49 year old running newb here. I only have 1.5 lungs so have always struggled to get, and keep fit.
I did Weeks 1 & 2 over four weeks (two weeks on each). I am not too proud to admit that I was dreading W3R1 today, but I just slowed my runs down a bit and I did it!!
More importantly I really enjoyed it !
So for all you running newbies like me. Stick with it. If I can do it, I am sure everyone can!
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Newb_runner
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Hello Newb_Runner. I'm a 1.5 lung person too A benign tumour was found in my left lung back in 2011. It was monitored with a yearly scan. In 2014 they saw it was getting bigger and decided to remove it by removing half of the left lung. I had an interview with the anesthesist the day before the opperation, and she told me that the remaining half expands to fill the cavity and that I would still be able to do the stuff I did before. I spent a week in intensive care. After that I was at home to convalesce. I decided to walk as far as I could each day. The first day I made it down the road to the river bank (I live in the Loire valley). I needed to sit on a bench for half an hour to recover. Each day I walked a little further. After 5 weeks I was walking 10km per day. On my last walk before starting back to work I decided to begin the C25K program. I was walking in jeans and normal shoes, but to prove to myself I could do it, I began to run for 2 minutes every so often on my walk. Convinced that it was possible, I went to Decathlon and bought cheap running shoes, shorts and T-shirt. In the morning before work, I got up at 6h30 in the morning and did run 1 week 1 of C25K. It felt amazing to be starting the program. I hung on Laura's every word (the lady speaking on the first C25K NHS podcasts). I adored the C25K program, it felt like such an achievement. After completing the program I very slowly increased my distance on my Sunday run each week. I eventually got up to 25km. I still love running. Currently running 5km on Tuesday and Thursday, and 10km on Sunday. I'm not quick, I normally run 10km in 1 hour 1 minute. But I enjoy doing it. I never notice that I only have 1.5 lungs. I feel fitter than I ever have, and I am 58. Enjoy your running, and let everyone hear about your progress
That is really inspiring Zev1963. Thanks for the post! I was 18 (1990) when I had surgery on my right lung to remove a malignant tumour. Because I was so young I didn't notice the lack of fitness. But now, being that much older I have definitely noticed my lack of fitness over the past few years. Hence me trying to do something about it. I hope I can follow in your footsteps. Thanks again. 👍
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