Hi all, as the title says, I'm yet another newbie to both the site and running.

I've just given up smoking (again!) and have decided to go for it and take up running. I'm pretty damn unfit, but I've set myself a goal of running the Nike 10K this year and not coming last :eek:

Any help and advice would be more than welcome, I'm currently using the beginners 5K training program off the Nike website, but if anyone has any better suggestions, fire away!

Welcome to the forum, good luck with your training and the giving up smoking....

If this helps any running helped me give up smoking, as I got better at it I could see the smoking would get in the way of my running and improving, I have not looked back since especially whilst running as I may fall over....

i've never smoked so cant comment on that but all the best for keeping off them! Oh and ive never run Yet so i cant comment on that either lol, but all the best with that too, and welcome to the forum

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Best wishes from Dawn

Welcome Graeme. I gave up smoking nearly 2 years ago,and I`m sure that the fact that I started running at the same time kept me off the weed.

Just be warned that if you are anything like me you will just be swapping one addiction for another.

Best of luck. Dave.

Come on telmadee, get yourself a pair of shoes you won't look back :eek: :eek:

What did you swap your cross dressing addiction with....

You really don't wont to hear the answer !! :eek:

I`m hurt & Outraged.........

I think you protest too much

Hi Graeme,
Welcome from old Runningfox, and congratulations on your decision to quit smoking. I stopped 31 years ago, one of my better decisions in life, and never regretted it. A lot of youngsters start smoking thinking it's the macho thing to do and find out too late, when they're hooked, how terribly wrong they were. So far as I'm concerned it's more macho to have the will power and mental stability to resist such temptations.
How long have you got before the Nike 10K? With a few £'s from the money you've saved on cigarettes you could invest in Bob Glover's book - The Competitive Runner's Handbook - that will tell you virtually all you need to know about managing your running and racing. Not to mention stretching and injury prevention.
Secondly, I'd advise you to join a club. Running with others will help keep you motivated. Most clubs cater for runners of all abilities so you'll soon slot into one of the groups. Also, they'll advise you about such things as local running shops and what type of shoes to wear.
Good luck with your training. At age 55 it took me five months starting from scratch to running my first 10K - a very hilly one which I completed in 43.09 and finished 165th from 246 starters. You're a heck of a sight younger than me and there's no way you're going to finish last in that Nike 10K with the right determination. Think positive. Aim high.
Cheers!

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Give me the hills!

Welcome Graeme,

Runningfox has beaten me to it....my advice is join a running club!
Aim high but take your time too...don't do too much too soon. Your body needs to readjust. The last thing you want to do is pick up an injury in these early days which then puts you off running.

I need to clear my name........

...and all because Bagpuss referred to entering a Ladies only race many moons ago!!

Exactly Steve. I`m innocent of all charges,and this is all Lyn`s fault.......

Do you know I have been over the original thread and it looks to me that Steve was more into this cross dressing then you Dave and to be quite honest he was giving Lyn (Bagpuss) ideas on what he should wear, so I think we should be laying blame elsewhere...