I am from Baltimore, MD, USA. I am a 25 year old university student. A friend of mine, who is in the military, told me about this awesome 5k coming to our area in September called the Electric Run. (electricrun.com) She convinced me to give it a shot. Being in the army, she can run a 5k in about 24 minutes and without much difficulty. Me, on the other hand, not so much.
We got a team together consisting of the two of us, my husband (who is lean and fairly athletic) and my cousin (who is also quite lean but not a runner). I am 5'7" and weigh right around 340lbs. I have lost 50lbs over the last seven months after switching to a vegetarian diet and starting at a school that requires a lot of walking up hills and stairs to navigate the campus. Other than that, though, I have not done any exercise regimen.
I am going to be starting the C25K app this week. Looking at the program it doesn't seem to intimidating. I know that at present I can jog for four minutes without stopping...it is a step ahead of being a complete couch potato. But I have never in my entire life done any distance running.
I am going to get fitted for good running shoes at a local store. Back in highschool I tore my ACL after a dancing accident and had to have knee surgery. About five years ago, when I was about 150lbs lighter, I tried to start a running regimen out of the blue and had to stop because of awful knee pain after each run. In recent years the only knee pain I have had has accompanied wearing heels that were too high for too long. The short lived sprints that I have done in the past couple years (only three to four minutes) didn't cause any pain but I am worried that starting a running routine will aggravate my knees.
I am wondering if it would be better to start out running on grass or on a trail in the woods, as opposed to the side walk, to build up muscle and cushion some of the impact on my joints? I have sneakers, not specifically running shoes, but should I wait to start until I have bought the suggested running shoes?
I am determined to make this happen. I don't just want to be able to complete a 5k. I want to be able to do it well enough to enjoy it and not feel like I am going to keel over. The set up for this particular run is meant to be fun and enjoyed...brilliant light shows, awesome music. I want to have fun, not just make it to the finish line.
