Am I the only one here just starting to get into running? I suspect that I am not...so a "beginning to run" thread seemed a good idea. I am experimenting with trail running and my goal is to condition my body so I can run reasonable distances on the trail without injuring myself. While it isn't designed for trail running in particular, I am adopting the Couch - 5K approach. While I CAN run 400 meters without stopping, perhaps 500 if I really pushed it (on the track), I can only do that a couple of times before I am DONE.

Today I laced up my trail shoes a couple of hours after Yoga class, and walked 15 minutes to my local trail. I tried to stick to running 2 minutes and walking 3, but of course the terrain has something to do with those splits. I've a really tight heel cord (currently working on that - just need to work on those sliding surfaces), and I will only run uphill if there aren't many obstacles and if my knee isn't hurting. I play it by ear, and try to focus on keeping my head up while scanning the trail in front of me. I am also trying to keep from swinging my shoulders back and forth as I've read that isn't a good thing to do, and to keep my feet beneath me, to not "stretch out". I don't care about distance or speed right now, just trying to build up my tolerance for running.

Cardiovascular-speaking I seem to be fine even if I've not been riding this year as I would like. My body parts start hurting before my breathing becomes a problem - and I credit THAT to the high intensity group training I've done for the last year - a year ago I couldn't even run 100 meters.

I've noticed that my various body parts don't start hurting until about 20-25 minutes into my run/walk split. So my current goal is to stick as much as I can to that 2 minute run/3 minute walk until I can do that for at least 30 minutes without anything hurting. When I can do that I will consider changing the split and/or increasing the time. There are a couple of trail events in my area with shorter distances that sound like they might be fun, and I may consider them next year, but I've a long way to go before I consider it a possibility.

Advice is always appreciated, and if there are any other beginning runners - trail or pavement - add your voice to this thread