running: possible with a weight 174lbs without injuries?

I want to start running at some point. A few months ago I made a trial and made the rookie mistake to run too long on day one. I was rewarded with hip pain, so I stopped and learned what I did wrong. Now my weight is down to 174lbs, and I wonder: It is reasonable to start again withoug injuries? Or should I wait until my weight is even lower?

For now I do walking/biking/swimming. I need variety though, as I get bored easily with the same routine. In winter I want to go back to skiing, I had to stop due to knee pain and asthma, because I was too overweight (I was 196lbs). This is the main reason I do the weight loss thing. If I could go running, it would boost my confidence in doing harder sports like skiing.

Of course I should probably just try and see. At what weight did you start running?

I think you'll be okay if you just start out slow and easy. Don't push too much at first or you will get injured. I made that mistake around 205 lbs. I kept trying to go longer and faster and totally messed up my hip. It took a couple months until the pain went away. I'm running again now (188 lbs) and haven't had any problems. However, I am going much slower now (4.0 - 4.5 mph) and took my time building up to 25 minutes of straight jogging by doing intervals. Just added a little time to my intervals each week. I'm back to short intervals again now because I hurt my back two weeks ago doing other exercises, so I want to take it easy and not make it any worse. Good luck to you!

Probably you are the only one that can answer that question for your body and joints.  You might try some light jogging mixed in with walking and see how it feels.  You're right about not overdoing too soon.  I jog in the water and love it!  Maybe you could do some jogging in the pool?

I am doing a run/walk program now at 200 and change. What you have to do is build up your endurance. Although i have been going through some personal turmoil and not doing too well on losing weight right now ( more like gaining actually) i always know that i can start back at the beginning of the run/walk program and  get results quickly regarding how long i can run. Remember to listen to your body and stay positive.  I wish i was at 174, i dont actually remember the last time i was 174. I used to snowboard tonnes at 185 so i bet if you build up your strength you will be skiing in no time!

Best of luck!

Diana

Original Post by la_fadeaway:

 I'm running again now (188 lbs) and haven't had any problems. However, I am going much slower now (4.0 - 4.5 mph) and took my time building up to 25 minutes of straight jogging by doing intervals.

oh thanks for the reply! I am now encouraged by your story, it sounds very similar to mine!

Original Post by ncurlee:

  I jog in the water and love it!  Maybe you could do some jogging in the pool?

thanks for your i nput. I love water, but aqua jogging sounds just too weird too me. There was a time I did rowing and some other time I did kayaking. I am more used to these kind of watersports.

Original Post by didason:

. I used to snowboard tonnes at 185 so i bet if you build up your strength you will be skiing in no time!

thank you for your encouragement! I tried snowboarding for one day, and it was very shaky, but fun! But I stuck with skiing, because I had still a lot to learn there.

I started running seven months ago at 197 pounds, so it's definitely possible. These days I'm down to 158 and do a ton more than just run. I think the Couch to 5k program was the best thing that ever happened to me just because it gave me so much confidence to start small and work my way up. Now I'm extremely active, so I'll be another voice saying that you're not too big to start running, just take good care of yourself, stretch, strengthen your legs, and try to enjoy.

Violet,  make sure to be wearing the right shoes and you should be fine.  Even at 191 lbs I could run/walk okay with the help of some good shoes.  If you don't feel good out on the road, maybe start on a treadmill and than you can watch your progress.  Good luck girl!

I'm 240 lbs, and I'm currently running/walking and I too love snowboarding : )

Couch to 5k was too much for my knees/ankles starting out, I'm hoping to graduate to it soon.

I run/walk one mile on the treadmill per workout. I run for a 3 minutes then walk for 3, run 2, walk 3, etc. Just my own personal plan that works. Over a mile, and my joints will hate me the next day. I also increase the speed that I run more often than the length of time, to help keep a very gradual increase in impact. As soon as any joint, or the muscles around it, begin hurting, I stop.

After my one mile, I walk at a steep incline for the rest of my cardio. So I would definitely say you're small/fit enough to run. As you build up the muscles around your joints, they will become more stable and joint pain will decrease. Just take it slow, build slow, and continue to use other cardio (I started by only running twice a week, now I'm at 4 times a week).

I also wrap my right ankle with a soft athletic wrap, as it will collapse inward at the slightest fatigue and give me shin splints, so a bit of extra support is good. I also just got some shin sleeves, because I'm scared of my shins, which have I stress fractured playing soccer in high school.

You can run at almost any weight. The key is to make sure your body is warmed up. If you try to run before you are warm, you risk injury. Maybe a fast walk that leads into a run would be good for you.