Okay, so the topic title is a touch misleading, as it's not the first time I've ever gone running - I used to do a lot of it when I was a kid! First time in many years though.

I went out in the dark (that way I figured if I met anyone I knew whilst out on my route they'd either not realise it was me - self conscious - and because it was dark they wouldn't be able to see how shagged out I was! ) and only had a very short route planned - about three quarters of a mile, according to Google earth. In all honesty, I fully expected to walk as much as I ran, and I fulfilled my expectations!

I started off pretty well, but I think much too fast, as within a few hundred yards, I was starting to hurt. I'm a fairly heavy sort of bloke - 15st 10lb (220lb) - and the impact of each stride quickly took its toll. My quads soon began to hurt right above my knees, and muscles, tendons and ligaments complained at me for being used in ways they simply weren't used to! I walked for a while, then as soon as I felt I could, off I went again. Rinse and repeat until I arrived home again. It's perhaps worth mentioning that I find breathing whilst running quite tricky - again, my own weight seems to force the air from my lungs on impact of each stride, and is something that I'll get used to with practice I guess.

I probably ran somewhere between a third and a half of the route, and walked the rest. My cardio fitness has improved a fair amount of late - what with all the stationary bike work I've been doing (and hopefully will be getting out on my bike on the road too now that spring has nearly sprung), but running was a real challenge for me.

This was Thursday night, it's now Saturday morning - the only after effects seem to be a fair amount of stiffness in the muscles up the front of my calves and a little at the top of my instep - nothing more than a dull ache though, and better than I expected.

I had a chat with a mate in the pub about all of this last night- the first thing he said was 'are you taking too long a stride'? and that's exactly what I'd been thinking myself. I lope along as I'm tall - almost 6'2, going far too fast and running out of steam too early. He suggested I should consciously aim to shorten my stride and make my running more efficient, which seems to tally with my own thoughts.

Whatever, I shall be giving it another go (probably tomorrow evening) and will build up some resilience to the impact, and a little more endurance- next time the goal is to run a greater percentage of the course! Like any new exercise, my body needs to get used to it- especially as I'm not a teenager anymore (and that very point is all the more reason to be doing it, no?).

I'm not planning to do any long distances, so building up to a mile or two once or twice a week is a goal that should be within my grasp I think!

That is a great goal! I have led a couple couch to 5k run groups. I always tell the group to start off at a walk and see if you can make it the entire way at that pace. Once they've made it the entire route without stopping, we take it up to a power walk... once they've done that then a slow jog. By creating this base when they slow down they go to the last level to recover instead of a walk. When the start running and it gets to much they lower down to a jog... if they're in the jog stage and it gets too much they lower to a power walk to recover.

What is the fastest pace you could do the entire route at? Once you find that out, you will have your baseline... then you can tell yourself that you can make it through the course and shouldn't drop below that pace. You can amp it up a little each time, but when you need to recover you go back to your baseline. This will help you keep your heart rate up and allow you to improve drastically.

Often our mind tells our body to stop long before are body needs to stop because we don't like to be uncomfortable... by creating a baseline you are giving yourself the confidence to keep going when you mind tells you to stop because you know you can do the route at the given pace, so after your at the pace you keep trying to increase it for short bursts... then longer bursts... then after a bit you have a new baseline!

If it has been a while since you've gone running, breathing will get better if you continue to run consistently. If I haven't run for a long time and try and go running, my lungs will burn and it will be hard to catch my breath. But after a while of consistent running, my lungs stop burning and it is easier to breathe! This is why I try to never stop running and to never get out of shape. It is sooooo much easier to continue running 3 or 4 times a week rather than stop and have to get in running shape all over again!

Speed walking just about as effective as running and a lot better for your joints, maybe you should give it a try.

Howdo folks, the nights are drawing in again, and so I intend to have another try at 'learning to run'. As stated in my earlier post, I like to run in the cover of darkness so no one can see me as I make my first embarrassing efforts. Once I can run a reasonable distance I'll be fine running in the daylight, but until then my tendency towards being very self-conscious will rule.

Ken mentioned the Couch to 5K program earlier - I've looked this up on the net, and it seems a good way forward, and also seems to have worked for many people. The gradual introduction of the stresses of running to the body via the use of intervals seems good. I've downloaded some of the podcasts with the intervals on them to help me (that way I don't have to keep checking my watch!). Am I looking forward to it? Kind of, though I know I'll struggle in the beginning. I know it's been successful for people a lot less fit than myself, so there's no reason it won't work for me if I put the effort in.

I'm still using my kettlebells (though the workouts will be changing a little as when it's wet outside it's safer to practise indoors- certain exercises are out as the bells would hit the ceiling as they flip over at the top!) and still using my bike, though again, it's getting to a point where the exercise bike is in use more than the road bike.

I'll try and keep you posted.

This is great about the couch to 5k program!

How come you are using the exercise bike more than the road bike? Is it a weather issue?

Partly a weather issue, partly a failing light issue. With the evenings drawing in, the time I have to ride, it tends to be dark. Not fun on narrow, winding country roads. I try to get out on the road bike at weekends, weather permitting!

I see, yeah, that makes sense!

Well, I went out running on Thursday night. It went better than I expected- my legs gave out before my lungs, which rather surprised me. It was more an experiment than the 'C25K week one, day one' proper - just a feeler, if you like.

By the last couple of runs I had slowed down quite a bit, even the walking sections were a lot slower - every muscle and tendon in my legs was screaming for mercy towards the end. I suffered for it yesterday too - by the evening I had quite a bit of soreness, though that may well have been worse if I hadn't gone out on the bike yesterday - a bit of active recovery!

Being a gadget freak I'm using gps to track my runs and then using the online Endomondo site to record them - it'll give me an idea how I'm improving (or not!) over time.

I had intended to go out on another run last night, but the soreness persuaded me otherwise. If I get the time (I'm going out later - pub quiz night, so time might be a bit tight) I might go out later this evening. If not, then it will be Tuesday.

I use a GPS to track my runs sometimes too. I mainly do it because I want to know how many miles I run. My GPS gets annoying to carry though while running. I need to get a GPS watch or an arm band for my big Garmin handeld one.

I admit this never really got off the ground again. I'm not sure why after a good start, if a stumbling one. Certainly once I was into walking, training for the sponsored walk I did a few weeks ago, I didn't have a lot of opportunity, but why it petered out before that is a mystery, especially as I was still doing other exercise throughout.

Like with the 100 pushups program though, I now have a C25K iPhone app with all the intervals on it, and it plays over my own music as I run (or it will do when I start, and I confess, this probably won't happen again until the nights draw in a bit and I can run without feeling like I'm being watched - once I can run a bit, then this won't bother me, but whilst I'm 'learning', I'd rather do it in the dark!).

Good for you, get back at it and tell us all about how it goes. Perhaps in a year or so, I'll be asking you for advice

Hello to all,


First time running may be give the lethargic state to the body but with the passage of time stamina develop which show the indication of the improvement .

Wahey! It's that time of year again. Time to attempt running again!

Now I'm considerably more active, what with my Kendo and my cycling, this time it might be less painful!

I'm doing this as much to improve my cardiovasular fitness for kendo, and also to help me be less 'leadfooted' during the same, so I've hopefully got the motivation to stick with it this time. We'll see.

(Okay likely no one will read this for some time, but just 'putting it out there'...)