscle memory and aiming for stamina and endurance rather than speed. for now, that's fine with me. Once I can go for longer than a minute (or 30) than I can work on going faster or further.

As for podcasts I just use Laura, on C25K, I don't know about the music thing.

Because everyone was talking about it I had a bit of a look at the app and found a music button to switch on. What came out was awful - part of an opera with a long recitative by a bass. It had chosen something from my music library on the phone (a piece of Mozart from an Open University course). I did then work out how to choose something else to auto start but frankly after five weeks of silence, listening to my own thoughts and my own counting I really don't want the interference. I'm sure music would affect one's natural pace and rhythm - not for me. I'd just switch off the music if I were you.

Well done for carrying on.