Am I too old?

[Shirleywhirley]

I woke up a few weeks ago and I looked in the mirror and suddenly the stark realisation hit me that I was actually 51 and not 21, so there begins my journey of couch to 5k! 😂Just completed week one (found it really tough) and feeling chuffed, but was just wondering if there are any of you out there in a similar position? Is this going to be possible at my age or am I kidding myself? I have never run before so have no preconceptions of what to expect. Went and bought myself a new pair of trainers yesterday with good support and some gel insoles so I guess you could say I have all the gear and no idea! Lol!

[davelinks Graduate]

Well done! Your not the only one on here in advancing years! LOL

No! Your not too old! carry on, your doing great!😊

[Shirleywhirley Graduate in reply to davelinks]

There's hope for me yet then!

[davelinks Graduate in reply to Shirleywhirley]

Certainly! Feel anxious? l and a lot on here know about anxiety, try to be positive, believe in yourself and do it!

We are here if you need any advice and motivation, keep posting and let us know how you get on..😊

[Hidden]

Oh yes ! I started at 52 having never run in my life before. It's a positive and rejuvenating step. Good luck but take it slowly.

[Shirleywhirley Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for the advice.👍

[JoolieB1 Graduate]

No way, u r a teenager so go for it! I am 53 and started running about 2 years ago with C25K. All I had done before that was a bit of walking and some leisure cycling but I had never run before and hated sport at school so refused to do much after that! I found C25K tough but keep it nice and slow so that at least your breathing is ok and it is more comfortable. I felt I ran so slow, I could be going backwards but if that's what you need to do so that you can do the time, just slow down. I now run four times a week - 3 x 5 and a 10k. I am not super fast but I go at a good pace and run every week. I actually enjoy it nowadays too, it has become part of my life. Feel fitter and healthier and it helps me deal with stress too. Go for it. Keep posting as that will help to motivate you through the weeks too

[slowpoke_annie Graduate]

Well done!! Im not too far behind you in years &, never having been anywhere near a runner, completed the programme the other week! Im a convert now!

You've found the right place here for tips & support - these people are fantastic!!

Follow the plan, dont be tempted to jump ahead. You will get there!! Good luck x

[Millsie-J Graduate]

Go for it! I started C25k when I was 59. I did my first 10k race for a 60th birthday treat!

Not quite decided if it will be a 10mile or a HM for my 61st birthday.

Good luck 😃

[JaySeeSkinny Graduate]

I started when I was 55 and a year later have not regretted it. So you're in good company, there really are loads of us over 50 on here. Some of us have never been fitter in their lives! (Although I'm pretty sure I was fitter at 21!).

[Bluebirdrunner Graduate]

Good luck Shirleywhirly😊

The plan is great and you will be able to do it.. take your rest days, drink water after your run to rehydrate your muscles. Maybe do some gentle leg stretches after your cool down walk, while your muscles are still warm. Do the running sections at a slow, gentle pace. Your breathing will sort itself out as you progress through the plan.

I was 56 when I started and love that I can run for over 30 minutes now.😊

[misswobble Graduate]

Oh gerroff! Have you got one foot in the grave syndrome or something 😃

Come on! 😁🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️

Learning to run with this free programme is so life-affirming, I just can't tell you. Do it! Never look back. It is at a Blast! Most of here were non runners til pitching up here. All shapes, all sizes, all variously unhealthy and mostly overweight, or just feeling their age but wanting to change things for the better. It is only nine weeks, no time at all, but if you do it you need never stop running ever again.

When we take our first tentative steps, perhaps in unfamiliar gear, we have no idea what lies ahead. A little footstep into the unknown. Pretty soon you could be flying round the streets or countryside with a great big grin on your face, in a RACE. Charging about with other like-minded souls, having fun and feeling more in touch with life. On one of my races I said the same as you, "who the hell do I think I am kidding, but I looked round me at so many grey and white haired women chasing round the streets with me , all having fun, that I thought chuff it, I can too. So,I did! So much fun and you get a medal and a goody bag. I won a tenner on my very first race ever! 😁

Dont ever give up on yourself. Go out and go this for YOU! Because you're worth it 😃🏃‍♀️

[NanJen]

Definitely not. I've just done my second run and feel great. Never run before. I'm 60

[runningnearbeirut Graduate]

The programme is designed to get us off our couches and running, and it doesn't matter how old you are. If it's a shock realising you're not actually 21 any more, presumably that's because you feel young inside - well being fit is a good way of keeping the outside young and healthy too.

