I was wondering if anyone took up running after surgery. I dream of being able to do long distance running, joining a running club, and not dying in the process. If so, how did you go about building your stamina? How do you fuel yourself during a run? Something I found interesting is when serching this subject I only found 1 case study from like 2014 and it was about 1 runner. SO not a ton of information out there on this subject.

I started running after my surgery. I started out slow for two reasons, 1. Cause I was and 2. Cause I didn't want to have any injuries. Each person is different and what I did may not work for you. I started with a 5k. I would run so far then walk the rest. After 2 weeks I would add a little more distance and just keep going from there until I was running the whole 5k. I then set up a schedule to run the 5k (everyday for me) and 2 days to add more distance so I could run 10ks 15ks or any other distance. It will come, it just takes time. When I run long distances I use the GU's to help out with endurance. I use them every 2 miles and make sure I get water at the water stations. I also made sure that I had a protein bar with minimum 20 grams of protein an hour before the race. I hope this helps and if you have any questions just let me know. Good luck with your new adventure!

personally, no - but I've run into several who have.

45 minutes ago, t09davidson said:

I started running after my surgery. I started out slow for two reasons, 1. Cause I was and 2. Cause I didn't want to have any injuries. Each person is different and what I did may not work for you. I started with a 5k. I would run so far then walk the rest. After 2 weeks I would add a little more distance and just keep going from there until I was running the whole 5k. I then set up a schedule to run the 5k (everyday for me) and 2 days to add more distance so I could run 10ks 15ks or any other distance. It will come, it just takes time. When I run long distances I use the GU's to help out with endurance. I use them every 2 miles and make sure I get Water at the water stations. I also made sure that I had a Protein Bar with minimum 20 grams of Protein an hour before the race. I hope this helps and if you have any questions just let me know. Good luck with your new adventure!

Hey new best friend!!!

If you don't mind me asking how long did it take for you to hit running the whole 5k? I use to be a bit athletic and i was working on running last year but the extra weight just got me discouraged.

I had to look up GU's. You don't have issues with the sugars causing issues with your stomach?

3 minutes ago, Jjohnson1971 said:

Hey new best friend!!!

If you don't mind me asking how long did it take for you to hit running the whole 5k? I use to be a bit athletic and i was working on running last year but the extra weight just got me discouraged.

I had to look up GU's. You don't have issues with the sugars causing issues with your stomach?

If I remember correctly it took me a couple of months...i want to say 4-6. Now that was at a slow pace. I am getting back to running after taking a year off to take care of my mom and it is rough. I am no where near what I was before and am just taking my time to get back there. I totally get the whole thing about being discouraged. Keep this in mind....YOU ARE OUT THERE!!! Being out there and just trying is a MAJOR accomplishment.

As for the GU's, they did not bother my stomach at all. Now, I only used them when I ran more than a 15k.

I did! I’ve run more 5Ks than I can count, plus about 15 half marathons, a full marathon, and a bunch of short and medium length triathlons.

I suggest starting with Couch to 5K (app is easiest, but google the name and you’ll find it) and going from there. There’s also a Facebook group called “Bariatrics Runners & Athletic Team” that is full of experienced folks with great advice.

I used to hate running but when I experienced the runner's high I changed my mind. LOL I worked up to 5 miles doing interval training. Basically alternating shorts bursts of walking/ jogging to eventually jogging/running. Times vary but the goal is to slowly increase running time with less recovery time.

I haven't done any running yet after RNY. Just walking and TBH not sure I will push myself to do anything long distance related anymore. Reason being, I knew many marathon runners when I worked in the health clubs. They ran miles every week. Were in great shape and could eat anything they wanted.

Years later I saw alot of them and they aged horribly. Looked way older than their age. Google free radicals and exhaustive exercise. Not trying to discourage anyone to get in shape but moderation is key and more is not necessarily better.

Too Much of a Good Thing? Cellular Health and Exercise (wondriumdaily.com)

Yes I am running 18 months after my sleeve. Many years ago I did much longer distances - lots of half marathon type runs. Then I got properly fat and couldn't run any more but missed it hugely. Since I have got down to a normal BMI I am running again, but much shorter distances, and only with the aim of maintaining weight loss and general fitness - I have nothing to prove to anyone these days distance wise. I can run 3 or 4 miles easily and I do that (or less) a couple of times a week. I could push it and extend that but I have no inclination to. If I can keep this up as part of my maintenance regime I will be a VERY happy bunny.

