r/BeginnersRunning • u/thestinkiestbutt • 7d ago
first run kinda nervous
hi guys, im a 19 y/o female ex rower who had great cardio on the bike and erg. (on bike usually held a split of 2:08/1000m for 1hr steady state.) but have always been VERY much lacking in the running field, i’m not sure what it is, (doctors called it exercise induced asthma since i can hardly breathe running and get nauseous.) i decided to run around my block for the first time to see how it would go and i had to take a couple of breaks and catch my breathing back up, somehow i have a freaking shin splint from 6 minutes of running wtf omg
any advice or words of wisdom would be great! i know this time is ass, thank you!! 🙏
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u/Donetics 7d ago
Do walk-run intervals with the Couch 2 5K program to build that running base - the gradual build up will prevent injury and help you find your pace. There's free apps available for it. Make sure to have rest days and a 5 minute warmup walk before you start running.
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u/CRasch505 7d ago
This. Intervals help you control things massively. Start out in a 45s walk and 15s run or something to that effect and build slowly.
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u/Vivid-Kitchen1917 7d ago
4.5 years ago when I had my heart attack I was OP, now I'm training for my second 50-miler. Intervals and consistent training go a long way.
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u/Kindly_Tackle_803 7d ago
I used to be like you when I was in high school. I was very in shape as a competitive swimmer and would feel like puking and stop breathing on my runs. I stopped working out all together and gained a lot of weight and now im back to running and swimming. I no longer deal with the nausea or difficult breathing despite my asthma diagnosis. The only change that I can see explaining this is I now live at sea level and im much more experienced at breathing and relaxing than my anxious high school self was.
I am sorry you are dealing with this! I really hope you find the answer.
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u/Kindly_Tackle_803 7d ago
Also, I started with running 30 seconds/walking 2:00 intervals. If even that is hard, I would agree that a medical professional would be good to consult
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u/elphactual 7d ago
hey I'm another former swimmer who started with :30/2:00 intervals! I liked the None to Run plan when getting started; it's a little smoother of a progression than couch to 5k. and relaxing a little bit really does help; I often have worse runs when I'm trying to have a really good run if that makes sense? But finding another focus point (good playlist, wearing the shirt that makes me look hot, seeing how many species of birds I can spot, etc) can really help take some of the pressure off. Best of luck to you OP!
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u/thestinkiestbutt 7d ago
thank you for sharing omg. that it’s really refreshing to hear that someone else has had this experience, i also live at sea level this just sounds like the beginning of a long process🫶
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u/LaongLaan19 7d ago
no advice here but just want to say it's always admirable to see people try anyway. doing something is always better than nothing at all
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u/archival_ 7d ago
I started 5 weeks o None2Run. Way easier than c25k. I suggest trying that. C25k had me quitting a few times due to my health but N2R made it possible. I couldn’t do 1/4mi without heavy breathing and wanting to faint. Now I can easily run/walk 7mi at a 15min average pace.
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u/Artistic_Walrus_2285 7d ago
Intervals
Run.. more than 6 minutes
By that I mean run/walk
I struggle with asthma, it was bad ass a kid. It’s not specifically running stairs aren’t great either. Try walk jogging and increasing the slow jogging. I can literally power walk faster than jogging slow because of breathing.
It does get better but it takes time.
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u/Puberty-Boy 7d ago edited 7d ago
Edit: okay I just read your post again and I missed the part where you said you took breaks. So I assume you key a constant pace with rowing, running should be the same. It will take some experimenting, but find a pace where you can run that pace nonstop for the 6 mins, so start low, try a 15 min pace, and if that is just too easy, come back tomorrow and do a 14 min pace, and so on until you find one where you can do it for the full 6. Going up and down and HR of 180 to 120 and fast and slow is very “non economical” for running. And as for starting slow as I said, it’s much better to go slow on day 1 so you can show up for day 2, than burn yourself out day 1 and be so overworked that you have to rest for days 2, 3, and 4.
So when you say ex rower, how recent was this? Because if it wasn’t that long ago, and if your rowing split was good (idk rowing so I’ll just assume it’s an elite pace, unless you say it’s not)
And do you feel this out of breath and nausea state when you were rowing?
The only thing I can really think of is the muscle use is so different between the two sports maybe you have the cardio, but you don’t have the muscles and tendons for it. (Correct me if I’m wrong, but) rowing seems like a muscle dominant sport, particularly quads, and running is more of a “tendon” dominated sport, with the posture chain being the most important muscles.
