Running? Ahahahahahahahaha. C'mon folks, laugh with me.

[Skellibert]

Got my fitbit at the end of September.
Thought I should try to be more active.
Found the run/walk logging bit, where it said to figure out my stride I needed to go for a run. 10 mins if possible.
It's not.........
I have had two runs, if you can call them that, that have both been about 5mins each, and in that time I have covered about 400m.......
Perspective folks: Ussain Bolt covers that distance in a tick over 40 secs, and celbrates afterwards...... :lol:
It takes me 5 mins and I am happy after a further 10 mins when I can breathe again.....

I am starting from a fairly low base folks, but I hope a few people get a chuckle out this.
(Note: I am in no way feeling sorry for myself, and I know it will get better. Over time. A lot of time. :lol: )

[USAF-Larry]

Funny, @Skellibert!  Start out slow and easy, don't injure yourself. Do some walking, increasing the distance and speed as you feel comfortable doing it. Then start out running slow and easy, a little now, and little more later.  Soon, you'll be running and enjoying life.

[WendyB]

Yep I agree you will get there. Takes time to build up.

Your doing great!

[Skellibert]

Yep, I am a walker - will be a rider again soon, but want to run a bit as well.
Only done the two "runs" so far, and about a week apart. I think I will keep to that at the moment.
A few years ago I was riding to work every day - 40km each way, so to have such low fitness now is hard to get my head around.
But it is where I am and I have to start from here.
And it won't take long to improve noticably.
I am also doing pushups as resistance work - again starting slowly.
Thanks folks.

[emili]

@Skellibert I was never a runner- the joke with me was always if I am running you better too because something awful is about to happen. And then over a year ago I gave it a go. Of course by then I had walked, boxed, weight trained and other things. Running requires stamina. Keep trying, but do other things to improve cardio and strength. You have the right attitude.

[Skellibert]

One thing I found when I was riding was that fitness in one thing doesn't transfer directly to another.
I was riding 400km per week at an average speed of near to 30kph, so I was fit, but I tried to do a different exercise I would tire far more quickly than expected. No doubt it was because different exercises use different primary muscles, and I was suffering muscle tiredness, rather than aerobic tiredness.
But when I was cycling it was every day, and other exercise was once in a while stuff.
I rode as a commuter so I had a reason to do it, and fitness was side benefit so I just didn't do anything else.
Now I am required to have access to a car at all times so I can't ride to work, plus it is only about 15km which was hardly a warm up for me.
But fitness is becoming the motivation now, so I walk, do push ups, nearly have my bike ready to start riding again, and I may - just may, start to run.
Oh and I bought a skipping rope. I could never skip rope, but have made a concerted effort to try and now I am doing really well - I can get about 5 skips before I get tangled in the rope. :lol:
As with the other stuff, it will get better as I keep at it.
That sounds like I am doing heaps, but the reality is that I am doing little bits of each as I am starting out, and in the couple of weeks since I got my charge2 I have actually put on a bit of weight.........
Maybe the first weigh in was unusually light for some reason....... (my excuse anyway 😉 )

[betpchem]

I'd rather walk than run any day of the week, @Skellibert

[garybartlett]

@Skellibert  Good show!  I've had a couple of times in my life in which I had to start from zero and the trick I learned was to take it very easy (running, jogging, walking or whatever), slowly increase the distance -- and I do mean slowly -- take a day off every now and then to let the body rest, and capture the data so that you can see your progress.  That's where the motivation will come from -- seeing your results increase.  If you're in the position to do so, make a table of distance vs date and build a simple Excel (or the equivalent) graph which will give you a pictorial view of how you are doing.  If you are brave, pick an achievable goal and plot that on your graph and track your performance visually against that line.

[shipo]

---

@garybartlett wrote:

...take a day off every now and then to let the body rest...

---

Just to expand upon that point a bit, while I agree rest days are important, not everybody needs to refrain from exercise on "rest days".  Once a certain level of consistent exercise has been established, and your body has adapted to the more rigorous lifestyle, then a "rest day" might be backing off the weight, or the reps, or the per mile pace for a day.

