Jogging after covid pneumonia

[Natastrophe]

Hiya folks.

In the last few days, i've started gentle jogging for 5 minutes after recovering from covid pneumonia.

5 months ago I was fighting for my life, with a C-PAP machine helping me breath, and its taken me a long time to get to this stage. I had to learn to walk again after a month in hospital.

Back to today, I still can only walk short distances, say 1.5km, so decided to concentrate on speed and pace, rather than distance. The reason is walking gets me tired, but not out of breath these days.

Jogging does get be breathless and gets my heart going.

I'd just like to hear others experiences with exercising after serious respiratory illness?

Today, after my jog, i feel tired, and my lungs feel tired, if that's a thing. I do feel ok though, and can easily move around the house. 2 months ago, I could barely manage 100 meters, so have come a long way.

[NellyG]

Wow @Natastrophe You HAVE come a long way. Well done for your perseverance and sensible attitude towards your rehab. I wish you a full recovery from what must have been a truly traumatic experience.

[Natastrophe]

Thanks @NellyG Just back from a run today, bit more structured, and I call it couch to 1k
Ok, so i've invented couch to 1k, to get be back into jogging. Boy did the first run get me breathless!

Down stairs to warm up

Walk 90 seconds
Jog 60 seconds

Repeat x 3

Warm Down for 5 minute walk.

Rest 3 minutes

Climb stairs

Total distance, just over 1k

I've just caught my breath now! 5 minutes after finishing!

[t.parker]

@Natastrophe slow progress is still progress so good job on that! 👍I was rather lucky and my Covid-19 ended with lasting 2-3 weeks bacterial infection (resulted in constant coughing) but antibiotics did the job. My covid lasted 2 weeks and the second week I jumped on bike trainer and did easy recovery cardio (that in fact can boost immune system and improve recovery, but if done too hard it could backfire). First post-covid run was a day after I tested negative, felt tougher than usual but it's rather because of illness and break from running. Reading what you went (and are still going) through I may consider myself very lucky. I remember similar symptoms from the time I had asthma so I kind of know what you are dealing with. Little by little you'll get there where you wanna be! 🙂

[emili]

kudos to you @Natastrophe .. some people would use your illness as an excuse to not exercise where you are using the experience as a reason to push yourself. Just keep listening to your body and making good progress back to health.

[charleskn]

Lot's of good stuff here. Here is my $.02 😉

First, patience. Second, be sure to watch for any longer term issues. While I was not recovering from illness, I did start running last year, and this is what I did to build up to running 5ks:

• I used a local HS track, and walk a wrm-up lap. Then, starting at what would be the start of the 100m mark, I jog/run as much of a lap as possible and take note of the yardage marker on the field where I stopped running. 
• Initially, after my first lap 400m lap, I couldn't finish another entire lap.
• I then walk to a fixed reference point (for me, it was the finish of the 100m), and start jogging/running again, until I have to walk. Again, mentally tracking where along the football yardage I stopped.
• I again walk to my reference point (100m finish) and start running again, until I finished my 2 miles (pick your distance).

Each week I would increase the distance that I would run before stopping, by using the yardage markers on the football field, closing the distance between where I stopped running, and my reference point (to start running again). Eventually I was completing multiple laps, but repeating the above process when I couldn't continue running full laps. Eventually I was running/jogging the entire two miles.

Good luck, and hang in there!