Me, me!! I started the C25K program in April, and ran my first official 5K today!

It has done wonders for my hips and thighs!!

HI guys,

I think it is SO amazing that you are attempting your first 1/2 marathons, especially after never running before in your lives! Congratulations! Your stories are inspiring!

I used to run in 5ks about 1-2 times per month and attempted a few 10ks and loved it. I was never super fast but I never stopped and I always crossed that finish line. That, however, was about 35 pounds ago. I cannot wait to get back into it! If you're considering running definitely pick up Bob Glover's The Runner's Handbook and a good pair of sneakers (I suggest ASICS GT series) with Sorbo insoles.

Someone had asked about pavement/concrete/and grass running. Running on soft surfaces such as grass or sand is the best for your joints. Next would be road pavement (it is designed to give). The WORST is concrete. If you are running stay off of sidewalks they will eat your joints up in no time!

I cannot wait to distance run again. Right now I am only doing 1-mile runs which has bummed me out a bit. However, I doubt I would be even running that far if it wasn't for the training time I put into the elliptical machine at the gym!

One last suggestion to the other runners -- Polar makes a really neat heart rate monitor , foot pod, and training watch trio. The watch is a mini computer where it tracks for you your miles run and weight loss as well as conditioning level. It is REALLY helpful and I am finding it to be a major inspiration!

Good luck, runners!

I absolutely love running! Its my time away from the world

I mostly run on footpaths with minimal off road work and apart from when I very first started a couple of years ago have not had any problems with my knees (touch wood!).

I used to suffer terribly from cramps and stitches which was incredibly frustrating because my legs and lungs were fine but I was in masses of pain through the middle. I solved that problem by increasing my ab work and strengthening my core - no more stitches.

I just ran a race on the weekend (16km - 10 mile) which in competitive terms is the longest distance for me - before that it was just a couple of City2Surf runs last year and the year before (14kms). I was very pleased with my time though - 1 hr 25 mins as it was all off road, some over loose rock and scree and up and down and around a mountain!

Generally I run 3 to 5 times a week with distances from 8km (5 mile) to 12km (7.5 mile)