Newbie here with a question-How long did it take you from running and getting winded to... (Read 1323 times)

Each and every one of us is "an experiment of one". It all depends on the background of training or life style, physical and mental make-ups, and perception (of shuffling and "slow" and "puffing"). There was an example back in 1983 when a 63-year-old man, who started running when he was 58, won the race between Sydney and Melbourne in Australia (some 580 miles). Of course, he was a sheep farmer pretty much all his life so his life style was such that he kept quite active. There was a New Zealand marathon great by the name of Jack Foster who ran a 2:11 marathon when he was 41 years of age. He didn't start running until he was 32; but then again, he had been a competitive cyclist before he took up running. So all of us old farts kept on dreaming but it's not like they started from scratch at 58 or 31 and climbed to the top (incidentally, the former got married to a 24-year-old lady the year after he won that race! We can still dream on! ;o)). But then again, when Arthur Lydiard took up a jogging group in Auckland way back in 1961; he had a group of 20 people, the youngest was 50 and oldest 74. They all had had a history of heart attack and none of them could "run" a half a lap around a local track without stopping (200m). Eight months later, ALL of them were running 20 miles without stopping. This is something quite intrigues me right now--how the heck he did that way back in 1961? Eight of these guys ran a full marathon somewhere around 4-hours. Surely, you can't say these guys were "genetically superior" as some might like to think. So it makes me to believe that it's got to be the way they approached... Anyways, huffing and puffing is actually the feedback from your muscles. It's not like you are not getting enough oxygen or anything. Your working muscles lack the ability to retain oxygen; that's why we gasp for air. There are lots of changes that occur once you start to "train" but one thing is that you've got to go the distance. And you cannot go the distance, and go further, if you start out too fast. And that seems to be the consensus of almost everybody here. Your own perception of how "slow" you're running may be quite different from others; but basically, if you have to slow down toward the end of the run, you'd started out too fast. No matter how painfully slow it seems; if you have to slow down or have to walk, then you'll know you had started out too fast. What you need to do is; if you're shooting for running 30 minutes without stopping, then you'd go out for 15 minutes; turn around and come back the same route... If it takes longer than 15 minutes, you'll know you'd started out too fast. Next time, you adjust the effort. This is a very good discipline and most people tend to ignore or skip. You've got to learn to know your current level and know what effort is best suited for your workout. Being a former sprinter, chances are you may be running tip-toe??? It would be a bit difficult to slow down if you run with a form like that... You also need to learn to run more efficiently (however) WITHOUT losing a supple and dynamic running form that you're most likely blessed with. You don't need to get hunch-back and start to shuffle either. My trick always is to get a rhythm of lifting your knees (as a former sprinter most likely would do) and drop your foot directly down instead of "reaching out forward". Basically, you wouldn't "kick high to touch your butt with your feet" or "reaching out in the front" with your feet. You maintain somewhat piston-like leg action. As you get fitter and pick up the running speed, which would be sure to come more quickly than you imagine, your legs would start to creat more circular movement instead of pendulum-like movement. The girl I'm coaching is a former sprinter (400m) in high school and she hadn't run since high school till recently. She ran tip-toe at first but it was quite amazing how quickly she become more efficient as she started to run distances. Another trick I do is to wear pants. Don't laugh; even when it's 80F, sometimes I wear a pair of pants to go running--this would invariably slow me down. If I want to slow even more, I would even wear jackt top but that would follow my wife's "Ah, you're just asking for attention!" laughter! ;o) But it works! Of course, nowadays I wouldn't even need these tricks to run slow...! ;o) So the original question of how long would it take to be able to run without huffing and puffing? You know, given your situation, being a former sprinter (I would assume you're athletic and active back then) and being "only" 30-years-young, I'd give you 2 months (assuming you'd follow a right kind of program). But, you know what; during this initial 2 months or so, you cannot, and should not, be impatient and start to force the effort. You need to be absolutely patient and, as most of us had said, SLOW DOWN initially. Just remember something; IT'S NOT THE DISTANCE (DURATION) THAT STOPS YOU, BUT SPEED. You can never run too slowly; but you can start running too fast and get yourself in trouble. If this is understood, in no time, you'll be cruising an hour or more; you'd be surprised...!

I'll preface this by saying that I am also the big 3-0! I started several years ago doing a run/walk plan I found in a magazine. I too could not run for more than 1 minute w/o getting winded. I started with the following... Run 1 minute/Walk 4 minutes; Repeat 6 times; 4 x a week for 1 week Run 2 minutes/Walk 3 minutes; Repeat 6 times; 4 x a week for 1 week Run 3 minutes/Walk 2 minutes; Repeat 6 times; 4 x a week for 1 week Run 4 minutes/Walk 1 minute; Repeat 6 times; 4 x a week for 1 week I varied this a bit, and if one part was more difficult, I'd stay on it longer 'til it became easier. I did this for months. If I fell off the wagon for a while (which definitely happened a # of times) I always started up with this again. Last year I started this up again, gearing up for a 5K run. My husband and I ran together, and I managed to run ALMOST the entire 3.5 miles. After that I realized that I didn't really need to give myself the running breaks I'd been doing. So, I tried running 10 minutes, then 20 minutes, and realized I could go for 30! From then, it was on. 30 minutes at a time several times a week. I was happy with that. So, I signed up for a 10K. I kept on it. Did it. It felt great! Now, I'm training for a Half Marathon. I'm following a plan put forth by CARA (Chicago Area Runners Association), and just Monday completed my first 8-mile run, ever. On Saturday, I'll be doing my first 10-mile run! My Half is in September, so I'm pretty certain I can do 13 miles if my knees withstand the remainder of the training! Best of luck! If the girl who winded while running to the end of the driveway can do it...so can you!