absolute beginner

Question
I am a 35 year old woman, 5'4" and about 65 pounds overweight. I am not very active, though I go through phases where I do light cardio at the gym for a few months, then slag off and do nothing for a while. I have been more or less sedentary for several months now. I would like to try running. Ideally, I would like to become a life-long runner, and eventually complete a marathon. I have always believed I'm too heavy, too out of shape, or otherwise not built to be a runner. I've had problems with asthma, and running, even when I was young, has been extremely difficult for me, much more so than aerobics or elliptical machine work, which I've done well with in the past (except for really sticking to it). A few days ago, I started by mainly walking briskly around a track in my gym, with a bout of easy running on one side (1/4) of the oval. I spend a total of 30 minutes doing this, with about 10 minutes of stretching afterwards. I plan to build up to running 2 sides of the track, then three, etc. My question is, how much do I need to push myself? How much time should I spend at one level before moving on to the next? I want to progress and lose weight but I'm worried if it's too hard or too painful I'll give up. Also: Should I run when I'm sore (it's been 3 days so far and I've been sore for the past two)? Can I walk/run every day? ANY other tips or advice would be appreciated.

Answer
Julie,

I don't know where to start with this one, but I'll give it a shot. First,you are overweight...but so are many people these days, and with the right attitude you can fix that. You should start as you have with walking mainly and light jogging. Some of your breathing is probably due to the weight factor. In general, running is good for asthma. Believe it or not I had extremely bad asthma with hospital visits and started running . It not only went away, but you see what I went on to run. Your main focus should not be on intensity, but time. The body doesn't start to burn fat until after about 30 minutes in general, so time on the feet is the main factor for you. Work on getting up to 1 hour of mainly walking....brisk is better, with small jogging bouts mixed in. ALSO, diet is important. LIMIT SUGARS( i.e.  SODA, CANDY, CAKE, FAST FOOD) and focus on salads, seafood, fruit. SODA will kill you. ALso, you will experience soreness, as you are not used to exercise, and you are carrying extra weight. YOu should try to walk EVERYDAY, even if you start at 15 minutes-30 minutes daily and build up a little every week. Also, you have to believe in yourself!! Don't get down on yourself and have a positive attitude. The worst thing to do when starting is missing a day, or skipping a planned session. Set out to workout daily or a certain 5 days a week and don't miss. Try to start a streak. I set out one time to train 77 days in a row in high school( to beat a neighbor's record), and not only did it but got hooked and didn't miss a day for 5 years. If you are sore, ibuprofen, stretching, a periodic massage will help. Believe it or not, one of the best things after training is to immediately take an ice cold bath!! I used to run in the winter and immediaely jump into an outdoor pool up to my waist for 15 minutes. The water almost had ice floating it was sooo cold. However, I had my best season ever. It is great for muscles and recovery. Also, remember THERE IS A FINE LINE BETWEEN LAZINESS AND FATIGUE!!! If you are truly hurt, you should rest and maybe see a doctor. If you are just looking for a reason to miss, get your butt out the door. Once you get out the door, it is easy and you will be happy you did.

Ryan