Part of my training is running. I have never been a big runner.
I remember a sports day in primary school, where I got drafted to run the 800 m (someone really wasn’t thinking clearly) and I told them it just wasn’t going to happen, they insisted and said that everyone must run, everyone must complete their race, even if they have to walk or crawl. I ran for about 50 m before I felt like my lungs wanted to explode from my chest, so then I walked, for 750 m and because the rules stated EVERYONE had to finish, they couldn’t pull me off the track, they had to watch and wait for me to finish, they couldn’t do any other races, they had to wait for me. They never asked me to run again!
Back to the present and the fact that I have to run. 3 km!
I bought myself a new pair of running shoes (the first new pair in over 15 years!) and I am running. Sometimes I walk, but I always complete the run. Yesterday morning we did the 3 km route and I ran 1 block, walked 1 block for most of it, the last 6 or so blocks I walked 1, ran 2.
I think I am getting better and I must admit, its not my legs that are the problem, its my lungs. I cannot breathe. Also my shins hurt with the impact of my feet on the road.
If anyone has any exercises or ideas on how to increase my lung capacity and how to avoid shin injury, I am all ears!
The lungs will come. Being asthmatic over the years I have tried all sorts of lung capacity exercise type things and the only thing that worked was time. You’ll see your lungs will cope better as you get fitter.
Shins can be iffy. If its muscular pain (which is the usual one everyone gets) then that too will get better over time if you don’t push too hard. It sounds as if you’re taking it one step at a time and not trying to run the Comrades by next week 🙂 Maybe try icing them after a run? If it’s pain in the shin bone itself then really, really, really don’t run until that pain is gone. My BF ran “through” that last year and ended up with stress fractures in both shins.
I would run, if only someone could guarantee that I’d be hooked in 3 weeks and never look back. (If I could be given the exact time it would take to be hooked, I would do it). I start for 3 days and then stop. My lungs hurt, my shins hurt, every muscle hurts. I am sooooo unfit and I’m getting more and more porky 🙁 Good luck and keep it up!