I went for my very first run last night. I dug out my athletic shoes from the back of my closet. They were covered in cobwebs so you can tell how much I use them! Well, I did some good stretching and warm-ups for a good 10 minutes and headed out the door. I made it to the end of my driveway (about 30 feet) when my calves and feet severely cramped. I massaged them, stretched some more, and ran about 100 feet before I had a severe coughing fit. I don't have asthma, and I have never smoked in my life. I've been out of breath before, but nothing like this. It took me WAY too long to catch my breath. Is this normal for beginners or should I maybe start slower?

Did you start running right from the get-go? When was the last time you actually worked out? When I first started, it didn't take long before I was huffing and puffing out of breath. For goodness sakes, I used to get out of breath just climbing up the stairs.
Start off slow for sure!! You're not going to be able to run for 2 miles right away. Start by walking for 10 minutes, then try a slow jog for as long as you can take it, then walk again.
Good luck!

Take it slower. Try walking for awhile first. Once your body gets used to moving then running won't be as hard. I would walking for awhile = 30 minutes a day for a week, the following week an hour and so on till your body gets used to it. Then try running again... slowly. Try Leslie Sansone Walk Away The Pounds... it might help.

I thought that in order to get used to RUNNING, you had to RUN... and in order to get used to WALKING you had to WALK. I've been taking short walks with my dog but I don't think I have ever ran in my life. When I walk even the one mile I walk with my dog, my hip bones start to hurt. Well... thanks to your advice, I'm going to hold off on the running for now... maybe wait till I'm not in pain after my walk and then start jogging the home stretch of my mile walk. I'm just glad I'm not dying like I thought I was. I guess I'm just pushing myself a little too hard too fast.

To Cemtery Siren: I've never been much into cardio or even walking. When I get my heart going, it feels like it's going to leap out of my chest and that scares me. I've been doing mostly toning exercises for the past week or so with weights with some Tae Bo type cardio till I can't take it anymore. I've started the walking in the past few days. I guess it was silly to start running so soon... I just felt so motivated... like Rocky!

Baby steps first!!! When we were toddlers we didn't get up and run right away! We had to learn to walk first. And now, our bodies are not used to doing these things so we have to start slow or we will hurt ourselves. It took me months of walking before I was healthy enough to do things without pain. But you have to keep walking to get your body used to exercising so it does not hurt anymore. I still to this day (and I have been exercising since 2003) will not run much at all, if at all! I am asthmatic though. However, my body still cannot handle it. Walking is an excellent workout. Try WATP... it is awesome and you will see some awesome results!

I've heard so much about the WATP videos from many people on here that I think I am sold on the idea. I can't wait to pick it up and give it a shot. Thanks for the suggestion! It's probably exactly what I need.

That's how I started! I hate exercise and sweat! But I started with WATP and I really got into it!! I did it every day 6 days a week! I have like 12 or 13 videos... do a different video every few days... helps work different areas of your body. I lost over 30 pounds with them!!

You can get them cheap online!!! And a bigger selection. I love the 4 mile challenge!! It is awesome... but don't start with that one... I did and it about killed me lol. But that is when exercise was exstint to me lol.

Check these sites out:
WATP = www.lesliesansone.com
www.overstock.com
www.amazon.com
www.ebay.com
www.yahoo.com and go to auctions (might be something there)
www.freecycle.com (might be something here)
www.walmart.com
www.target.com

There are tons of places online you can get this stuff!! I would buy the book too... WATP by Leslie Sansone. It is awesome!!

The fastest way to injury when starting a running program is doing too much and going too fast.

You need to ease yourself into running. Warm up well before you even start running, walk quickly for 5-10 minutes-not a stroll but a serious walk were you feel your leg muscles getting warm.

Most beginning running programs start out with a warm up, then several run/walk sequences depending on your experience and what you can do, then cool down and stretch. Always stretch warm muscles, not cold ones.

You should be running at a pace where you can hold a conversation. If you are out of breath you are running to fast.

Here are some good articles from coolrunning.com for new runners:
Couch Potato to 5K program
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

First steps
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/182.shtml

An Ounce of Prevention
The best fix for running injuries is to avoid hurting yourself in the first place.
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_5/230.shtml

Have fun. I started running in April and it's been great.
Sarah

Excellent links Sarahyu and thanks for the tips. This is going to help me out a lot. There is a scenic trail by me and I've been a little overanxious to join the daily runners on it.

Venus, take your time eventually the running will come easily....
If you really want to run -- running is my cardio of choice now, I love it -- you MUST start slowly like Sara said ... warm up for 10 mins, jog for a minute walk for a minute, till this feels comfortable... It may take you a week or even two but who cares, what's the rush, but get out and enjoy the outdoors, look at nature or the landscaping of the houses or I even window shop ... Whether you are walking briskly or jogging you are definitely burning calories and not sitting on your tush doing nothing...

Secondly, good idea to brush off the cobwebs from your shoes but now throw them out!! Go to a reputable running store and get the right shoes for your feet, not WalMart or Tarket... But a store that can look at your walk or gait and fit the proper shoe... Your whole body will thank you. If you don't have the right shoes your knees will hurt, your ankles, hips, and you will likely stop running ...

Oh and thirdly, please join us on the Cool Runners thread, the running veterans will be more than happy to help you out!

As you've seen, you can't just take up running when you're not used to that kind of workout. Even if you were athletic but had never run, it would still be difficult. Whole 'nother set of muscles. I started out by walking just a mile each day. When I first tried to jog part of it, I doubt I even made 50 feet before I got the "heart leap out of my chest" feeling, was out of breath and red in the face. I alternated, walking with jogging. I'd jog as far as I could then walk until I got my breath and stamina back, then jog again. Eventually, the jog length grew longer and the walk length grew shorter. Then I increased my distance. It took months to develop from a 1 mile walk to a 3 mile jog. And this for a former heart surgery patient. It can be done. It just takes patience.