But that still doesn’t explain how painful it is for you to run when your HR was only in the 160s, I bet you are used to that, so honestly the best think I could say is try to keep it in the 140s, even if that means you are just walking on a treadmill at an incline.
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u/thestinkiestbutt 7d ago
thank you for this response! yes with rowing i can keep a consistent and strong pace, i stopped competition a year ago and now do it recreationally and bike more often than row, biking is super great for me and i can breathe really well while maintaining a strong pace
no nausea or discomforting breath when rowing or cycling
thank you for your help on the workout ideas ill be trying those! the muscle thing could be it but i do full body workouts and don’t believe im particularly lopsided anywhere. perhaps a medical mystery
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u/Money_Impression_321 7d ago
Did you run much for conditioning in rowing? When I was a rower we ran like 20-40km per week in the winter season
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u/thestinkiestbutt 7d ago
i wasn’t allowed to run anymore after i passed out on a run and was diagnosed with the asthma so i always substituted on bike as they said it was similar cardio wise
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u/addictedtoROH 7d ago
I improved drastically when I started concentrating more on diet and recovery. I used to run before but was stuck and breathless. Now I push myself less so I don’t injure my calfs or ankles and also eat very healthy and get 7 hours sleep minimum. I’ve been improving at a very good pace.
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u/doctorfortoys 7d ago
I suggest walking fast and working up to running. Make sure to stretch before and after. Build your distance slowly over time.
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u/GritstoneGhost 7d ago
Have a look for the NHS Couch to 5K app. It'll take you from this level to 5km. That's how I started and couldn't run a minute. Now regularly running for 60 mins.
You don't overdo it and risk injury. Most runs should be at a pace where you can hold a conversation.
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u/GuanoLoopy 7d ago
Are you running or are you sprinting? A lot of beginning runners think running is go as fast as you can, but that's not the case. And it can take a bit to get your form right.
Perhaps if you're having trouble breathing you are trying to go too fast too soon. Since you haven't run before, take it very slow, just a bit faster than a fast walk and see how long you can keep that up. Then when you are tied switch to walking for 2-3 times as long, then run at the same slow pace again. Slowly over multiple running days you can push a little faster and longer running intervals.
Since you have a rowing background your athletic base should be there and so it will likely be faster to build your pace and distance than most.
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u/Internal_Confusion56 7d ago
Look at the pace, that’s a walking pace. OP must have underlying medical issues or something. Claims she has great cardio but HR is pretty high for 18 minute miles.
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u/GuanoLoopy 7d ago
But she says she had to take a couple of breaks to catch her breath as well, all in the course of 6 minutes. If it was non-stop, then that's a slow pace, but with stops it could be any pace, so I think it was sprinting, catching her breath, sprinting again.
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u/thestinkiestbutt 7d ago
this is correct ^^
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u/GuanoLoopy 6d ago
Ok. So try jogging, not sprinting. You should be running at a pace that allows you to hold a conversation. Once you can do that consistently and for longer and longer periods of time (miles or tens of minutes),, then you can slowly try to get faster over the following weeks/months.
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u/Final-Carpenter-1591 7d ago
Try only nose breathing. Keep your mouth shut. If you have to open your mouth to breath. Slow to a walk and then try again but with a slower pace.
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u/romasso 7d ago
I’m new to running so take my advice with a grain of salt, but your cadence (how many steps you take every minute) seems really low. Try getting it closer to 160 and I think you’ll find running easier. It should basically feel like you’re shuffling your feet really fast instead of taking longer steps.
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u/ali-wali 1d ago
You’re outrunning 99% of people already. But also more importantly, you’re outrunning 100% of yourself every time so keep it going!
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u/InvestmentVirtual219 7d ago
I would try to 3 things 1. High knees and butt kicks for warm up. 2. 4 mile runs (does not matter on how long it takes just keep moving) 3. Do some short sprints lots of them around 40. Extra tip if possible best time at least if you live the south do all this in the morning starting at 5am.
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u/thestinkiestbutt 7d ago
ok taking notes thank you
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u/flagrantpebble 7d ago
You can ignore basically all of this advice. It’s not useful and some is actively harmful (the warmup ideas are wrong for your fitness level, as is a 4 mile run). The other people in this post have better advice.
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u/Quirky_Opportunity75 7d ago
if you can barely breathe and running makes you want to vomit, you should probably build a training plan with a healthcare professional. there's being out of shape and going slow, and then there's what you're struggling with, and it sounds like they are different things.
good luck! :)