[garybartlett]

@shipo  My "rest" days are short walks with hiking poles, trying to restore the damage to my upper body from the myeloma.  By short, I mean  <1 mile with a long break in the middle.  But it is very hard on my lower back and so that's a once-a-week event, all I can tolerate. 

[Skellibert]

I have a push ups program which sets a schedule of every other day and increasing number of reps.
My "run" is once a week as the starts of a walk - I run as far as I can at barely a jog (at the moment) which is all I can manage without my lungs exploding.
I haven't got a schedule for skipping so it is only when I think of it (not often), and I finally fixed my bike and now just need to adjust the gears properly and I will begin lunchtime rides.
The push ups program records and graphs progress which is good, but the rides and walk/runs I will track with fitbit.
But again, all this will be started small and built upon.
The thing I am most consistent with is the rest days 😉 never miss them and often add in some extra ones. 😄

[Ukase]

To figure out your stride - count how many steps it takes you to cover a specific distance. 

For example: If it takes you 10 steps to walk a distance of 20 feet (which is 240 inches) than your stride is 24 inches. (if my math is correct.) Now, that's a walking stride. A running stride is pretty much the same thing - but you may want to use a longer distance. I hardly think 400 meters is necessary though. Still, if you're going to run, if can't go 400 meters without stopping, at least you know that much and can work from there. 

[Skellibert]

Gotta say - frustration is setting in.
The reason is that I am slowly gaining weight.
I have not changed my eating habits yet - that is supposed to happen this week.
But simply because of the food recording I am eating very slightly better. I know the recording etc is a guestimate but I am almost always under budget - only three times since I got my fitbit have I been overbudget.
The thing that is annoying me is that I am more active - quite a bit more active than I was before I got the fitbit.
I mentioned that I used to ride a lot.
When I started riding I was above 130kg. When I was riding 400km per week my best weight was 97kg, but that was for less than a week. My stable weight was about 103kg.
That frustrated me.
My opinion is that I should be in the high 80's.
Now I think this is reasonable as my best weight ever was 67kg, but I was 18years old and doing a 6 days constant physical labour job.
That is never going to happen again, and now it would be too skinny anyway. So 85 to 90 is the goal.
But 121kg was my weight a month ago, and now I am 123.5kg.
Why am I gaining weight?
Only walking and trying to do push ups, no obvious bulking up, so why??????
(Not giving up by the way, not looking for sympathy, just looking for some ideas or thoughts.)

[brerbill]

@Skellibert - If you are eating only "slightly better", and have "not changed my eating habits yet", does that mean you are not on a healthy diet?  When you say your eating is almost always "under budget" and you are gaining weight, does that mean you are just counting calories?  Consider healthier foods, if you haven't already - with less daily caloric intake if recommended.  Just trying to think of what might help.  

I re-read your posts, and it sounds like the exercising part needs consistancy.  Assuming you are in shape to work out some - walk an hour each day;  or schedule a walk/run/walk/repeat session 3 times a week;  or skip rope (count 'em!) 40-100 repetitions several times a week (it dosen't matter if you get tangled up);  or cycle every other day (use the lowest gear necessary to go up hills at first);  or do a combination of these activities;  or concentrate on one or two activities that you like the most;  or try working out at a gym;  or do cicuit training,  or join an exercise class (heck, start one - the only requirement is that there are at least two people!).  Not just once in a while, but from now on.  Write down an exercise schedule and keep an activity log, or use one online.  Get acclimated to sweating.  Prioritize.  Listen to music.  Set aside a certain time of day to work out.  

Realize that the hardest part can be motivation - join a group or find a buddy if you can.  Getting used to exercising consistantly over time can take a few weeks or more to get better or to see benefits.  Push through "relapses" (but never through pain or injury).  Yes, take time off - but mosly for illnesses, emergencies, when life gets in the way, when there's a higher priority, or when you've "overdone it". That means that most days you are active, and only a few days are needed as rest days.  You will soon find out that exercising consistantly can make you feel good afterward (even though you may be sore, achy, or tired at the same time). 

I've assumed quite a lot here, so tell me to 'get lost' if you like - no problem.  But maybe some things here could be useful to you, and that's all I was aiming for.  Good luck!!