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Thank you both very much for the advice.

Daeve - thanks for the confidence boost but you overstate my fitness! There's no way I could run 5k now but I hope to be able to in 4-6 weeks. I wasn't really looking for PB's in the 5k runs - just figured it would be easier to motivate myself to do the yards in a race than on a solo run.

I didn't intend to run that first mile in 8 minutes - it just felt like a natural pace - and I'm certainly not wanting to rush it. I'm just conscious that in every aspect of my life I am not great at maintaining commitment when I'm bored!

I've installed Run Watch Lite on my iphone so I'll see if I can pace myself a little better. And I'll run the week 3 schedule 3 times a week for a couple of weeks. It should be quite easy for me but I hadn't considered the importance of getting into a habit of training regularly so thanks for that very valuable advice.

Thanks again.

Hi,

I'm a complete beginner who is going to run a half in October. My ambitions are pretty modest: I want to run it as fast as I can but I don't care how that compares to anyone else's times. So long as I run it the whole way without "hitting the wall" I'll be relatively pleased. And if I enjoy it enough I'll look to up the challenge next time.

There's a local 5k that I am going to run weekly once I am fit enough - which I hope will be about 6 weeks - and I am hoping to be up to substituting a 5k for a 10k once a month from about June.

I've got plenty of time to prepare but I don't want the programme to be too easy otherwise I know I will lose motivation. I enjoy exercise more when I'm challenged. I'm not very fit but I do walk quite a lot and I am lucky enough to carry very little weight so a programme that only has you run for a minute and then walk is too soft a start for me.

I went out for a benchmarking run this afternoon just to assess my baseline. I wanted to find out - by running at a comfortable but tiring pace:

How far I could run before I needed a recovery walk (turns out to be about a mile) and how fast I can run it in (about 8 mins).

How far I could run on a second run after a minute's walk (about 0.3 miles) and how fast (about 2.5 mins).

Whether I could run a 3rd spell reasonably comfortably after a bit of a walk (I couldn't!).

How my legs, ankles and feet felt (I'll know that tomorrow!).

Looking at the C25K week 3 is to easy for me but I don't think I'm ready for week 4 yet. My thinking is that I'll try to run the week 4 schedule 3 times a week until I can do it comfortably - stopping the running and walking home when I am too tired so I don't overdo it. Once I can run the distances comfortable I plan to drop into the regular C25K programme. Although I think I'll keep the 3 run a week programme in the latter weeks and just extend my 25min run through 28 to 30. It doesn't feel like a 5K run needs a taper and I don't want to give up the fitness that I'll need for the 10k programme.

Do you guys think that's a sensible approach?

Thanks,

Matt

Thanks daisyjess,

I think I'm going to try the flex and see how it works out. If it starts to cause me difficulties then I'll relegate them to casual use and get something like the Nimbus for running in.

I'm just about to start training for a half marathon in a few months time and I'm looking for my first pair of proper running shoes.

I have high arches and land reasonably lightly on my forefoot - being a lanky type! I mildly under-pronate when I walk but given I pretty much run on the balls of my feet I don't think that's too relevant for running. I'm not planning to try and force any changes to my gait, striking technique, etc. I just want to run naturally and improve my endurance and speed through improved fitness.

I've tried the bulky shoes with big cushions in the midfoot and impact protection heels which is what the shops tell me I need to protect against injuries caused by my high arches. But I find them really unnatural and constraining and I think they assume that you're also a heavy heel striker which I'm definitely not.

I've also tried shoes like the Nike Flex that have some midfoot cushioning that stops my feet slipping around in the way they did when I tried shoes with no support. They also have flat flexible soles that feel much more natural and comfortable and I think I would be much happier running distance in them. I've only had a chance to jog for a couple of minutes on a treadmill on them but they felt good.

My question is: am I being naive to think I can run serious (road) distances on these types of shoes with my foot shape without getting injuries and should I accept the recommendation to run in a bulky shoe? Or is it sensible to go with what feels right?

Thanks.