can you run at 250?

I'm 5'7" and around 247.  Those of you at the Inova support group last week probably heard me grumbling during the discussion about running.  Kim had great advice about when you're on the treadmill and you feel like you want to go faster - go faster, try running for a bit as slowly as you can manage.  So this morning I did for about a minute - twice during my 25 minutes on the treadmill.  Sitting now and feel ok.  Knee really gave me the blues as I sat. 

Just wondering what anyone else my size's experience was at trying to begin running?  Is it necessary for fitness?  Thoughts??

It is a very individual thing really. If you feel good enough to try then I say do it but not at the expense of joint pain that may cause damage and/or cause you to not want to get on the treadmill anymore. I did not start taking excersise seriously till under 200 personally.

I really struggled with running or any high-impact exercise when I was over 200 pounds. I waited until I was 180 or so to start running so my joints would have less impact on them. But it's very person-dependent too. Maybe try an elliptical machine until you are ready for running joint-wise? Or biking? Walking is always good as well.

I must say, now that I'm 149, I'm totally a runner and I love it. Never thought I'd say that!

 I'm a runner and I didn't really starting running until I hit 200 lbs.  I might jog a bit here and there but just kept it to a fast wal****il then.  But once I hit around 200, all of a sudden it became much easier and now I'm up to 6 miles running with no walking.  I'd say it's up to you but be super careful it is a lot of weight on relatively small joints.

Running is not good for your knees. I don't like it anyway so I am a brisk walker.

My knees are still too damaged from abuse years ago (too much basketball on asphalt) to bother running. Swimming is my main cardio activity, though if I need to use the typical gym equipment, then I will either use the treadmill with the incline ramped up high, or use the elliptical cross trainers, particularly those with hand/arm motion integrated - I find the elliptical motion much friendlier on my knees and I can work into whatever training zone I desire.

Hi:

On the treadmill I feel like I am going to fall when I run so I get walk as fast as I fell comfortable with a steep incline.   I have start to jog on the mini trampoline and I park as far as safely possible from the gym and then job to the car.   One of these days I hope to take up running but until then it is baby steps to get the weight off.   I find that a lot of the machines mess with my knee but I normally just do them for a little bit and add a minute every week to get the knee back in shape.


My doc said any moment is good moment so do what you feel good doing.  Last thing you want to do it burn out, get hurt or not do anything.

 ive tried running on the tredmill and i just hate the feeling. i'd rather go for a job outside or something. but im 222 pounds at the moment and it is still hard on my joints if i start to jog. im waiting until i get under 200 to start jogging.

 Is it necessary for fitness? No. Walking is great. Biking is great. I actually prefer a long hike over a run. 

But I was running at 250. I did a little triathlon at 250 lbs. I'm 5'9-5'10 though.  I started walking at 420 lbs and walked consistently for a year, and then started running a little bit. I'm over 200 lbs right now and have run a 10K. So, weight on the joints can be a deterrent but it's all relative to how much muscle mass you are working with. I have really strong legs so I dont think i'm hurting myself by running (but I do have knee issues from years of being super morbidly obese). 

Maybe you wont a run a marathon, but you can start with little 30 second intervals and see how you feel. 

I started running at about two months out from surgery, which put me at about 270-275ish.

I wanted to try it, so I did. I started using a C25K app on my iPhone called GetRunning. It started me slow and worked me up. I'm currently in the process of rerunning it since having surgery on my legs in March meant no running for a while, on week 4 right now.

It's your body, only you know what it's capable of. Know your limits, but remember it's ok to push the boundaries of those limits.