How to run
How I did it: I started off running just to loose weight really, as I progressed I started to challenge myself and before long I was running much further than I anticipated which provided me with a real buzz! It wasn't easy though, a few injuries here and there and my lack of patience meant that I did the hard way - at the moment I currently run 10 miles in about 1 hour 30 minutes so I'm pleased my aim is to complete a marathon.
Lessons & tips: Stretch, stretch and more stretching, especially after a run; when I first started running I really didn't listen to all the running 'geeks' at the time - man was I wrong. Also vary your runs so that you don't get board and use an exercise bike or something similar because there will be days when your legs feel like they've been annihilated - using a bike helped me keep up my fitness when I needed a few days recovery, ideally though you should take it easy so you don't have huge lay off times. Finally, buy good trainers and socks - priceless!
Resources: I found mapmyrun.com useful when planning routes and discovering the distance of a route and the elevation, particularly useful on longer 10k plus runs.
