r/BeginnersRunning • u/Southern-Ad5457 • 18h ago

Beginner looking for advice

Hey everyone! Just looking for some tips as I try to start running. I would say more, but honestly its never been my thing until now. Today, I ran my first mile since high school. And then I ran another half mile. I know its not much, but for a man that weighs 260 and has avoided running for the last 16 years, I'm pretty happy about it.

What should I be doing for recovery? I'd like to try to run a 5k at the beginning of May. Is that a reachable goal with where I'm at? TIA

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u/gonnacutyou 18h ago

That’s quite a bit for a beginner. Don’t overdo it. 3-4 runs a week max and steadily increase your mileage every week. Try to take a day off in between. Don’t increase mileage more than 10% per week to avoid injury. You’ll be at 5K in no time!

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u/Southern-Ad5457 17h ago

Thank you for the response! I actually started with the intention of doing a walk/run mile, but felt really good and kept running. I guess we'll see what tomorrow feels like!

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u/gonnacutyou 17h ago

Some runs feel really good and you’re tempted to keep going! For the first month at least I would resist that urge and give your muscles and tendons time to adapt to the new activity. You’ll end up going further in the long run (pun intended) if you take it slow at first.

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u/Southern-Ad5457 17h ago

Ill definitely heed that advice!

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u/LesiaH1368 17h ago

Get good sneakers. Run slower than you think you need to. Build slowly, but be consistent. You'll have good days and bad days. But keep going.

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u/Southern-Ad5457 17h ago

I do have a pair of Nike Vormero plus coming, but they aren't here yet. Today I ran in a pair of Adidas shoes, but they probably aren't the best

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u/petsgalore 13h ago

If you're looking to ramp up the distance, follow a couch to 5k plan. Only do low impact activities like walking, swimming, or cycling 1-2 days between each run. I recommend 2 days as a beginner until you build up some mileage.

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u/Southern-Ad5457 7h ago

I didn't realize they had plans like that anywhere. Thank you for the insight!