*DAily chat thread *23rd Feb 2009

tenmah

Oooh that is interesting to know - thanks.

So how do you know how far you have run, do you have some kind of gadget that tells you? So it sounds like run/walk is the way to start or in my case walk walk run probably!

SuzySu

Good for you Bun.....I am seriously contemplating joining my local running club, but I HATE running! It makes me short of breath and makes my shins hurt. BUT.....it costs a lot less than the gym (it is £40 for the 1st year which includes a luminous bib, £25 per year thereafter) and I think I would need the motivation of running with others, otherwise I would not get out.

Can't go this Wed, but am going to ring them to chat it over. I have about 2 stone to lose and am totally unfit.

Ellidee

Can I join in the unfit brigade ? Also more - er- 'elderly' than most of you and asthmatic & menopausal .

Buffythedebtslayer

spud30 wrote: »

Tenmah, I'm so glad I'm not the only unfit one

Oi fat sofa loving dumpling here !

Tenmah, that is EXACTLy why one of my rules is do not run for the bus.

clearly not the way forward Bun and Sam........

oh and I walk in my normal clothes - trainers with tights so so classy make me look like a right nut job

tenmah

spud30 wrote: »

Tenmah, I'm so glad I'm not the only unfit one

What a pity we didn't live near each other so we could do it together! The problem with me is motivation!

Bunnyinthelights

Im not exactly fit-but I am more fit than I was-the changes I am noticing in my body are such a boost.

tenmah

Ellidee wrote: »

Can I join in the unfit brigade ? Also more - er- 'elderly' than most of you and asthmatic & menopausal .

I have to say I too am more 'elderly' which is another thing that puts me off running on my own - looking like a mad old woman!!

sallyx

Tenmah
go to either www.fetchveryone.com or www.mapmyrun.com and you can map a route local to you and it will tell you how far it is

Bunnyinthelights

Brilliant idea Spud! Excellent!

*Bunny whispers*

I am also much more competitive than I ever knew and love being doing something I can improve at...is that wierd?

Snaggles

tenmah wrote: »

I keep thinking I would like to start running after reading your stories, but the other day I had to run for the bus and had pain in my shins and sat puffing and panting on the bus all the way into town!

Were any of you like that when you started? What sort of thing did you wear when you first started, was it just jeans and a T-Shirt or did you go straight for the proper stuff? Were you embarrased running on your own?

If I run for a bus now I would still feel like that, and I ran 7k the other day!

Normal footwear doesn't absorb any of the impact, which could be why your shins hurt (mine do if I run in my boots), and the puffing and panting only happens the first few times you run, honest (feels like your lungs are on fire, but once you have done a few runs, your lungs adapt, and it's your legs that will give out first). I don't really feel breathless when I run now, unless my asthma is bothering me.

I think preparation is key, and that's everything from wearing comfortable clothes that you wont get too warm in, to wearing suitable footwear (bog standard trainers will do, especially to start with), to making sure you warm up and cool down, by walking and stretching before and afterwards.

It doesn't have to cost much - my cropped trousers and t-shirt were £6 in total from Sports Direct, and I already had some trainers, although I did spend money on some gel insoles to soak up a lot of the impact - but that's because I'm prone to joint problems.

If you have an MP3 player, or something similar, bung some really good tunes on it and just go and do a mile - run as much of it as you can, then walk the rest - bet you can run the whole thing after a few tries.