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I was a decent sprinter and triple jumper at school: represented Middlesex in the All-England championships in about 1977 I think, but came seventh. Did a bit of club running, but I never enjoyed it that much and my main leisure activity from my teens to my 40s was playing football - something I enjoyed a lot, but wasn't that good at. All that time I ran, on and off, as a way to keep fit, but never in a structured way, and sometimes with months at a time not running. When the football became too much for my body, I started running more regularly and then, when I was diagnosed with diabetes, I decided I needed to do more. Now I'm a regular Parkrunner and really I'm just aiming to better my 5k time while doing the odd 10k and I think I'll be doing at least one half marathon a year. Marathons? Well, I did the London in 1998 and to be honest I think it's too much like hard work for me. Diabetics also have to attack long runs like that with almost military precision and I really can't be bothered. Part of me is interested in what time I'd do, but I don't think I've got the motivation to do that again.
Hated running at school.
I'd ridden a lot of Cyclo-Cross & Mountain Bike Racing in the early - mid 90's, then packed in for a while around 1999
I started again for a while (just riding, no racing) about 2000, as my weight had crept up to over 12stone! (I'm 5'8")
I lost 3 stone in 3 months!!!, by cutting out ALL the rubbish in my diet, & riding as often as possible
Sadly it ceased again for family reasons a couple of years later
Then come (circa) easter 2007, I decided that I was getting 'lardy' again, as I was about 11 stone 5Ib, so the bike came out again.
I then decided to try Cyclo-Cross again, so bought a Trek MTB.
Needless to say I got 'slaughtered' for the first few races (September onwards)
A proper Cyclo-Cross bike made all the difference though (I used to have a Paul Milnes 653 back in the 90's)......... but............ I was loosing out on the running sections.
So........ I bought some shoes & started.
Initially it was all I could do to 'go around the block', I had absolutely no thoughts of competative running, as my initial goal was to be able to run to work in under 40 minutes (4 miles) without collapsing.
However, as happens, the times dropped from an initial 37 minutes down to (now) an average of 30:15 (with a PB of 28:37 for the run home)
(my weight is now a reasonably constant 9 stone 10Ib - 9 stone 12Ib)
With the newfound confidence, I decided to try a few local runs;
2008
Darrington 5-Miler was my first; 30th/152 @ 36:53
Prince Of Wales Hospice 10K (Pontefract) 80th/268 @ 45:18
'Cyclists verses Harriers' 134th/166 @ 54:16 (ridden)
2009
Wakefield City 10K Road-Race; 255th/1182 @ 44:16
'Cross-Bay Challenge' 51st/237 @1.42:52 (my first, & only - so far, half-marathon!
Penistone Footpath Runners 'Trunce Series' Overall; Vet 40/45 = 29th/238 ('PB' = 32:12)
Bingley Harriers 'Cyclists verses Harriers; 66th/129 @ 48:12 (run it this year!)
Roll on the 2010 Trunces!!!!!!!!!!!!, I want to break 30:00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I started running at 32 when i decided to join the Navy. Quit the fags and of i went hard at first but kept going even entered a 10k race did it in 54.13 min not to bad in 6wks i thought.
Joined a club and ran 4 to 6 times a week. Then joined the Navy, then to busy to run ,started smoking again fittness went to shot, and when i did do sports realised how crap i am at team sports. Regretted stopping running, smoking heavy again. Time to do something about it stopped smoking again on the 23rd of november age 34 and now running 3 to 4 times a week. It was hard at first, who am i kidding still is a struggle but i ran a 10k according to my garmin in 51mins in the snow, so have not lost much fittness in my layoff
Now that we enter 2010 i have 2 goals in mind, do a half and do a sub 40 for the 10, I know i could do the half but it might take me longer to do the sub 40.
good luck to all of you and hope you keep running and acheive your own goals.
I am glad to see other people are getting as much enjoy meant from reading the replies to this thread as I am
Looking at some of the times I can only read in awe and admiration at all off the achievements
And take solace that there’s hope for me yet
Moving steadily to 34" then 36" trousers, then had an MOT at 36 which told me I had high-normal bloodpressure (i.e. on the way up) plus having a stressfull job with hundreds of people to manage. Decided I was really a heartattack waiting to happen.
Went for my first real run in July '08, 1.5 mile @ 10min/mile and it nearly killed me. Did a 47min 1/2 the following March and now do 20mile LSRs with a full marathon in April.
Running de-stresses me, energises me, gives me focus for the day and lets me eat guilt free goodies
Oh and I also discovered crunchy peanut butter thanks to running and this site..........................where had you been all my life!!!!
Like alot on here, I did cross country in school and 1,500 metre races. I was captain of the school cross country team in sixth form and also took part for South Glamorgan Schools in cross country races annually. I did alot of roller-hockey and ice-hockey but never enjoyed running back then.
I had my spells of running once or twice a week (about 4 mile a time) up until 2007 since about 2000. I had my spells as well whereby I didn't run for months and never took it seriously...I just liked timing myself on a route close to where my parents lived!
