Yes you  can.  I am over 100 lbs overweight and completed Couch to 5K in August.  I ran my first 10K today.  When I started, I could barely run down the block. And now I can say , I can run over 6 miles.

Here are a few tips:

1. Find a daily thread to check in. It helps for accountability and you make great friends.  They have some here. I am in the 200+ thread and most of them are going through C25K.  WeightWatchers has a great daily thread in their Fitness Getting Started Forum.
2. Figure out about what date you will be completing C25K and sign up for a 5K about that time. 
3. Get fitted for good shoes.  Don't go to a box store but a running store.  the right shoe can make a difference between completing c25K and having to stop because of injury.
4. If you are well endowed, get a good bra.  Moving Comfort makes some great ones.  Maia and Fiona styles are the most popular. Academy sells them. a running store usually carries them. I get mine from a runing store. She doesnt carry my size but will order them for me.
5. Go at a slow pace.  Remember for the next 9 weeks you are introducing your body to a new form of movement.  IT will take a while to adjust.  Right now you are building up endurance.  Pace will come later...much later.  And just when you think you are going slow enough...go slower.  You don't want to risk injury.
6. Remember you will have bad days. Some days the runs will feel horrible. that is okay and normal. WE all have them, even elite athletes.  Bad running days are like bad hair days....they just happen.
7. Remember to stretch after running. 
8. Pick up a running magazine...helps with inspiration.
9. If you have an iPhone, there is an application C25K that is wonderful. It will let you know when to run and when to walk.  It allows you to listen to your own music while the prompts run in the background.
10. If you have MPA3 player or Ipod, check out Robert Ullrey's Podcasts. He has done all the work, He laid down some tracks and prompts you when to run and when to walk.
11. If you can afford one, get a NikePlus.  It is one of the number one gadgets I bought that has helped me.  If you don't know what it is...go to my blog  www.seefluffyrun.blogspot.com and check out my video in May about it. 
12. On your off days, don't run.  But do something. LIft weights.  women are more prone to knee injuries because of our waist to hip ratio. So if you can do leg work and core work on your off days, you can help preven injuries.
13. Most importantly...have fun. 

Hi Reena,

Running and racing are two separate things.  You run to achieve a certain goal.  You race to measure your goal.  I was sedated for 25 years before running again.  I signed up for a local 5K two weeks before my first attempt to run.  Needless to say, I walked more than I ran in that first race.  I was also embarrassed because I felt out of place among all those people who are extremely fit.  But, I signed up for more 5K's and 10K's - almost a race once every 2 week. I didn't plan to win each race but just as a way to measure my success based on the finish time of each race.  My goal was simple - lower the walk to run ratio.  Eventually, I was measuring my run to walk ratio instead.

A year after my first run step, I ran my first marathon.  In 2.5 year, I have completed over twenty five 5K and 10K races and fifteen marathons - I also lost over 40 pounds.  The best part is that the asthma that I once used to prevent me from running no longer exist.  I am not addicted to running but I enjoy running as a healthy way to keep myself motivated.  This year, I have committed to run in 13 marathons to fund raise for Lance Armstrong Foundation's fight against cancer.  This fund raising effort of one marathon every 4 weeks will ensure that I keep my commitment to myself as well as helping a charity.

My advise to you and others is not to set the goal too far away but to start towards your goal immediately.  Don't set your goal to run 100% of the race.  Unless you are a world class runner, you are not going to win the race.  Rather, measure your success base on a ratio of walk to run.  Even if you walk 90% of your first 5K, as long as you finish, you have succeeded your goal for that race.  Start planning and training for your next 5K.  It is OK to be embarrassed for not being as fit as others - but don't beat yourself up over it.  Being too critical of yourself is the easiest way for you to quit.  Take pride in every little success you achieved in each race and remember that you are running for yourself - not for others.

Good luck in your training and stay motivated!

Fred Lin

Please visit my fund raising page at www.fredlin.com and donate towards my effort for Lance Armstrong Foundation's fight against cancer!

Reena56384,

Can you do this? Unless you have some serious medical conditions you've not disclosed here, the answer is a resounding "Yes, you can do this!"

I was over 300 lbs. (on a 5'8" frame) when I started this.  If I take the maximum "ideal" weight for my height and select the "large frame" option, my ideal weight is a maximum of 172 lbs.  That means I was around 130 lbs. overweight when I started C25K.  You can do this!

The best advice I can give you is this: take your time. Don't try to do too much, too fast, too soon.  Your body needs time to adjust.  The goal of the C25K program is to build your endurance, not your speed. There will be time for that later, if you decide you like running.

Find a pace that is comfortable for you.  Advice my wife found somewhere on this site said "Run slower than you think you should be running." That bit of info right there made it okay for me to feel like molasses in January as I got going.  I'm still not rocket fast.  Heck, I'd settle for late-model Yugo fast, but I'm making progress.  I'm in the final week of C25K and I'm running 30 minutes at a time, three times a week, and each of those sessions has me running more than 2 miles!

It hasn't been easy (there were times in the beginning where I thought I was going to die), and I wanted to give up more times than I can count, but the benefits on this side of it have been fantastic.  I lost 20 lbs. during the first eight weeks and I have more energy during the day!

I see that SeeFluffyRun replied, too.  She and I are both regulars on a weekly threads in the Newbie Cafe area for runners who are (or were) over 200 lbs.  If you find that description matches you, hop on over and say hello.  If not, you're still welcome to drop by and read the inspiring accounts of people, like me, who are trying to make a positive change.

Best regards to you on your journey! I'll hope to see progress reports from you over the next nine weeks!

P.S. If you don't have a buddy with whom to run yet, I strongly recommend finding someone, even if they are already "fit"--just ask them to come along.  I run with my wife, and I'm sure I would have given up had I been doing this alone!

ChristinaL215,

I don't know what it is about those middle weeks--W3, W4--but I think they were, at times, some of the hardest ones.  I guess it's part of the program.  It keeps expanding what you can do--pushing your body more and more--until suddenly, at some point, your body gets the idea and realizes it can really run! I'm in W9, and I could never have imagined that I would be running 30 minutes at a time.  It is just unreal to me!!!

You all can do this!  If you have a bad day, or even if you end up stopping, you can always get back up and start again! Definately use your friends and sites like this as a support network.  Don't go it alone!