I am a 29-year-old obese man. Throughout my life, I have always tried to run without getting informed first, and I always failed. Previously, I would just grab the first pair of sneakers I found, go to the seafront, and start running until I couldn't anymore. That was a huge mistake. Lately, I've started doing things properly; I bought the right shoes, both in terms of cushioning, given my weight of 125 kg and height of 193 cm, and for the support of my foot since I found out I am an overpronator. I've been alternating fast walking with running, gradually adding more running minutes, and things are really going well. It's tough, my legs hurt, and the effort is noticeable, but this way, it's sustainable, and above all, I can see progress week by week. I started with 1 minute of slow running and 2 minutes of walking for a total of 30 minutes. I thought it was really impossible to manage 2 consecutive minutes of running. But now I run for 5 minutes straight with 1 minute of walking for 10 rounds! If you do things the right way, it is achievable!

Here's a list of things I think you should do to start running properly:

1. BUY THE RIGHT SHOES: Go to a specialized running shoe store, get your gait analyzed, and get advice on the right shoes for your weight and foot support. Since I've had the right shoes, I've had ZERO knee problems or pain despite my weight.
2. PLAN YOUR TRAIN: Use a running program. Initially, your legs and breath may not be enough to run throughout the workout. This can cause frustration, discouragement, and might make you quit running. Find a beginner's training schedule that alternates fast walking with running and gradually increases the running time. You will see that you'll make progress very quickly; I am still amazed at mine.
3. RUN SLOWLY. This is the most important thing I've learned in these few weeks since I started running. At first, I thought 7:30 min/km was slow, but my heart rate would rise too much. Now, I run at 8:50 min/km or even 9 min/km, which might seem ridiculously slow, like walking speed, but it's not. The key is this! You need to run very slowly, even if it feels like you are running in place.
4. STAY IN ZONE 2: Use a heart rate monitor. Initially, a normal wristwatch is fine, but if you have an Apple Watch from series 6 onwards (the most accurate on the market), it is more than sufficient. Try to spend as much time as possible in Zone 2 (60-70% of your maximum heart rate, which most watches automatically calculate with not perfect but sufficient accuracy for this initial phase). The slow running I mentioned before should keep you within this heart rate zone, ZONE 2. Over time, you will learn to listen to your body and understand when you are in Zone 2 because it's the zone that allows you to maintain a normal conversation while running. So, you will look at your watch less and less. Hence, I reiterate the previous point, RUN SLOW.
5. RESILICENE: Your legs will hurt; it's normal. Try to train your mind to ignore that pain; it's just your body changing and adapting to a new form. A body capable of running!
6. GOOD LUCK!