1st year of running

So after running the Hayling Island 10 miler in just under 1 hour 40 on Sunday I have done basically a years training and running races. I just thought I would share my story if anyone is interested....

I started using the gym at my College last year in an attempt to get fitter and lose some weight - I knew I had to get fit as dieting would never allow me to lose weight I like my food to much!!! The gym's free and got me my confidence by running on a treadmill regularly. I signed up to do the Marwell 10k as a goal for my training. Once I was confident of running on the treadmill I started running on the roads locally to get more practice. I set myself the goal of doing the 10k in under 60 minutes and managed it in 59.13, it wasn't easy but the sense of achievement was amazing - so much so that I signed up to do the Wyvern 10k in Fair Oak pretty quickly after.

About this time I started to do the Frimley Lodge Park parkrun - a great way to start a Saturday and has really helped with my general fitness and running. I have done about 10 and my 5k time has fallen from 28.25 to 26.49 which is going in the right direction.

In total this year i've done 4 10k races (Marwell, Wyvern, Coalville and Fleet) and my pb after Fleet is 55.27, but I did throw up crossing the line - which wasn't great fun!!! I also got talked into doing the Butser Challenge - probably not the best run in your 1st year but it was amazing (both the weather and the race) and I finished it and will be back to try again next year.

I have had great fun this year and feel so much better in myself, it's just annoying that I never did this earlier (i'm 38), but I never had the self confidence and was always concerned what other people would think - now I guess I don't care. My only concern now is my 5 year old daughter who worries that I talk to women whilst I run and that's not fair on mummy.....

My aim from all this is to run a half-marathon by the end of next year and just basically continue to enjoy it. I know I will always think about my times and want to beat my bests but for me that's healthy. It's always fun 2/3 of the way round a race when you feel the pain but then at the end when you've finished it feels great.

glad to hear you're enjoying it Matthew. I only started running about 3 years ago when I was 31. I had never done regular exercise or sport before then, but found that it was something i could plug away at, regardless of whether I was any good at it. It has been a bit stop/start, and i've had a couple of periods of about 6 months each when i've not run at all, but I got back into it in August this year and I feel like it's finally "sticking".

A big help for me has been to slow down nearly all my runs, after reading of the benefits of just getting in lots of miles at low intensity (read the "HADD" thread on this forum if you want to know more about that) so now I'm running more miles than I ever have before, and thankfully I am injury free so far.

I hope you continue to enjoy it

Congratulations. I have also reached my 1 yr anniversary. I am still yet to crack the sub 60 10k but it is getting closer. I would also like to do a HM next year. (maybe the VLM in 2014 but shhh dont tell anyone that)

Nice one, I've been running about 2 years now.  It's amazing how it boosts your confidence and in my case changes your outlook on life completely.  I wouldn't be without it now!  I don't know what my next challenge will be but I've gone all the way up to marathon now.  You should sign up for you first half, go on, you know you want to!

Inspiring post! I only started run/walking in May this year so my first year anniversary is not up yet. I was 16 stones and realised my 3 year old twin daughters were not going to see much of me if I carried on that way. So, at the age of 40, I took up running. I have a short attention span so i got myself a spot on the VLM to make sure I did not fall back in to my old ways

Like you I wish now that I had started earlier. It's such a great way to live. I too love my food WAY too much to lose weight by dieting. Ok I have got things under a bit more control but the running allows me to eat more or less what I want while continuing to lose weight.

My first 10K was an epic achievement for me. I did it in 58 mins or so and was dead at the end. Loved the sense of elation crossing the line though. I ran my second 10K several weeks ago. It was on hilly ground, something I had little experience of and was not expecting. I finished it in 51:38. A couple of weekends ago I ran my first half marathon! I came in at 1:53:00 and felt amazing. 

At 12 stones, or thereabouts, I have another 0.5-1 stone to lose. I have half marathons booked in Feb and Mar and then it's the big one for me. The VLM in April  

I have found running books to be really inspiring. You should check out 'Born To Run'. Amazing book. I then read How to run faster by Julian Goater and have bought a couple more to read too. I am immersing myself in to my new obsession and loving every minute of it

Are you keeping a blog? If you are not then you might want to consider doing so. It is a great place for you to go back, see what you have achieved, remind you of key lessons you have learned, etc. Don't worry about whether anyone else looks at it or not. Here is a link to mine in case it gives you some ideas:

http://ninjakhan.co.uk/ - just click on the big 'blog' button once you are there.

re - changing your outlook on life, that is so true! Having lost all this weight and feeling fitter and healthier than ever before I find myself only ever seeing the positive in everything!

The other day I posted this on facebook. I was shocked to see that I would have written something like this!

"Feet wet? They can't get any wetter!

Head soaked? Have cool wet look 80's styling (until frizz bomb takes over and I look like a microphone)! 

Standing room only on the slowest train in the history of transport? Better than missing it! 

Today is going to be awesome! All the crap stuff is already out of the way!
#gotMyRunDoneBeforeWork"

 If running was a religeon, I'd be a preacher