Yes the pain in your side is normal. it's your body telling you it's out of shape. lol. I used to run 6 miles a day, then i got married, had kids and became overweight and out of shape so when i finally decided to lose weight i had to learn how to run all over again. I mean I "knew" how to run, just my body was not into it anymore. and omg the pain in my side!!! lol!!
I suggest intervals. Even if the intervals are short. like run for 20 seconds, walk for 1 min, repeat 5 or 10 times. Then try to kick it up a notch (like run for 30 seconds) the next week. your body will build endurance pretty quickly...but you don't have to kill yourself to get in shape. Start where you are at. you don't have to workout for an hour, just set a goal (like 5-10 intervals), and then you can add an extra interval, or add seconds to the time you run for every week. i'm currently at 9 min running/1 min walking for intervals and i do that 3x. when you get to a reasonable amount, then you can add in endurance training (running at a steady pace for the entire workout), but intervals are the most useful in the beginning I think.
Remember to stretch really well after every workout or you'll be sorry later... just my experience. running can really kill flexibility if you aren't diligent in stretching.
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