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Right, As motivation to get fit i have given myself the task of running the swindon half marathon in september (yes i need that long) but does anyone have any tips for me, or any advice, i've looked at various sites and got some from there but some first have advice from people who know what they are talking abuot would be great.
Also where can i get a decent pair of shoes from in swindon for a good price

If you get fit, will you change your username to Slims?

For footwear get yourself to The Big Adventure Store in Westmead. They'll do a little assesment and find out what type of shoe is best for you.

I got mine for jjb for about £40 2 years ago and they're still doing me good today. You get what you pay for really

Get prepared for lots of hills. And also, if your going to start training now you need to be really motivated. 6 months is a long time. A running partner would help and err, other than that theres not really alot else to say. Build your distances up gradually and have fun

can only echo what other people have said.

Shoes, Shoes & Shoes!!

build yourself up slowly. also if you do start training and then decide to play football dont be surprised if the football kills you. if you train your body to go at a steady speed for long distances the sprinting will be agony.

i'm half tempted to do this again. i cant remember if I ran 2004 or 2005 I think it was 2004.

I played football the same evening, hardcore

Apparently, there is a running shop near the tunnel through to Wood Street in Old Town that analyse your running style and recommend the right trainers

Be careful. More people die doing half marathons that full ones.

As Lucien said. Make sure you go to a decent running shop. Otherwise you could cause yourself an injury.

And warm up properly. I started running last year and after a few runs was getting on fine, but then one day it was freezing and so i ran without any stretching/warming up, and although i got on fine that day, i had a bad foot for about a month afterwards, was limping for ages. So don't forgo the warm up whatever the weather.

Running is bad for you. I smoke which all the so-called medical experts harp on about how bad it is for you, but do I cough when I smoke? No, I do not. Yet a few yards of running and I'm doubled up with my lungs trying to self-eject from my body. Stay safe, don't run.

I did a half marathon this morning..left over from easter it was...i tend to agree with Paul on this,running ist great for you,we wernt programed to run or else it wuldnt hurt when we did run.
Good luck if you do it,my advice would be to get used to drinking lots of water before the marathon,while training etc cos on the day of the actual event you will drink loads.

Exactly. Find out what you need from a proper running shop then order cheaper of the internet if they can't price match it!

Secondly find a proper program and follow it. Don't do too much too soon. A few years ago I started a beginners program leading up to a marathon. It seemed to have a good mix of types of running, interval, hill, long run, recovery run. I got up to about 8 miles before I got my London Marathon rejection letter and injured myself playing footy. It's been downhill since.

Thirdly, if you can find a running partner even better. Motivation can be hard to come by when it's pissing down outside and you have to get up at 6am for a run. But you can't let your partner down can you?!

Also do it 3 or 4 miles stages. Don't go straight into a 10 or so mile run. The key element is to pace yourself.

Is that as you are running out of the shop with the trainers under your arm?

I don't think I would manage 10 miles straight away, or after training  :eek:

Most training plans involve a few runs during the week and a long run at the weekend.  If you're training for a half marathon, you'll want to have built the distance of your weekend long run to 10 or 11 miles by 3 weeks before the half marathon, and then taper down (ie decrease the length and frequency of your runs) in the final weeks.

When building up to the 10 or 11 mile stage for the long run, I would start at 2 or 3 miles if you are truly unfit and Chubby - and increase the length of the long run by no more than ½ mile each weekend.  (A general rule for long runs in marathon training plans is that you should increase by no more than 1 mile or 10% each week, which ever is the shorter.)  As long as you don't have any serious health problems, you should have very little trouble being ready in time for September...so don't rush it.  If you remember nothing else (and I speak from personal experience), do not be tempted to rush your training - because that will be the quickest way to an injury.  You can be as fit as you like, but if you pick up a nasty Achilles injury 4 weeks before the race, you're screwed.

Its a pity your not a girl! - Im rubbish at running so Ive just started a ten week course with the womens running network - it means I can run in a group and build up my stamnia slowly