Oh, gosh, please don’t go to Dick’s!! You need professionals to help you.
@austinmshauri Road Runner Sports (with locations throughout NJ) is a good one. They will actually put you on a treadmilll and observe your gait before recommending a pair. I believe they also offer a 90 day window to return/exchange if you are not happy with a purchase.
Also, to add to the thread. I did the C25K program back in 2007, after a lifetime of saying “I can’t/don’t run.” It really works. I spent the next 10 years running anywhere from 2-5 miles at a time a few times a week, before retiring my running shoes after a back problem in 2017.
My running coach (and this is a recreational group, from Zero to Hero to max 5 miles) says the most important thing is STRENGTH.
The glutes and core must be activated to help prevent injury. She says she sees people doing too much running and not enough strength work.
Stretching is important - but strength, mobilization and activation are key. Does not need to involve weights, body weight is enough.
Lunges, squats, clam shells, balancing on one leg, dead bugs, planks, high knees etc. before you run for 5-10 minutes. The triathlete turned pro runner Gwen Jorgenson has a video on you tube of how she activates before running. It is all accessible stuff.
Yoga is a good complement to running: just make sure it’s an appropriate class for you. I’d avoid anything too fast, as there is no time to fully be aware and engaged in your body. (i’m a yoga teacher as one of my professions)
I wouldn’t go to Dick’s for shoes. They’re a department store for sports. I need professional help. Lol. I’m not afraid to get shoes larger than 11 if they fit. A lot of shoes labeled size 11 don’t fit me, so sometimes I have to go larger if I want to be able to walk in them.
Fleet Feet stores will typically have good professional running shoe sales people.
I love our local Fleet Feet store. 
I used a C25K program after getting my hips resurfaced five years ago. I had been a runner for years and years, was forced to stop due to arthritis, was ready to come back. I figured new body parts made me a beginner again so I started over from scratch.
Patience was key. I was so slow I didn’t want to wear a watch with a pace feature. I didn’t want to know how slow I was. I felt pretty good the first few weeks, then got stuck. I couldn’t advance as quickly as the program required. Okay, so I went back and repeated a week. Then I could move forward.
I got new shoes, fitted at a local specialty running store, and a new outfit. I didn’t need the outfit, but it made me happy to wear it. I signed up for a 5K to celebrate being able to run that distance again.
I have run much further since then, but I have to admit that at 58 yo my attitude towards running has changed. I don’t mind taking walk breaks and if I have a period when I can’t run I lose fitness ground quickly and have to step back before I can go forward.
But I still love running and hope you will, too!
^^^ Amen to walk breaks when needed (non runners - be aware that “most” runners of all levels take walk breaks! Maybe not all the time but it’s quite common even during a “race”.
@compmom - I agree that just getting up off the couch is the main thing. Walking is a fine way to do that, with minimal wear and tear on the body. Stick with this thread if you have time - it would be nice to have some walkers involved too.
For a few years I just walked (aiming toward 10K steps/day but often not reaching goal). I was spending A LOT of time stressed in front of my work laptop, and my knees started hurting even in bed bending without weight. on them. So I got rid of a minor/new, very stressful piece of work (not good for my career, but that is another topic) and started walking. With activity, the knees were fine.
The next year (2017), I decided to do the C25K-ish local class to have some new goals. I was actually only aiming to do the culminating 5k race, with no expectation to continue after that. But then I continued running 5k a few times a week, except in the worst weeks of winter weather. (Colorado weather does enable a lot of winter running, nice and cool). I did realize that walking EVERY day would probably be a healthier habit. Just decided to stick with whatever kept me moving.
I’ll also chime in for walking. While I run 3-4 times a week, especially since COVID, I also usually walk daily. I do a 2-3 miles of something in the morning and another 2-3 miles of something in the evening.
I know that eventually it will be WALKING that takes over as I get older. So I want to love walking too so it’s not something I settle for. And I DO love walking! I walk fairly briskly - usually averaging a 15 minute mile. Running is music time, walking is podcast time. They both keep me sane!!!
I also do tai chi, which helps keep my knees in good shape. Thanks for including me!
I had started trying to mix some running in with my walks in the early Covid days, but never could get beyond running about a mile. If I ran a mile, and then walked, I had a hard time starting to run again. I walk fast - sometimes over 4 to up to 5 mph with no problem. But as soon as I start running I get winded quickly (never when walking). Once it got hot and humid, I changed to just walking. But now that the weather is cooler, will try to run again.
