Welcome if you're a beginner
You probably have a reason why 
you want to run. For some its weight loss, for others just keeing fit and for others it's good to have a challenge and enjoy the company of the group. Whatever your reason if you've never run before you'll be doing a couple of miles before you can know it. All it takes is a good pair of running shoes and effort. The effort is the hard part, especially if you run on your own. That's where we come in.... if you want to run, the motivation is easier if you know there are other people running with
you. Chorlton Runners meet regularly on Sunday mornings (at 09:00am at Chorlton Water park). And there are regular runs around the region on Tuesdays and other days...people often just drop a note onto the facebook page and buddy up with other members - that's what it's all about.
If you are new to running then please fill in the Registration Form
This is a programme, that is part of 'Active Lifestyles' that slowly takes people from walking to running
So what advice can we give?
The whole point is that if you want to start running you won't be sprinting a mile, not yet anyway. The trick is to build up your stamina and leg muscles. If you have been inactive for a while, then you will probably be refreshing some parts of your body that haven't been active for a while!
If you want a HEALTHY LIFESTYLE you can either sit and dream about it or put in a tiny, tiny bit of effort and get there!!
First of all, run at your own pace, it doesn't matter what anyone else is doing.
Run as if no one is watching, if you get hung up about other people then
you'll spend more time concerned with the wrong thing.
If you feel tired, walk for abit then run again, then walk, or speed walk.
Here are 4 common mistakes you might make if you are new to running:
DON'T Try to run continuously for more than a half mile (you should have run 1-2 minutes and walk 2 minute)
DON'T Start out each run too quickly -
DON'T Tell yourself before each run that you are going to feel bad (you should always forecast a fun, easy run)
DON'T Try to exercise when blood sugar and motivation is low (you should should have eaten something light first, about an hour beforehand)
DON'T rush it!
Try out our beginners programme through the link on the left.
New runners often try to run too far or too fast at first. This is particularly true if you join a running club and feel you should be keeping pace with more experienced runners. The key to running is to push yourself, but not so hard that you become injured or ill.
If you are new to running - even if you are physically fit - you should walk/slow jog for the first few weeks. Although this may sound boring, there is statistically a very good chance of becoming injured in your third week of running if you do not begin with a period of walking. It takes time for your joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones to get used to the impact and mechanics of running. Your overall fitness tends to increase before your body has fully adapted, and that is when you get injured. Use the first three weeks of walking/slow jogging to get into the habit of exercise, and adjust your daily routine, and let your body get a head start on adapting to running.
Remember the talk test
When you are training, you should be able to maintain a conversation, talking in complete sentences. If you are too out of breath to do this, you are training too fast.
Rest is just as important a part of your training programme as running. Your fitness and strength do not improve while you are running. They improve while you are resting, as your body responds to the stresses it has experienced. . When you start running, you should not run more than every other day. As you get more experienced, you should take a day off each week
Keep at it for at least 4 weeks
For many runners, the first 3-4 weeks are a real struggle. Every time you put on your running shoes, you wonder why you are doing it. But one day, after about 3 weeks, you will suddenly feel the wind at your back, and you will run easily and smoothly without effort. Running will get easier from then on, and the good days will increase while the hard days recede. Enjoy it: you have become a runner...a ‘Chorlton Runner!’