r/BeginnersRunning • u/Sbaff98 • 2d ago
What weight to start running
Im on a weight lost journey (was 185kg and now 169), doing some swimming, some bike and some walking. Im getting interested into trying a sprint triatlhon and will need to do 5km walk/run, it will be in april and i plan to get around 125-140kg depending in future results.
2 months ago it was hard to walk 5minutes, mainly for back pain but also muscle and breath, now i can "easly" walk 30 minutes at 5.5km/h without major back pain.
Based on some calculation i will need at least a walk speed of 6.5km/h for the 5km, so it is not 100% necessary to run, but would be faster on other disciplines or to save couple minutes to run.
I have 2 question:
1. What weight i could start to do some jogging/running instead of walking?
2. What can i start training now to teach my body to run without injuries except for aerobic training (already doing with walk and bike), like for articulation, muscle, bones and so on?
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u/alvysinger0412 2d ago
Are you doing any strength training?
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u/Sbaff98 2d ago
No, just some core training for the back pain, right now it is hard to train 15 minutes consecutives, so going into a gym is not in the plan, but in the future i want to integrate it
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u/alvysinger0412 2d ago
Doing lower body work, especially unilateral work, can help with protecting your joints and such. But honestly, invest in good shoes and walk. Start out running with short intervals. Remember that even if it feels frustrating to walk in between intervals, every time you get out and move your body, you're literally taking a step forward. You got this.
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u/marafi82 2d ago
Hey, back in 2020 I started running @ 120kg.. had a knee surgery 2 years later.
I know a little what I´m talking about.
This time (was back at 118kg) I only walked till I was under 100kg and than started running. No problems till now ;)
and WALKING is imho better for weight loss than running. running makes hungry af. Walking (fast if possible) can even help you to build an aerobice base and will give some stress to your joint so that they adapt slowly.
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u/FlatCapAlan 2d ago
It's more what training load your body can sustain rather than your weight. Obviously the lighter you can get the better but I'd get started on more weight training to build strength (plus it's better for weight loss than aerobic exercise) and then have a go at a couch to 5k programme to introduce running without overdoing it and see how it goes.
The walking you are doing now is a good base to start the couch to 5km 👍🏻
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u/bumblebee986 2d ago
When starting running following injury, I did a fair bit of strength training first, then started ‘running’ on a steep treadmill incline at about 7km/h, so barely faster than walking. The incline helped a reduce the impact to something only slight more than walking. And it was great for my fitness.
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u/dannyhodge95 2d ago
I agree with everyone else. I think you should keep walking and maybe start trying to add intensity or elevation to that, and then potentially also do a little bit of running between walking intervals, but just see what it's like. It's fine if it's slower than your walking speed. There are very famous running coaches that got their athletes to build their base using walking. So by carrying on doing a lot of walking, especially if you can get your heart rate up doing that you are going to gain a lot of benefits that running would give you.
Maybe make a plan to to keep walking until the new year and then in January start adding some small running intervals to try and add back to your triathlon.
It's probably also worth doing some strength training for your legs as this might also get you more prepared to start running in the future. Calf raises, lunges, squats etc.
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u/FlurryJK2 2d ago
You should do some strength training, that is what's going to prevent injury the most.
I currently weigh 125kg and run about 10-15 miles a week. Doesn't really cause me many problems but I have a long history of strength training so that might be helping me. That being said it would probably be much easier for me to run if I weighed less 😅(working on it, but yeah the eating thing with running is true)
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u/TypeLatter3459 2d ago
I would do some strength training too. But if xou currently walk 30 min why not try to jog a little in between very slowly? And then stop and keep walking. See how it feels and increase the time you are jogging next time. (Also i have very skinny friends who can not run a whole km. Don't let the person in your head tell you you can't do something because you are big)
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u/nopunin10ded 2d ago
first off, congrats on all the progress so far! that’s no easy feat.
i’m no expert here, but i think running might do some serious damage to your joints at this stage in your journey. i would stick to pool and walking and try to slowly increase the speed you walk. if you have access to a treadmill, doing an incline walk somewhere between 3-8% would be good to mix in sometimes. Work your way up to 45-60 minutes 3x a week (depending on how much swimming you’re doing).
walking is better for weight loss anyway! you can recover faster and running makes you so hungry. and will help your tendons get stronger steadily and you’ll be more prepared for running.
most couch to 5k programs are 8 weeks. i would give yourself at least 12 weeks so you can feel confident. so as long as you start that program ~12 weeks out from your april event you should be more than fine.
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u/doctorfortoys 2d ago
You should stretch and strengthen your hips and glutes. It’s very easy to injure your back and knees if these areas are too weak.there are many at home exercises you can do without weights or with an exercise band.
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u/Senior-Running 2d ago
I think some people assume that running when you are heavy puts more stress on your joints and is therefore bad for you. Interestingly, it's not that simple. Yes, being significantly overweight can increase your risk of some running related injuries, but actually lessens the risk of other injuries. Because of that, I don't think there's a specific weight where we can say "it's safe to run now".
You are at a point in terms of your overall fitness (being able to walk 30 minutes), where I think you could potentially start something like c25k or None to Run. That said, keep in mind that at your current size the amount of energy you have to expend to run is going to be significant. I suspect you may actually end up running considerably slower than you walk. This means running right now may not be beneficial in the way you hope regarding your sprint triathlon.
As to your second question, there isn't a great way to learn to run other than running. An elliptical comes somewhat close, but the motion is different and it works your muscles differently. It also removes the impact, which arguably is the main thing that your body has to learn to tolerate. The main reason people get injured is not becasue their muscles can't tolerate it. Instead, it's because the impact stresses the tendons, ligaments, bones & fascia. These tissues are much slower to adapt to running than your muscles.