When I got down to about 100 pounds overweight I challenged myself to run 5k just to prove I could. I did a program similar to Couch to 5 K (C25K). It took about a month. I discovered I enjoyed running. I could use to time to put the day in order and ponder life's challenges. I started adding distance, then worked at improving time. At some point I decided on running a marathon, so got a book (Idiot's guide to Marathons) and followed the program there. The more I ran the more I enjoyed it.

I lived in Las Vegas at the time and decided I would run in the Valley of Fire Marathon which was out in the desert near Lake Mead. A couple months before the marathon I had a business trip to Long Beach and as it happened the Long Beach Marathon was that weekend. I decided I would sign up and use it as a training run. I didn't really intend to finish, but as it turned out I did. It was wonderful.

So my second marathon was Valley of Fire, which was up and down a hill. Very challenging. My third marathon was Surf City Marathon in Huntington Beach.

4th was San Francisco Marathon where I got to run across the Golden Gate Bridge. This was a tough one for me. I tripped at about 1/4 mile from the start, landed hard on my chin. I new there was an aid station about mile 4 on the other side of the bridge, so I said I'd get to there and call it a day. By time I got there I didn't feel bad at all, the bleeding stopped and the aches were subsiding, so I continued knowing I could cut to the half marathon if necessary. The half marathon cut off was about mile 11, and I was doing well so I just stuck with it. At about mile 13 was the first sustained uphill where I finally needed to take some deep breaths and realized I couldn't. I trudged as well as I could to the end, where they diverted me to the hospital tent then the hospital. Turned out I had a broken rib and required stitches in my chin.

My 5th and last (as it turned out) was Long Beach Marathon, a year after my first. I was way past goal at this point, and couldn't eat enough to stop losing weight. For the year of marathons I ran about 90 miles a week, went through a pair of shoes every 6 weeks.

I'm prouder of my marathons than I am of losing 500+ pounds.

To your questions:

I never worried about fuel during a run that was less that 15 miles. Over 15 I did a "goo" every 5 miles. Hydration is where I focused. That and breathing. I had to be careful as most "fuel" is heavy on sugar and I dump on sugar. I did dump a few times until I learned my tolerances of different products. I did yogurt before and after.

Building stamina is what the C25K and other programs are about. Keep a running log & journal so you can see your improvement, which is extremely motivational. Be patient.

Good luck,

Tek

Oh, me! I actually started running before surgery and did a ton of 5ks and 10ks, but ended up with a labrum tear after over-training (...and the 80+ lbs of extra weight I was carrying didn't help). I started back up after surgery and I'm currently training for a half-marathon in September.

I strongly recommend a Couch To 5K program - there are several companies/apps, but they're all pretty much identical. You start off with short running intervals alternated with walking breaks until you're running 30 minutes at a time. There's a reddit community dedicated to C25K and everyone is really supportive. If you've never run before, the very first C25K run is a HUMBLING experience, but I promise, it gets easier. The great thing about running is that you improve really quickly; it's such a massive confidence boost.

17 hours ago, The Greater Fool said:

I'm prouder of my marathons than I am of losing 500+ pounds.

Don't get me wrong. I'm very proud of the long-distance exercise I did in the past. I'm looking at the medals I won hanging on my wall, as we speak. Doing marathons is definitely a highlight of one's life. And even more so for someone that has lost a lot of weight. Such a great accomplishment.

I say go for it but....

Don't do it (train) for years. You don't want to get to 70 years old and look and feel like you're 100.

2 hours ago, BabySpoons said:

Don't get me wrong. I'm very proud of the long-distance exercise I did in the past. I'm looking at the medals I won hanging on my wall, as we speak. Doing marathons is definitely a highlight of one's life. And even more so for someone that has lost a lot of weight. Such a great accomplishment.

I say go for it but....

Don't do it (train) for years. You don't want to get to 70 years old and look and feel like you're 100.

One reason I challenged myself to the C25K was after carrying 500+ extra pounds for a lot of years my knees weren't going to hold up for long. I never intended to do much more than just accomplish the goal (by running 5k 4 times a week for a month) and move on. But I came to really enjoy what I got out of it and next thing I knew I was binge running. It was surprising my knees held up for as long as they did and I may have pushed it a bit far. My knees and other medical issues conspired to end my running right after marathon #5 which was 18 years ago.

Good luck,

Tek