following on from my anger issues post,i have been thinking about starting jogging as a means to get fit/deal with anger issues/depression.

the problem is that i haven’t done any running since secondary school (am 39 now).

i did try to jog to my friend’s house about a mile away,a few years ago.but for the next 3 days i was walking like john wayne (my leg muscles were very stiff/cramped up 🙁 so that had put me off tbh.

the desire to start learning to run distance hasn’t gone away though.

could you offer any advice to a beginner as to how to best start to train e.t.c. if possible to stop my legs cramping up that much afterwards.

my aim is to do cross country jogging (as where i live has some great offroad trails by devizes) also k & a canal.

thanks a lot 🙂

Couch to 5k training plan is quite well thought of, could be a good place to start.

Other than that, just put your left foot in front of your right and repeat till your out of breath. Walk a bit to recover then jog a bit more. Don’t go at it too fast, and stretch off afterwards.

One step at a time

I will get my coat…

bummer beaten^^^^

All I did was start off doing a very brisk walk every day, about 2 miles. After a few days I’d jog for 100mtrs or so then walk fast again just increasing the jogs each time! Had no trouble with stiff joints. I think I was about 53.

Couch to 5k is a good plan, main thing is to take it slowly at first – and following a plan will help you avoid overdoing it.

Run slow, run easy and build up your distance gradually as your fitness improves. Don’t time yourself and just enjoy being out there!

Some of my mates (who had never run at all) loved couch to 5k, so that’s a +1 from me

Look at it as a long term thing.

Yep, as non runners, both the wife and I followed c25k. Really good. The think to remember if you’re a fit cyclist, is your cv will do more running than your legs which is why it’s so easy to get an over use injury. Following a program like c25k is a good way to avoid such an injury.

It’s taken a while to build up from that, but I’m off for a 90min run tomorrow which totals 4hrs this week. Not bad from such humble beginnings.

thanks everyone,have just downloaded the c25k podcasts.it sounds just the ticket for me 🙂

will report back after i have started this week (and i intend to 😀

just need paula radcliffe to run walk alongside me offering support cake/tea 😉

After a failed & painful attempt last winter, I have now got back into running painlessly.

Things I learnt (they may not all be right) or believe worked for me.

Natural trainers tore my calves in half. (I’m not patient enough).

Off road may in theory be easier on your knees but it requires a lot more flexibility so stay on the Tarmac & flat to start with.

Do some simple leg strengthening excercises before you start. Same goes for a bit of stretching.

Don’t bother stretching pre run, just be gentle for the first 10 mins & walk for 10 mins at the end (I’ve cut this to 5 mins now).

Don’t run too far too soon.

Trainer wise, I’m neutral and have gone for Adidas Boston’s for the road & Kanadia Goretex for the trails.

For perspective, I’m 43 & last run in 2003. I loved running as a kid and it turns out, I still do. My cycling fitness has massively improved. Run twice a week, cycle once.
It’s impossible to fit 3 rides a week in so this works well.

Good luck.

Aye, couch to 5k is great. Got me from not being able to run a few hundred metres without having three days of agony to being able to churn along quite happily for over 6 miles. (And then having three days of agony)

It feels really slow at first, but it’s very important to build up gradually.

Another vote for the NHS couch to 5k app, it’s what got me started last year. PB is now (this week) 24:46 for 5k, which I am well chuffed with at 54 years old and 14 stone.

What worked for me was only running after a tough bike ride. That way I never got to carried away and did too much too soon. Also I only run on proper muddy hills, which are luckily next to my house. So now I can run for an hour without bother after starting about 7 months ago. This contrasts to every other time I have tried to start running on the road, which failed horribly.

the main challenge is to excercise every week for the rest of your life (as opposed to aceing every excercise session)

so probably a good idea to do less excercise than you want to, to ensure you’re ‘keen’ for the next session.

Swimming and crosstrainer are also good for allround muscle/cardio workouts.

thumbs up for meeting your issues head on by the way

(p.s. I think you’ll get more endorphins by going fast than by going long and slow)

any runners here?advice as to how to begin?

From experience, if a wild animal or shaven haired chav is chasing you running becomes natural.

Don’t run slowly to warn up as that just makes each footfall heavier, so more shock and more chance of injury. If you need to ease into into then walk briskly instead.

I always run in a loop from my house so I can’t wimp out halfway round because the run is to difficult.

Kneeling down on my haunches for 60 seconds before a run is a good stretch for me, stops knee pains at the side of the patella.

I try to land softly on my heels so taking advantage of the shoes shock absorbency, but if my legs are in good shape I probably land on the forfoot more. Climbing hills out of the saddle on the road bike help a lot to make my running more springy and therefore easier with less chance of injury.