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Hi all, new to the forum.

Used to be a regular runner, initially taking it up to lose some weight some years back & through healthy diet and regular training I went from over 16st to 12 1/2st in about 6 months. This was a confidence booster & gave me the bug for running (I was always a good athlete at school but somehow at that time it felt like a chore - teenage hormones i guess ). I would generally do 5k/day in the gym along with cross training and then once a week a 10k. In time I got my 5k down to 18 minutes (treadmill topped out at 16km/h) but over the years I got out of the habit.

Skip forward a few years to today: I've started back at the gym about a month ago, 5k gone down to 24min, (eek!!) but the bug is back!! Since, I have joined up for the Great Birmingham Run which is a massive step up for me as my longest distance is around 12km but if anything its given me a massive motivational boost. Done a 7+ mile road run Monday to test out the waters and found a comfertable pace I feel i could complete the race - about 6mph.

The main issue I have is that I have left my training for this event quite late...most training programs seem to incorporate a 12 week schedule, so I've kind of jumped in midway. Just wondering if anyone has any training advice they could give me as i don't want to risk injury, but i still want to be able to be sure that i can complete the run without having to drag myself over the line 

Hi there,

I am also just getting back into running after an extended break, and am also enjoying the new lease of life that weight loss brings, so I just wanted to say hello and wish you luck with the Birmingham Run.

I guess the only advice I can offer, as a "new beginner," is not to overdo it. It would be better to run-walk-run the Race and finish than to risk injury or disappointment by trying to go at it too hard.

It sounds as though you are already doing really well, so just do what you can do in this Race and then you can start you training for the next one. Best of luck with it!

Cheers Springle,

Into day 4 of training so far and pretty pleased with how its going, feeling so motivated to up my level at the moment that I didn't even realise my pre-planned 40 min tempo run today overrun by a good 35 minutes haha 

Feet have taken a pounding these last few days (2 huge blisters & 1 purple toe nail, ouch!!) so thinking of keeping off the road until my next big run Monday & spending a bit of time on the cross trainer in the gym

Definitely won't go overdoing it on race day....I understand a lot of people tend to fly off to a quick start but after the first mile or two it catches up with them & I'll be doing my utmost to keep a steady pace right from the off. The only thing I'm not liking the idea of is getting dragged along at a higher pace at the start as it looks very crowded in there

Well today marks a bit of a landmark day for me. After missing my training session sat to let my blisters & bruising recover, then a 13 hour shift at work yesterday, I was still keen to stick to the plan of upping my long run to 10.5~ mile today.

Got up nice and early this morning, cup of coffee, toast, an apple & orange juice, tape my feet up to keep those pesky blisters at bay & time to set off!! Kept at a steady pace through most of the run and felt like i could push myself a little more along the way so took a few diversions. Checked my tracker after finishing the run and was suprised to find I'd done 12.41 miles in 2:00:45. Well pleased with myself!!

My longest run to date & gives me huge confidnce for knowing that the distance will be no problem come race day. I'm alsio happy as my original plan was to try and get my race time under 2 hours and I feel that is well within reach with 6 weeks to go.

Well done Kevin,I am guessing the Birmingham run is a Half Marathon,if so, you are doing well and should have no problems on the day

A word of caution don't over train too much as may risk injury,your body needs to adapt to the new stresses and strains,plenty of stretching before a run and a warm down ritual as well

Good luck on the day and let us know how you got on

Cheers Warkie, yeah its a half marathon. I've based my workout regime around a slightly modified beginner scehdule (albeit skipping the first 6 weeks as I felt I could already cope at that level) so shouldn't really be overtraining. Giving myself 2 full rest days, one directly after my long run (once a week), with a slow recovery run the next day, my other two training days are split between cross training & tempo/interval runs.

My long run next week will be scaled back to about 8 miles before attempting another run closer to race distance in a fortnight...heres to sore muscles in the morning