I started running this Sunday, and I couldn't go for more than 5 minutes at 4.5 MPH. Though I read a tip saying that dialing down the speed helps a LOT with endurance, so on Monday I turned it down to 3.5 MPH. I was able to jog for 45 minutes! (Listening to an mp3 player also helped!)

I was really sore after that though, so on Tuesday and Wednesday I went down to 30 minutes and was feeling good. Slightly sore, but not terribly so. On Wednesday, I noticed my throat was slightly raspy, but I thought it was just dry so I drank some water.

Then yesterday at work (I shelve books so I'm constantly lifting heavy loads and bending up and down), my throat suddenly started feeling terribly sore. My lungs started feeling congested, too.. I got a headache and body aches, though my hip joints and my back were particularly painful. Later that night and today, all the symptoms together make it feel a lot like a flu.

Did I make myself sick by trying to work out too hard and too fast? I hadn't worked up to running, but I figured that I'm young enough to manage. Do you think I'll get better in a few days if I take it easy? I don't want to fall off the horse before I've been exercising for even a week!

Ummm.... You need to go to the doctor, asap. You actually probably have the flu. It's going around later this year b/c of the unusually mild winter. My co-worker was off last week w/the H1N1 strain. Her symptoms (as with any flu) were the exact same as yours--right down to the hip joints aching, and she doesn't run.