A Year Ago I Was Obese; I Just Ran My First 5k. Here’s How.
In a long journey, the first timid steps are always the most painful, but they are also the most foundational.
Admitting to the need for change and making an actionable plan to achieve your goals is the foundation for lasting change; it is also the hardest part of any journey, weightloss included.
Of those who start a diet aimed at weightloss, more than 95% will gain all of the weight or more back within a year. When I started my health journey, reading that statistic made me feel like a sea turtle hatchling trying desperately to make it to the safety of the surf despite astronomical odds. But I did it, and so can you.
Finding out how to beat those statistics is based on simple principles. Executing those principles is one of the hardest things you’ll ever do, but it is doable.
Doing Anything is Better Than Doing Nothing
You’re tired of being unhealthy, overweight, unathletic. You want to change desperately and it feels like the only action that can move the needle is drastic action. This is the road to failure.
You will exercise every day. You will eat perfectly healthy food with no cheating. You will start running. But for how long?
A month, 2 weeks, 3 days? Did that even matter?
What you need is a tenable plan that evolves alongside you, one that tracks your progress and increases difficulty with each consequent increase in your capacity.
The ancient Greek philosopher and founder of Stoicism, Zeno of Citium, said that “well-being is attained small step by small step, and yet is no small thing in itself.” This is the road to progress, small step by small consistent step.
You should always feel challenged but never overwhelmed.
So go, get out and run today.
Remember, even if your times are slower than you’d like or your endurance isn't what it could be, you’re lapping everyone still on the couch. Most people are on the couch.
How I Did It
I started at the foundation. I began by addressing my biggest problem, my weight, and moved from there. A more in-depth analysis of my weightloss journey can be found here, but the TLDR version is that I counted calories and went on a long-term deficit to lose the weight.
Once I lost weight, I found that moving was much easier and that exercise was something to look forward to. I began building up my cardiovascular endurance by doing stints on the elliptical machine and by walking regularly.
Then, in May of this year, I began to run.
I bought a simple pair of running shoes, they’re nothing special but they’ve worked well for me, they can be found here. I laced up and hit the pavement.
At first I could only manage brief spurts; 60 seconds of running followed by 2 minutes walking over 8 sets. Then I began gradually increasing the running time.
1 minute and 30 seconds running and 3 minutes walking.
3 minutes running and 3 minutes walking.
6 minutes running and 3 minutes walking.
Finally, on October 30th of this year, I ran my first full training 5k with my girlfriend. My first time: 42:48.
Over the next month, I slowly began to widdle the time down.
October 31st: 34:23.
November 18th: 29:26.
Over time my pace quickened. I began to feel more and more comfortable on my runs. On November 13th I ran my first 10k and I have plans to run further in the future.
So, how can you go from couch to 5k? Simple, push yourself, make a plan you know you can stick to, but most importantly of all: just run.
“A man who conquers himself is greater than one who conquers a thousand men in battle” — Buddha
