I have rheumatoid arthritis and I’m a runner. I frequently have to stop running due to flares and I use two PTs ongoing.

According to them, a person is ready to start running when they can do the following four things:
60 sec plank
60 sec wall sit
30 single-leg squats per leg
Hop for 60 sec at 160 beats per minute

If you can’t do those four, stick to lower impact workouts until your endurance is up to prevent injuries.

Anonymous wrote:I think that you can do it but unless you are pretty tall, I think that it would be tough on your joints to be running with that much weight on you.

You would be better off concentrating on diet first. I'd honestly put this off until next year. I think you could be in great shape doing it April 2020.

Stop it. Don’t put off anything until you “get thinner.” Life needs to be lived in the present.

I’m 5’9 and 220 and I run 3 miles 4x a week.

Kudos to you for trying! Good Luck!

I did C25K when I was around 225 or so. I didn’t do anything on the off days, I just rested. It was totally doable though I did have sore ankles for a while. I ended up becoming a dedicated runner for years! My weight dropped as low as 155. I maintained just fine until having kids wrecked me. I’m just now trying to get started again and I’m using the Peloton app. Good luck OP! So fun!

I did C25K and ran a 5k but it took longer - I could not start at the pace of the first week and had to break it down more.

I think you could go to 4 times a week running. Or running 3 times, and something aerobic the 4th - bike riding? Something different than running. Walking is fine. But I think another day or two you should do something else, too - yoga once a week?

I was a slow runner - more than 14 minuets per mile.

my other piece of advice is try as much as possible to get off the treadmill and onto the roads - it's so different on a treadmill versus road running.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How tall are you?

I am 5'8.

fatigue-related injuries - that is because of overtraining, yes? At my size, what is a healthy amount of x per week that will still let me accomplish this?

thank you!

You are a bit hung up on your size. It's much more about your fitness and strength. A 150lb person can get injured doing too much too quickly too.

+1 -- it depends more on your exercise history than your weight. If you haven't exercised at all than I would be extremely careful about increasing your workload. If you are overweight but still exercised you can be more aggressive in your buildup.

Good luck to you and you can absolutely crush the 5k with your son. Be smart about your diet, train consistently and you will see the results.

One other tip OP:

I'd consider using your off days to do some strength training, especially focused on your core. When I've re-started running with extra weight on me, I find I'm more prone to back, neck and shoulder issues. Strengthening your core will help your body can carry the weight effectively and reduce injuries.

Make sure you get a proper fit on a pair (or two) of shoes. Don’t let your size be your hinderance. I like to find articles by Fatgirlrunning for motivation. She mostly writes for magazines now, but her old blog is still up and very helpful.

https://www.womensrunning.com/2017/05/fat-girl-running/fat-girl-running-hateful-message-response_75134

http://fatgirlrunning-fatrunner.blogspot.com/?m=1

Good luck!

Good for you OP! Be very careful of your feet and knees. Plantar fasciitis results in too much too fast and takes 6 weeks to heal. Just doing the race is a goal. Good luck !

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think if you're committed it's completely doable. I would try to be realistic about what your expectation is, though, you just want to be able to complete it without keeling over, in a reasonable amount of time (i.e., not last?) or you want to finish it under 20 minutes. Big difference.

haha, good point! I think I'd like to finish it in under 40 minutes. Is that totally crazy?

I think 40 minutes is a reasonable goal. I've done several 5ks all under 40 minutes and I end up walking at least half of the time. You can run/walk a 5k in under 40 minutes.

I don't want to repeat what a lot of PP's have said so just want to add --

Congrats on setting a goal and wanting to do it!

I think you can do it. But I'd even limit walking on the "off" days if you have access to anything you can do that's even lower impact. So, if you have access to an elliptical, rowing machine, indoor pool, etc., to do that.

I am trying to lose a good chunk of weight and have plantar fascitis and an old knee injury and, if I were you, I'd want to go as easy as possible on my joints on the non-running days, to try to prevent injury that would set me back. Good luck!

You can do it. I love running , but because of my joints/older age (And maybe bc I like to run fast for age), I now only run 3-4x a week - otherwise my joints bother me.

So for starting out, as well as size, I'd keep the number of times to 3 bc of joints. Do a lot of stretching and watch injuries.


Also, for times when I had to come back from running (injury, c-section), I am a big fan of the run/walk programs. PP suggestion on jeff galloway is good. It's gentler, a good sense of accomplishment with longer distances and believe less likely injury.

You can totally do it. As a PP said, you'd be surprised at how many larger or seemingly overweight people can run 5Ks and marathons. 3 to 4 times a week should be your goal in the beginning. Try every other day so you're giving your body a chance to rest between runs. Work up from there. Good luck!

I think the official C25K specifically discourages you from going off the program (running farther or more often) though I can't remember the reasoning off hand.