Hello everyone
First of all apologies for the long post, but I would be so grateful for some advice.
I am 63 and for some time have tried to find time and motivation to get fitter. By 'some time' I mean 'running shoes bought 5 years ago, just about breaking them in now.... :embarrassed:" All this time they have mostly been used on dog walks, but the dog is now so old that a gentle saunter is all we do and I have returned to my getting fit ambitions. I work full-time and long hours, so it needs a bit of planning in the week, but I would so love to get this off the ground (at the moment I can barely get myself off the ground, much less propel myself forward, but more of that below :amused: )
I was fairly fit when younger (judo, skiing, horse-riding and lots of walking), have never smoked and I am not overweight - I thought this running lark should be fairly straightforward. Well...was I in for a big surprise!
I did not go mad but sensibly started out with a 'Couch to 5k' app on the phone. I was horrified to find that I found it REALLY hard to run for 1 minute (sorry, JOG - practically on the spot, that's how hard it was - my body just felt so heavy and almost impossible to move forward) After 20 minutes, I had run for 5 minutes and probably something like 0.2 miles (!) and could hardly pick my feet up to walk the last steps to my front door. (Marathons? 27 miles? Running for 4 hours straight? How do people DO that??? :lol: )
I have had another couple of goes since with similar difficulties and before I continue on this road of suffering, I would love to hear from someone who can tell me that what I describe is normal and that if I persevere, it will get easier and I will eventually be fit enough to run a couple of miles most days - that is all I aspire to.
Thank you for bearing with me and for any advice and encouragement you may have for me.
Best wishes
Anne
First of all apologies for the long post, but I would be so grateful for some advice.
I am 63 and for some time have tried to find time and motivation to get fitter. By 'some time' I mean 'running shoes bought 5 years ago, just about breaking them in now.... :embarrassed:" All this time they have mostly been used on dog walks, but the dog is now so old that a gentle saunter is all we do and I have returned to my getting fit ambitions. I work full-time and long hours, so it needs a bit of planning in the week, but I would so love to get this off the ground (at the moment I can barely get myself off the ground, much less propel myself forward, but more of that below :amused: )
I was fairly fit when younger (judo, skiing, horse-riding and lots of walking), have never smoked and I am not overweight - I thought this running lark should be fairly straightforward. Well...was I in for a big surprise!
I did not go mad but sensibly started out with a 'Couch to 5k' app on the phone. I was horrified to find that I found it REALLY hard to run for 1 minute (sorry, JOG - practically on the spot, that's how hard it was - my body just felt so heavy and almost impossible to move forward) After 20 minutes, I had run for 5 minutes and probably something like 0.2 miles (!) and could hardly pick my feet up to walk the last steps to my front door. (Marathons? 27 miles? Running for 4 hours straight? How do people DO that??? :lol: )
I have had another couple of goes since with similar difficulties and before I continue on this road of suffering, I would love to hear from someone who can tell me that what I describe is normal and that if I persevere, it will get easier and I will eventually be fit enough to run a couple of miles most days - that is all I aspire to.
Thank you for bearing with me and for any advice and encouragement you may have for me.
Best wishes
Anne