Bummed out

N

nekkidfairy

0
Okay so today was going to be the day - I was going to start exercising again, and I was going to eat better, blah blah blah.

I tried to go jogging - I couldn't even jog longer than a minute and my lungs started burning and my legs felt weak. I was gone for 19 minutes total, 18 of that was walking.

I feel so sad. I mean, I wasn't expecting to jog for 45 minutes non-stop, but...I thought for sure I could at least jog for 5 minutes without dying. I'm feeling really bummed and discouraged.
 
Don't be.

If you are just starting out it is going to take some time to build your stamina/cardio so the last thing you want to do is get discouraged because you will more than likely quit.

We all start out as newbies to this game at some point. Patience and Consistency are most important to seeing progress. If you have both of these traits, you will succeed.
 
You just need to see the positives. Next time will be easier, and so will the next, and before you know you will run that and more. We all start someplace, it's where you end up that matters. Hang in there !
 
I agree with what LV said. Be encouraged that you stayed and walked for the 18 minutes. You could have packed it in and went home after not being able to jog for more than minute. Give yourself some time, the progress will come.
 
encouragement

It's a long road to get to running a "long distance". For some that might be 2 miles for others 20 miles and still others 50 or even 100 miles.
About a year or two before I ran my first marathon I was where you are. Probably couldn't run a quarter mile. I started just walking a mile. Then a couple miles maybe a week later. Then a bit later 3 miles. I started getting impatient walking the 3 miles so I started "jogging" a bit of it. Eventually I got to 3 miles jogging the whole way. I started doing 4, 5 and eventually 6 on the weekends. I did a 10K. It was hard. I remember riding in a bus to the starting point with an older man who talked about marathons. I thought no way would I EVER do that -that's stupid! A bit later I saw an article about how to train for a marathon (Dallas has one in Dec every year) in 4 months even starting out from almost nothing. It just takes time!
 
Thanks for all the encouragement. I guess I'm just so hard on myself because I know that I used to be really fit (I was never much of a runner - could only go about a mile)...but I was in shape, and I was happy with myself. And then I got in a bad relationship, gained a lot of weight, and just got lazy, and now I'm really upset with myself for getting that way.

Its also really hard for me to get motivated to even step outside. It took me an hour this morning after getting up to finally get my shoes on and open the door. Another thing that seems to be a hindrance is the weather. I have breathing problems when it gets cold outside, and even though it was 54 degrees outside this morning, it was cold on my lungs, and it hurt to breathe. That makes me not want to run :(
 
when i started running grandmas would speed past me on their sunday stroll... just go really slow and build up gradually you'll get the hang of it
 
cold air, running

On the cold air - eventually you will get used to that too. I used to run in Cedar Rapids along the river, in the winter, in the snow / ice. Obviously 54 isn't cold yet for Iowa. Preparation is key to cold running. Keep your hands covered (socks make great 'mittens') when it gets a little cooler. I generally wear sweat pants or tights under about 45 degrees and a long sleeve shirt. Under about 30 I'll wear a knit hat. Layers work well too. Experiment. Some things will work others won't. When your lungs feel overwhelmed with cold air slow down a bit. To me there's nothing quite like running in the snow. (miss that)
 
even the best athletes have their off days...

im an avid runner and i couldnt run more then 20 minutes today to save my life...my legs were tired, my hip hurt...but...i stayed...i walked, i stairclimbed..and at least i did SOMETHING... :)

lol in the meantime nomore hiit for me...2 days this week killed me!

anyeay good luck! you did a great job by sticking around! maybe next time you can walk for 5 minutes run for 1...and then do it again...you can even try running at a slower speed...what were you trying to run at?
 
you just have to keep at it, and it will come. before I started school in '03 I was running (slowly, mind you) 5 miles 2-3 times a week without a break. I started running 3 weeks ago, and I barely made it 2 minutes the first time out. Today I went the first 8 mins without stopping (it's uphill too), and finished with my best time yet. It will get better.
 
Just out of curiousity, do you smoke?

I can still run for a good period of time, no where near I used to be able to. But since I started smoking, it has obviously been a lot tougher. During the football seasn me and my boys go out every tueday night to have a game. Started smoking maybe 7 months ago. When this season rolled around, I maybe played 3 series before almost crashing down and wheezing myself to death. I'm trying to kick the habit, and while I just started running daily, I've noticed a huge difference with breath control and distance since I've cut back. Went from smoking like maybe 3/4-1 pack a day to around 5 cigarettes a day and within 3 days I have been able to add 3 more minutes to my run easily
 
i found that when i first started running( a long time ago) that starting off was the hardest thing for me, and i would experience the same weakness in my legs. I would get so pissed because i hate not being able to do something well, so i pretty much used anger to keep me motivated for the first couple days of running. now starting off is the easyest part for me.
 
Keep at it, baby-step by baby-step if that's what it takes. It will come good with persistence. Beating yourself up at any level isn't gonna get you back in the saddle...or on the road to running fit again in this case. Good luck!
 
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