I have always been a good walker but got up to running a full 5k with walking/running intervals. Started doing more running than walking and eventually all running. It took a couple months. I am not a fit person and a little overweight so I am sure you can do this too!

Good thread OP. After not running for 10 years and getting a lot older and bigger it has taken about 9 month to get from a shuffling slow stride to a true running gait at a little faster pace. I can’t believe how long it has taken to improve and glad to know it isn’t just me.

Anonymous wrote:It is your bodies way of telling you that it’s wrecking your joints and skin by running.

Running is great for skin and joints.

I haven't read all the comments but I want to assure you, OP, that you can run. You need to slow way, way down. You may want to aim for basically a walking pace but a running movement. Train to time, only. Not distance. (At first.) A good approach is to jog for 30 minutes and do not stop. You can go so slowly that you're slower than the walkers, but it must be in a jogging movement. Your body will quickly learn if you do this. Like, you'll only have to feel silly for the first week or 2 and then you'll be jogging.

It is your bodies way of telling you that it’s wrecking your joints and skin by running.

Have you tried running with a friend? I was talking about this with my friend who runs marathons and she convinced me to go running with her to see if she could help. As a side note, due to pretty bad childhood respiratory issues, I never ran. I did other sports that didn't require running and did other cardio.

I started running and she immediately knew what was wrong. The way I bounced on my feet was completely off and my breathing pattern related to my running pattern was completely off. She worked with me for awhile to figure it out. I still can run far but did do a 5K over the summer without walking.

I’m in pretty good shape and like to exercise but have NEVER been able to run. My lungs always burn. I mentioned it to my doctor a few years ago and she prescribed me an inhaler for exercise-induced asthma. I’m able to run farther/faster now but I still don’t like it. I find it mundane/boring I guess.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I’ve definitely built up over time, and it’s taken 6 months to get to where I can run/walk most of 4 miles….but I keep stopping.

I like the psychological comment above, and that’s my greatest fear. Far harder to overcome than physical discomfort. How do you get thru it? I guess just force yourself?

I'm not the PP, but I force myself to do stuff with people as often as possible, because that's a huge motivator for me too. Recognizing that "accountability from being around other humans" is a thing I need rather than a "nice to have" thing is helpful for me.

Following a structured program has also been helpful, particularly when I'm resisting structure a lot. It sounds like you are reasonably in shape, so it's likely more a psychological/training issue than an ability issue. Practice makes perfect in all things, whether it's being physically able to run or being psychologically able to continue running when you want to bail.

Anonymous wrote:I can’t run because no matter how much I train I am very prone to getting a “stitch.” I can do verifiably good workouts ( tougher on paper than the slow runs I attempt) swimming, biking, walking fast w significant incline but despite all my efforts I cannot breath in a way to not get a stitch when running. I’ve tried all the tricks to address this and no luck.

Same here. I am visibly fit and friends will ask me to join them for a run and don't believe me when I say I literally cannot run. I have pretty severe pectus excavatum but it doesn't affect me other than running.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want to run farther, you need to slow down. OP, try slowing down 10-15%. Try to cultivate calm and distract yourself with music or a running buddy.

This. Most people run too fast. Do a light jog. Start walking and keep increasing the pace until you switch from a walk to a run. That should be the pace you do on an easy run.

Agree -- you need to slow down. Like so slow, you will be embarrassed for people to seek you. So slow, that you could probably walk faster.

I'm going to echo this, I'm the pp who said you just need to run more. But agree you need to make a LOT of those miles REALLY slow.

I posted here awhile back about feeling like my max HR was too high. That exercising in 'zone 2' felt like doing literally nothing to the point I didn't do it because it literally felt like, a waste of my time. I was just thinking, my zones are different and zone 2 for me is 170. Because I would occasionally get max HRs over 200, like 205 (I'm 39).

The last few months I made a concerted effort to do true like, zone 2. I still think my max HR is a little higher but I started literally making some of my miles like 15 minute miles, SHUFFLING miles. By trying to follow the rough 80/20 model (80% TRUE easy miles, 20% harder miles) I have gotten faster and I have gotten my HR down when I go faster. Which actually seems like more of an accomplishment. That 29 min 5k I did last week would have, in previous months, EASILY gotten me over 200 for at least a portion of it, instead I did it, on a treadmill with the first 18 minutes at a 1% incline and had an average HR of like 185. That is high of course but it was manageable, I could talk, and a significant reduction.

Anyway, agree, even if the zone calculators feel like they're telling you to walk, shuffle along at those slow paces and you will see improvement faster than you think.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want to run farther, you need to slow down. OP, try slowing down 10-15%. Try to cultivate calm and distract yourself with music or a running buddy.

This. Most people run too fast. Do a light jog. Start walking and keep increasing the pace until you switch from a walk to a run. That should be the pace you do on an easy run.

Agree -- you need to slow down. Like so slow, you will be embarrassed for people to seek you. So slow, that you could probably walk faster.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting question...I used to run alot up until about 5 years ago. I did one half marathon, several 10 milers, 10K, 5Ks, etc. My pace was anywhere from 7 min/mile on 5ks to about 8:10/mile on my half. Then I got pneumonia in late fall/winter of 2019. Right before Covid hit. I was miss diagnosed at first. Took me a few months to recover and I have not been able to run since. All I can do is run/walk. I can shuffle my feet without a break at about a 12 minute mile pace but then I'm dead...and I run/walk for about 3 miles 3 or 4 times a week. Lungs are shot I suppose. Zero endurance.

DP - This is not what I want to hear. I’m a month out from pneumonia and I’m really struggling to run 2 mins and walk 1 minute for a total of 12 minutes. I’m used to doing several mile runs. But i get so winded and start coughing but I assumed it would just take time and I’d be back at it soon.

I hope what happened/is happening to me doesn't happen to you. Best of luck.

Really appreciate all these suggestions. Stuck in same boat.

Anonymous wrote:If you want to run farther, you need to slow down. OP, try slowing down 10-15%. Try to cultivate calm and distract yourself with music or a running buddy.

This. Most people run too fast. Do a light jog. Start walking and keep increasing the pace until you switch from a walk to a run. That should be the pace you do on an easy run.

If you want to run farther, you need to slow down. OP, try slowing down 10-15%. Try to cultivate calm and distract yourself with music or a running buddy.