Hi everyone. I am almost 5 weeks post op and dr cleared me to try running. I have NEVER ran. I will be trying tomorrow. I downloaded couch potatoe to 5 k on my I phone. I plan on using it faithfully. I have to go buy comfortable Shorts and a sports bra. I don't even know what size bra to get!!!  I think I'm just as nervous and afraid of running as I was for surgery. However I have always wanted to be a runner. I envy all the runners that do 5ks and 10ks. I hope I can do this. It's something I have wanted to do since I was a teenager, but my weight and "breast size" always discouraged me from trying. So here I am, trying new things. Any advice would me appreciated!!  

Start slow and take it easy.  I subscribe to the run/walk/run approach.  Google Jeff Galloway.  He has lots of good advice for new and experienced runners.  I walked for a good 6 months before I was comfortable with running.  I started out pretty heavy.  When I started running, I would run for 30 seconds and then walk for another minute or two.  I have slowly built up to a  ratio of about 2.5 minutes of running to 1 minute of walking.

Shoes - Go get fitted for shoes at a good running store.  Once you start going longer distance, being in the wrong shoes will kill your feet.  A good clerk will watch you walk/jog and figure out what shoe type will be best. And then, they will have you try on 5 to 10 pairs of different brands/styles.  Personally, I love Brooks shoes.  They are a bit pricey but worth the money.  Just pay for them with the money saved from spending less on food.

I would recommend a good heart rate monitor.  I believe getting your HR up is important.  Polar makes good monitors or you can go with the fitbit HR or Garmin has some activity trackers with HR.  I personally started with a Polar and switched to a Garmin Forerunner 220.  It is great for running/walking but does not have a bike or swim mode which is disappointing now that I am biking more.  One good thing about the Forerunner is I can plan a workout online and download it to my watch.  You can plan intervals of running/walking.  I vary my intervals to keep from getting bored. 

Stretching is also pretty important.  Check out the runners world website for pre and post run/walk stretching.  I do leg swings and heel raises before and after.  I was having hip pain while running and since I started the leg swings the pain has gone away.

As a guy, not much advice on the sports bra but I will add my wife is well endowed and she got fitted at a running store.  It was expensive but she appreciates how it keeps the girls in check.

Track your progress.  When you have a bad day in a few months you can look back at where you were when you started and realize a bad day today is better than a good day a few months back.  This happens to me a least once every 2 weeks.

Set monthly goals for workouts and make sure your weekly progress will get you there.

And lastly, don't get too caught up in other people's times/distances.  You should only compare where you are at today to where you were before.  Case in point.  When I first started and built up to doing 3 miles(about 5K), my time was 18-19 minutes a mile.  Today, I can do the same distance in 36 minutes.  For an experienced runner, 36 minutes is very slow but knocking about 20 minutes off my 5K time in 8 months is pretty darn good.

My advise from 8 months out:  Use weight training until your weight comes down to a point where running will not cause deterioration of your joints.  It's not clear what your weight/age are and while your surgeon says go for it, what would an orthopedic doctor say?  

I am not advocating being a couch potato - I have just hiked down the Grand Canyon and have done a valley to rim and back hike in Yosemite - just be mindful that each pound of weight is 7 pounds on your knees and that what you do not want at 5 weeks post op is an injury.

It seems that the advice to start gradually is great.

Best of luck - remember this is about the long term. 

My weight is why I waited almost 8 months before I started running.  I pretty much walked until I got to 250 in late Oct 2014.  That is when I started adding a little bit of running.

Great sneakers are a MUST as soon as possible or you could hurt yourself ... I always buy MENS because they're cushioned for bigger people .. and the BEST that I can buy ... on sale .  Cushioning front and back .. preferably gel. Also look for light ones specifically for running.  You'll be glad you invested the money - my sneakers normally cost me 125 dollars ( and theyre 210 dollar models tpp of the mline ) but I have NEVER had an injury and I run almost every day   NOT A CoINCIDENCE   big hugs 

For bigger people .. walking EQUALS running . ( I learned this in certified personal trainer school)  You may no need to run to lose weight at all especially in the beginning .  Be very careful because you don't want to injure your joints (((())))

I did the same thing (i.e. men's sneakers till I was a normal girl).

Great advice!

When you are able, do sprint workouts and concentrate on speed.

IN the begining, all I wanted to do was "just go the distance" now I can go a great distance but I am not fast.

I read somewhere, "just keep increasing your distance adn the speed will come" for me it NEVER did.

So what is the point of being able to run 9 miles if I cant do 5K (i.e. 3.1) fast?  Ya know?

Well..the point was, I wanted to be able to do it. But now that I can,I want to do it better.

Best wishes and enjoy running!

I'm also new to running and working up to longer distances and shaving time off my mile. So far I have gotten to where I can run for about 90 seconds, then walk for a couple minutes, then repeat. I've been working at it for about 4 months now. I started out having to stop running after 45 seconds. However it's really easy to get discouraged for me that I still struggle to run so much. But I keep at it, remding myself that, although I've been excersizing for 4 months, I spent 30 years not exercising. Plus, I'm still carrying so much weight that I have to be careful not to injure myself. Keep at it, Jenn! You're only in competition with yourself! 

I didn't try jogging till almost 2 years post-op. Up until then, I solely walked for exercise.When I did try jogging, I used the free C25K app - an 8 week training course.

I was surprised how well it worked. I was able to build up to 30 minutes of continuous jogging.

You can see my progress videos here and see what it was really like:

My C25K Adventure