I'm a little way behind you and can assure you that the benefits are definitely worth it. And many will probably tell you that you're a spring chicken, so don't let the number 51 and the sight of lycra clad, ponytail swinging youngsters let you think that you can't do it!

[Irish-John Graduate]

57 next month. Never ran in my life because of Asthma, screwed feet etc before June 1st last year. Did my first 10k a few weeks ago because this programme and the friends I've made on this Forum are literally life-changing

[KJR60 Graduate]

56 for me - and hadn't run any distance since I was 12! I know runners at my parkrun who are in their 80s - so no, you are far from being too old!

[NetShee]

Hey - you replied to my post this morning! (thank you!)

I am 60! - and have just done W3R1. If I can do it you can!! - I have never run in my life before!!

Keep in touch! - and good luck!

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

I started at 57 and now, four years later (nearly), I am fitter and happier than ever before. You don't have to be a running fanatic to keep yourself fit and healthy with much improved outlook for you later life, just follow the programme and develop the habit of regular exercise and you will wish you had started at 21.............so many wasted years.

Go for it!

[runswithdogs Graduate]

We had a 67 year old join us at our local Parkrun this morning for his first try and running. You'll be fine

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to runswithdogs]

,... and this 67 year old did a really speedy 45 min run yesterday too!!! x

[runswithdogs Graduate in reply to Oldfloss]

Ah wonderful OF! Enjoying spring then? I hope when I am 67 I can manage a speedy 45 minute run.

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

Too old... at 51????? Pardon my mirth..there are more than a few of us a lot older than you

As you can tell from the replies

You can do this... the rule is, slow and steady.. all the way to the Graduation podium! Take your rest days and put in some extra exercise on your rest days if possible. yoga, or swimming.. or walking . ?

It is fantastic and you will feel amazing... just go for it!

[davelinks Graduate]

I'm 62 and been volunteer tailrunner at Parkrun behind a 74 year old!

[poppypug Graduate]

No, youre definitely not too old !

Give it a whirl, Shirl ! You can do this, loads of us over fifties, sixties, seventies on here . We've even got a lovely gentleman in his eighties !

Keep posting so we can cheer you along your way . Good Luck ! xxx

[Dhiny]

No way are you too old! I started last December aged 54. I completed the program in 9 weeks with the help & support of the lovely people on here and felt great.

I ran a 5k for charity yesterday and all of it on sand - if anyone had told me this time last year that I would be running 5k I would have said no way!

Take it slowly, believe in yourself, don't worry about speed, pace or breathing because that will all come in time. Set your sights on the graduation podium and that lovely, shiny graduation badge. Let us know how you are getting on because we are all cheering you on to the finish line. You CAN do this 🤗

[Michlou65 Graduate]

Hi. I am a year older than you. Never ran before. Thought I would never get through Week 1 Day 1 but I did! Now in Week 7 and loving it. Feel fitter, brighter and positive. Wished I had started this years ago. :-). Good luck you can do this. X

[Jacqui_999]

I'm 50 and on week 7 so yes it's possible. You'll build up your running in no time 😊🏃‍♀️

[KJO62]

I started at 61 last September ,had never run before and found running for one minute in W1 a bit of a nightmare. Now running 3 x 30 minutes a week and have done 2 x 5k organised runs. Best thing I ever did! And who would have thought that running "paraphernalia" would have been on my birthday and Christmas lists last year!!! Well done on completing W1 - keep up the good work and keep on posting to let us all know how you are getting on!