I finally realized that I breathe too shallowly when I run for some reason. Any suggestions on that appreciated. I have tried to breathe more deeply. I don’t think I run too fast (people pass me a lot).
I tried C25K in the past, but since I wasn’t going from the couch found the early weeks to little and then jumped from lots of walking with short runs to a long run and that is where I would get stuck. 10 minute run jumping to 25 seemed a lot.
I really want to get to the place where I “love” to run. Not sure it will ever happen but will be glad to try with you all.
Don’t forget that the C25K is not only a physical plan to complete a 5k but a MENTAL plan. Let those early weeks build you up mentally. Are the early weeks too easy? Double the workouts. Supplement with something else. But if you feel yourself get stuck for too long at a point in it then you didn’t build your mental and physical stamina to move forward.
I would like to know how you can walk 5mph! That is a 12 minute walk mile! You might as well be running!
Regarding breathing. I do think you need to find your personal comfort spot. That is often where the walk breaks come in play. Time to regulate. If you get anxious and out of sorts with your breathing it’s all downhill!
I find the breathing that works for me is literally a modified Lamaze type breathing. Slow shallow breaths as I run. No gulping! Smooth, slow, shallow, paced.
Inserts are more important that the shoe type. My knees are wonky and running on any hard surface is painful (ran too much as a teen), so I walk briskly instead (15 min/mi pace). With the inserts I can walk 15 mi with no pain. There are lots of good options but the USA made Pinnacle plus inserts worked for me.
I have a hard time walking 4mph, even if I am trying to run fast. Could it be because of my short legs? (I’m 5’2"). I only am able to run 5mph on my fastest days, when not hot. I live at 5,000 ft altitude, but my body is accustomed to that… I do get a bit of a speed boost at sea level.
My first (and only) 5k race time was 46:04, at end of the community c25k class. It had benefit of cool weather (actually late April snow, but hard to dress right)… still had to walk a few times. Now I usually only walk once during short water break. Any time under 40 minutes pleases me, under 38 really pleases me. If hot, often over 40 min.
When the weather turned warmer that first spring running, I was still sucking in air a lot! After inhaling my first insect one evening I had to learn to strain air through my teeth to survive that summer. (I thought of it of the reverse idea of wales using their baleen to keep critters in, spit water out).
@mom2and - that is a fast walk pace!
As for having trouble running again after slowing for a walk, I suggest the shorter intervals. For example run 2 minutes, then walk 30 seconds. You can change those times for what works for you, but running a mile without stopping does make it hard to start up again after a walk break. As mentioned upthread, a LOT of runners run intervals, even (especially) in races.
I tried Couch to 5K a few years back and it was beneficial. I had never been a runner at all. It was extremely helpful to start with such such running intervals. Before that I would go a little too far and a little too fast and then be exhausted and give up. I never did get quite to the point of running 5K nonstop BUT I did continue to exercise…I switched to the rowing machine, which suits me better. I feel like the C25K program really set me on the right path, even if it didn’t turn out to be the running path!
Knees–I had knee problems earlier in young adulthood. I did not have trouble with C25K, maybe because of starting out with such short intervals and never doing 2 days in a row. I also really kept up with the strengthening exercises as @CollegeMamb0 describes.
Now I still do short intervals of running while walking the dog just to keep some of the benefits of weight bearing exercise. I am considering trying C25K again because being able to run seems so cool, like being able to swim.
FYI - there are lots of pace calculators for conversion online. This is the one I looked at today - https://exerciseinstitute.com.au/pace-calculator/
When running I use MapMyRun app on cellphone, using KM (since when I started I was training for 5k … 8min/km pace = 40min 5k). I have it set to give me my pace (total and last split) every .1km (approx every 50 sec). I am almost always faster at the start of a run, even though my daughter advised it is better to try for a more even pace.
I noticed a few people mentioned the Brooks Ghost 13 shoes and looked up brooksrunning dot com. They had a questionnaire on there about “what type of shoe do you need”. It won’t take the place of personal fitting but goes through all the questions of your physical walk, stability, needs etc. At least it gives a good idea of what factors in getting running shoes involves. I was surprised at the specificity of the questions.
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