Introduction

 Hey everyone! I just wanted to Introduce myself. I'm Bella. 

I had RNY on 2-14-12 and it has been amazing. I've always been an avid exerciser but have never been able to lose. Now that I am under 200 lbs, I am beginning to try to run again. I am in need of any tips you can give for pushing  through. Right now I am doing intervals of running/walking, 5 miles every other day. There are some days, however, that I just cannot run. I get extremely winded and fatigued within seconds of starting. Then there are days I can breeze through. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it at all.

Any tips on what to eat before or after, how much water to drink, etc is appreciated. I am beginning to wonder if I am simply still too fat to run! The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak and all that. :)

Thanks everyone! I look forward to getting to know you all. 

Make sure you are  getting adequate recovery time. All fitness gains happen at rest so you need to take days off or you don't progress as fast as you should given the time you put in.

I began running around 200 lbs.....on a treadmill.  And I did what you are doing-intervals.  I also had days when I could hardly do any running, and others when I could run like the wind!

It helps me to have a snack 30 mins to an hour before I run-fruit or whole grain crackers and cheese.  Then I make sure I drink a lot while running...even if I'm not thirsty. I mostly run outdoors now, and I wear a running belt that holds my water bottle (although it is very hot in the summer, I'm looking at a hand held option now).

Set goals for yourself such as "I'll run to the next tunnel" or "I'll run for xx seconds/minutes" if you are on a treadmill.  Breathing correctly is so important and will really affect your performance.  Try to take twice as long to exhale as you take to inhale....it will become habit after a while. (See below articles on breathing and running) Also, I run with an iPod.  The music drowns out my breathing, and I get so caught up in it that I don't realize how hard I'm working.  Really enjoying Madonna's new album at the moment!

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-267--12989 -2-1-2,00.html

http://completerunning.com/archives/2009/05/27/how-to-breath e-when-running/

The important thing is you are doing it!  Listen to your body, and don't be afraid to push past some fatigue....once you push past it, you often find a renewed energy.

Congrats on making exercise an important part of your journey!

Hi Bella; I'm just starting to run, currently I'm at 219 (down from 295) so running is totally new to me. Good luck, and let me know if you have any helpful hints for any of us that are new to the sport of running. I just started running outdoors to, got tired of looking at the wall on a treadmill.  If anyone has any good training tips for training for a 5 K can you post it here?  

 It's been a learning experience for me.  Trial and error..having to run back to the house to visit the bathroom....yes, that is normal for everyone not just WLS people.

What I do?

Protein drink 20 min. before my run, 5 miles in a Gu packet, 8 miles in a Gatorade drink (the one in the supplement area of Walmart) and if I'm going over 10 miles another Gu packet at 10 miles, etc.  Now I know some people are totally against the carb stuff and that is fine, I'm just talking about what works for ME.

Your mileage and what you can tolerate as far as food/drinks/carbs etc. will vary greatly.  It took me 9 months to come up with what works for me.

Couch to 5K is a great program.  You can put the app on your ipod or iphone.  I also love mapmyrun and I can look at other peoples runs in my area, where the bathrooms are...etc.  I have the iphone app for mapmyrun on my iphone also and it gives me immediate feedback ie. MPH etc.