Can I Run?

[GoldyGirl 186]

I am 7month out and down about 90lbs. Today, I lifted weights and did TRX with my trainer, walked a Mile on the Treadmill at a 6% incline, THEN went to the Running Track and RAN a mile without stopping!! I am SUPER Excited!

[Sherri297 81]

Isn't it great to be able to move again?

I'm 51 years old and just walked/ran my first 5K. A year ago I tried to run across our road and my body parts wouldn't move in unison, felt totally discombobulated and about feel on my face.

Congratulations on your weight loss and getting fit...here's to a new you!

[Butterthebean 8,146]

Fantastic. Have you considered the C25K program? If you ran a mile without stopping it may be easy for you. You could always jump ahead to week 3 or 4 if it is too easy. But congrats. I started running at 4 months out. 10 months later I've ran 2 half marathons and I'm training for a full. It's a marvelous activity....so much more than just a calorie burn. It's meditative. It's also an accomplishment that no elliptical machine can give you. Before this I never ran more than 100 yards without clutching my chest. Now I'm running half marathons. I scoff when anyone tells me there's something I can't do now.

Check out www.goodformrunning.com

Great website for proper running form. It really helps prevent injuries that are so common among runners. Good luck and keep doing it.

[LifetimeLoser 208]

awesome. I love running. I can't do a mile non-stop yet, but I do what I can. LOVE THE ENDORPHINS.

[GoldyGirl 186]

Have you considered the C25K program? What is this? thanks for all the nice comments, It does feel good to MOVE!

[Butterthebean 8,146]

C25K is an app you download on your phone. It's short for "couch to 5k". It starts out as walking/running intervals. You just hit start and follow the instructions. It will tell you when to walk and when to run. Each week the runs are slightly longer and the walking is slightly shorter. By the end you're running 5K without stopping. It's a great way to systematically build up your distance. You can advance at your own pace and the weekly increases along with rest days allow you to slowly build up your endurance without even thinking about it. Next thing you know you're doing some serious running. Like I said before, the feeling of going from obese to being a runner is an accomplishment that's hard to match.

[gamergirl 4,610]

C25K is an app you download on your phone. It's short for "couch to 5k". It starts out as walking/running intervals. You just hit start and follow the instructions. It will tell you when to walk and when to run. Each week the runs are slightly longer and the walking is slightly shorter. By the end you're running 5K without stopping. It's a great way to systematically build up your distance. You can advance at your own pace and the weekly increases along with rest days allow you to slowly build up your endurance without even thinking about it. Next thing you know you're doing some serious running. Like I said before' date=' the feeling of going from obese to being a runner is an accomplishment that's hard to match.[/quote']

That sounds like exactly what I need. I have two questions. How soon after surgery can I start this? Secondly, I've always worried about carrying too much weight and trying to run. This is a bit of a vicious circle for me. Need to run to loose weight, can't run until I loose weight. Advice?

[Butterthebean 8,146]

That sounds like exactly what I need. I have two questions. How soon after surgery can I start this? Secondly' date=' I've always worried about carrying too much weight and trying to run. This is a bit of a vicious circle for me. Need to run to loose weight, can't run until I loose weight. Advice?[/quote']

Well I'll say, I started running at 300 lbs. I had lost 100, but I was still quite big. I was 43 years old and had 1 knee with a torn ACL (never repaired) and a torn MCL on the other. Plus lots of constant knee and lower back pain. But I found out that the running form in the website I linked above ( www.goodformrunning.com ) made all those things non factors. It teaches you to use your muscles' natural elasticity like a spring (or more like rubber bands) with each step, rather than allowing the impact to jar your joints and bones. It will help avoid all the injuries that people feel are inevitable with running....the knee pain, shin splints, plantar fasciitis, heel spurs....I've had all these in my previous life even without running, but none since I started running with proper form this time around. So proper form is my biggest tip....and to me, way more important than shoes or speed or your current weight or level of fitness.

As for when? When you feel your body is 100% ready to do anything, I believe you can start C25K. I started at 4 months. I could have started sooner but I set that goal for myself to get down to 300. And even though I'd lost 100 pounds, those first couple of weeks were like pure torture....kinda like being Water boarded. But very quickly my form got better, my breathing got easier and more relaxed....and everything just kinda clicked.

I encourage anyone to give C25K a try.

[GoldyGirl 186]

Butterthebean, Thanks for the info, I will Look into it! Don't you just LOVE your Sleeve!!! I do!

[NoneYa 380]

Butterthebean, if I had half of the determination and drive you have I would not have found myself in this predicament. I would love to be able to say I could do this. What a boost to self esteem and what a lesson to teach my kids. I downloaded the app and I will give this a try in a few months or sooner if I feel 100% back to health (my normal anyway).

[deedadumble 1,033]

Those of you that are wanting to start and would like some additional support, join us on the message thread: Started Couch to 5k today. Anyone keen?

Here's a link: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/68756-started-couch-to-5k-today-anyone-keen/

My recommendations are to take it slow and don't compare your pace to anyone else but yourself. Also, for the first 6months to year, don't worry about increasing your pace. Just run at whatever feels comfortable to you. Repeat days or weeks if you need to. Most of the programs are for running a 5K in 30 min after 8 weeks, but for most of us starting out (especially if you are not near goal weight) that is unreasonable. After I finished the initial 8week program (but it took me about 11 weeks) and was running for 30min straight I added about 1-2 min every other run until I was able to run for 3.1 miles. When I first did the program I did my first 5K in 45min. I "ran" (slowly jogged) the whole way and felt awesome about my accomplishment. I re-injured my knee and stopped running, gained 30 pounds and then decided to have WLS. In May, I ran my first 5K after my surgery. I used Jeff Galloway's run-walk-run method and finished in 42 minutes.

I started C25K about a month after surgery and finished it, but got sick for a while and restarted back at 3wks. I'm on week 7 now and feeling so much better.

One thing that I have noticed is that it doesn't have a significant impact on the rate that I lose. I'm usually burning an additional 350-450 calories on C25K days, which is only 1,200 cal per week. This is only about 1/3 of a pound. You have to be very careful that the added exertion doesn't make you hungrier and cause you to eat those calories.

It is so helpful to set a target race for yourself. My first race was the Disney Princess 5K. I signed up after I had made it through the 3rd week because by then I knew that I could do it and I needed something to help motivate me on days I felt like giving up. This time around I'm signed up for the Disney Haunted 5K (I live in Florida and the Disney races are a special treat). Color runs are also a fun race to set as a target race. You can find a calendar of all the races in your area on active.com.

Finally, you will need to drink more fluids on days that you run. Every few weeks you should weigh yourself before and after a run. Drink between 16-24 ounces of Water for every pound lost during a run. So, if your normal amount is 64ou, drink about 80ou. This is so important to prevent stalling due to dehydration.

Good luck!