[Shorty7 Graduate]

Hey Shirley whirley, I'm 51 next month, sometimes scary seeing that reflection isn't it? Or seeing pics of life long friends and thinking omg are we really that old?!! However I have recently graduated C25k and am now training on 5-10K...I have loved it, beginning was tough but from about week 5 I just became addicted. I may look 51 but my legs look pretty good in black tights 🙄 So...yes of course you can, good luck and, most of all, enjoy!!

[ianhtf Graduate]

Last year 51, in the obese zone of the BMi scale, hadn't run since I was at school.

Started c25k Jan- 20kg lost, parkrun no.6 done yesterday, 10k done & another entered , running 3-4 times per week and enjoying every minute of it.

There will be good runs and bad runs, the support on this forum is incredible and will get you through the grim days. Keep posting your progress as every time you run it is progress.

Looking forward to seeing you on the graduation podium 👍

[Bells411]

Never too old- I am exactly the same age as you and just completed w1; it's so exciting , the prospect of achieving the 5k, you can and will definitely do it. Take it slowly and enjoy the steady progress that you will make. Read the comments in here, people are amazing and supportive.

[Prin]

Nah I started at 50 and ran my first-and last marathon at 53, I have convinced to friends to running 53 and 56 to join me on a 10 in September. I think our generation was back at school cross country was just an excuse for the PE teachers to have a skive and send this out round some local estate without giving us any tips on what it took run a distance, so we ended up running down the drive and hiding out at local shops

[Adrian_Bolton]

I am SEVERAL YEARS older but feel younger having started the C25K last January. Like You, I never imagined running any distance but I achieved Week 9 a few weeks ago and completed my 2nd Park run yesterday. Be positive and celebrate every time you get your kit on. It's definitely worth it.

Adrian

[AnneDroid Graduate]

All the best people are 51, you know.

We're not old. We are approaching our prime.

[ladyharvills Graduate]

I'm 51 and have been running for almost 2 years. I graduated in March 2016 at a Parkrun with a time of 33:59. I've gone under 30 minutes twice, the second time being yesterday with a time of 29:58. I was never any good at sport and never ran anywhere. It is definitely achievable and if I can do it then anyone can! Yes we all have bad days, but stick at it.

[vicbooth Graduate]

I'm 56 and have just completed the c25k. I've always hated physical activity and have never run before. It is absolutely achievable, even though I thought I was going to die after the run 1 of week 1, but here I am working towards 10k and really enjoying it. I even have my eye on a half marathon next year, but who knows. Keep going and see every run as an achievement, not a struggle.

[Lupinsmum Graduate]

Good on you girl! I turned 61 in Jan, haven't run since junior school and started the programme in Feb running round the backstreets in the dark and pretty much in disguise I felt so self conscious. It was hard work but when I managed to run 5 mins continuously something changed....I invested in some compression tights and a sweat wicking running top and took to the local common....in daylight! I run slow and it's hard at times but boy o boy that feeling of well being and achievement at the end of a run is worth its weight in gold. You can do this, its also a brilliant investment in yourself, what could be better.

[Katie1920]

I'm 69 and am just starting my journey, so I'd say you're a spring chicken and go for it!

[Gladysw12 Graduate]

Hello Shirleywhirley, I felt exactly the same, am nearly 52 and hadn't done any exercise for years. Have just completed week 2, have done it twice as I didn't feel ready to progress to week 3. Keep going.

[mcgurranhouse Graduate]

Never too old!

[watkins-at-work]

Hiya! No, you're definitely not kidding yourself - I'm 50, several stone overweight following a hysterectomy last August and I did my first week of Begin2Run (my local council's version of C25K) last week. Having done no proper form of exercise for a number of years, I found it hard but was super proud of myself after - I even went running/shuffling in my local park 2 days after (with an ankle support,,,,LOL!) After the 10 weeks course I've booked myself on a Race for Life 'Pretty Muddy' 5k run... Keep it up, even if you can only manage what my daughter calls a 'mum shuffle' you are moving and giving it your best! Feel chuffed with yourself,,,,you're doing great!

x