How soon did you start seeing results from running?

Someone once told me: it takes 3 months to get in shape, 3 weeks to get out of shape. I think it's pretty accurate ;-)

I've been a runner for 3+ years now, and currently training for a half-marathon.

Running will tone up your leg muscles, especially the calves and harmstrings. But it will take a few months for you to see a difference muscle-wise.

I also advise running no more than 5 days a week. It is a difficult, high-impact sport, and is hard on the muscles. To avoid injury, I suggest doing some non-impact crosstraining on the days you do not run (swimming, walking, weights, elliptical trainer, cycling).

Also, do not increase mileage by more than 10% every week - again, to avoid injury.

Running is the best (or one of the best) calorie-burning exercises out there, but to get max benefits, it should be completed with other kinds of exercises.

Just my 2 cents! HTH!

Good luck and keep up the great work!

My husband and I training for half marathons half marathons 3 years ago. We have now done 5 of them and are training for our 6th. I had never ran more than 3 miles before I started training but I found a good training schedule that made reaching the goal of 13.1 miles more obtainable. I didn't really need to lose weight (although I definitely didn't mind and felt better about myself after) but I did end up losing several pounds without even trying while training for the first half marathon and a couple more during the next. With the schedule we were able to run the whole 13.1 miles in about 10 minute miles while carrying on conversation most of the way. We would definitely recommend a training schedule. It increases the distances slowly with a longer run on the weekend and it allows for rest days. They say it is ok to walk some if you need to but complete the whole distance. Here is a link to the website that we used for our training schedule. It also has a schedule for 8k training. The links for the schedules are near the middle to end of the page.

http://www.shamrockmarathon.com/marathon/training.htm

I also recommend signing up for a race of any length. Knowing that we spent money on a race and wanting to be able to run the whole thing without walking really helped to keep us motivated.


BTW after a few weeks of training I really began to feel better about myself and more in shape. I ended up with legs that are more toned and a flatter stomach without really doing any other exercises. Some weight/strength training does help you to tone and burn more calories though. Hope this helps! Good luck!

I've been running for a month and have started to see results already.

My plan:

* Running 3-4 times a week using the C25K podcasts (http://www.nhs.uk/LiveWell/c25k/Pages/couch-to-5k.aspx). I've just started Week 5.

* Eating fewer calories so losing a pound a week at the same time (I'm eating to my BMR - http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/ - and think that 1200 is generally too low for most people).

* Eat back as many exercise calories as I need to stop feeling hungry (some days I eat all of them back, some days none)

* Get other exercise in on some of my days off from running (hiking and Jillian Michaels DVD No More Trouble Zones - great for strength training and getting your arms in shape)

Results after a month:

* Five pounds lost

* One inch off my waist

* Posture much better - noticeably standing up straighter and not slouching as much

* Legs are starting to take shape, getting more defined muscles (weight loss will be explosing what is underneath too)

* Feeling much stronger overall and recovering from exercise faster (the main reason for me doing the running)

* Skin is glowing and really clear

My advice would be - download a C25K programme (Google it for loads of options), do it three times a week, get in some other exercise (preferably strength training with weights) and reduce your calorie intake.

Oh, and come and join our group!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/30-couch-to-5k-running-program-c25k

I'm curious as well. I start week four of a 12 week running for beginners program (which is easier than c25k... sadly I couldn't keep up with c25k) on Tuesday. I'm not necessarily discouraged, but we live in a world of instant gratification, and it's odd that I don't see much of a difference. I know I'm making progress because I was (still kind of am) in horrible shape. I couldn't keep a running/jogging pace for more than around thirty seconds. This next week has me running 1 minute and walking 1 minute for twenty minutes. So far, so good. I haven't had too much of a problem keeping up (it IS difficult, but I push myself)