However, since moving in summer 2003, I gradually put weight on, and ended up close to 16 stone by April last year. Seeing photo's a few weeks after my sisters 18th is what did it. I look at them now and it's motivation in itself to never get like that ever again. I have been running for a club since April last year after a work friend encouraged me to go along! I am now 12 stone (was just under before Christmas) and feel so much better and much more motivated than I was!
Like a fair few of you, I just wish I took it more seriously in my 20's! But in saying that, I don't think I have left it too late either...however, I would say I would have if I was doing something which is reliant on fast twitch muscles as I do feel I have lost a yard of pace over the past 2/3 years! And luckily I feel that is only a minor bonus with longer distance running (i.e. 5K and upwards).
In June last year I did a 10K in 48 minutes...by July in 44"50, March this year was a weird month whereby I did one 10K in 43"08 and then one at the end of the month in 40"46! In hindsight, I feel that I became complacent and started eating thingsI shouldn't again (well to a degree) and ran a few 10K's in about 41 minutes or so over the summer. I felt I had hit a wall in any improvement at this point. However, I feel that I have improved a little again recently and I managed my first sub-40 in a club handicap race recently (39"58) but now it will be good to do this in an official race!
Id say maintaining a healthier weight and getting PB's are the two things that motivate me most with my running!
Some really inspiring stories on here
I hated running at school. In fact, I hated all forms of PE. I was fat and got called names every time I did exercise because I went bright red. My parents regularly used to drag me & my bro up mountains on holidays to the Lakes, Wales & Scotland, so even though I was fat, I was reasonably fit and eventually grew up to enjoy walking. I did my Duke of Edinburgh Award and then went to Uni and lost all interest in walking due to a boyfriend who hated it and didn't want me doing anything without him. I became lazy and even fatter.
One day, whilst sitting in the Students Union with a hot chocolate and a cookie, moaning at my friend at how fat I was, she said "well why don't you stop moaning and do something about it then?". So I did. We went to the gym in between lectures at least 3 times a week and I lost 3 stone over the course of about 18 months. I also dumped my boyfriend and met a much nicer guy who was happy for me to do whatever I was interested in. My gym program included 20 minutes on the running machine, which I always enjoyed, but I never thought anything of it.
Since Uni (7 years ago now) I have kept up the gymming because I enjoy it. However, this time last year I decided that I was bored of gymming and wanted something else. I saw the Race for Life series and decided to sign up for a local 5k which would be in June 2009. I went onto the website and saw that they were doing a 10k on the same day, so I decided to push myself and signed up for that instead.
My first goal was to run the whole way around without stopping. I started running around a 2.94 mile loop of a reservoir. The day I managed to make it all the way around was momentous! I then started going 2/3 of the way around, then back again and eventually did 2 loops. After that, I ventured out onto the footpaths and roads near where I lived and before I knew it, I was up to 10k. My pace was getting quicker, so I decided that I wanted to do it in less than an hour and set that as my new target.
My RFL was still a few months off, so I decided to join a running club. They are such a friendly, encouraging group of people who have become friends as well as running partners and mentors. Since then, I really haven't looked back. I grew impatient waiting for my RFL to come around and raced a league race 10k first. Lining up with all those seasoned runners was terrifying, but I came in at 54:01 and my self belief went through the roof. I was soon signed up for a half marathon in October 2009.
..........
I aced my RFL and raised lots of money for Cancer Research. I ran my Half Marathon with a stinking cold and managed to get sub-2 hours, which is what I really wanted. I've also completed several league races and a few cross country events. I ran my second half marathon a few weeks ago and got sub-1:55, which was another massive milestone for me, then I did a handicap race on Boxing Day and did a PB for my 6 mile distance. It just keeps getting better and better and I LOVE it!!!
I love the way that running makes me feel. My head is completely clear when I'm running. All the stresses of work drain away and I'm left alone chugging along with my silly random thoughts. Getting back from a run and thinking "wow, I've just done x miles" is also very satisfying. I'm not a competitive person at all, except for when it's competing against myself. I love getting a PB because it means that everything I'm doing is helping me get quicker and better at running.
My name was drawn from the hat at our Running Club's Christmas bash and I am now entered for my first Marathon, the big VLM in 2010. Training starts in January and I have my program all written out. Quite looking forward to it all. I just hope that I'm up to it. My goal is sub 4:30, but in all honesty I just want to run the whole way and ENJOY myself.
Sorry about the waffle. I didn't mean to write this much
Thanks
Am happy with my times, which is all that matters to me. I keep improving and I'm enjoying it. Couldn't ask for much more really. I just hope that I can come back and say I'm still doing it when I'm 55!! 
I ran x-country at school and was fairly good, but received no encouragement - it was a traditional grammar school and very focused on rugby and cricket.
At uni discovered many more interesting diversions, though did still run occasionally. This gradually become more sporadic - would run once or twice a week for a few months then not run again for a year. I still enjoyed running, I always found it cleared my head, and was fortunate to be able to just take it up again without any difficulties.
The 'head-clearing' properties of running suddenly became more important just over 3 years ago when I found out my wife was f***ing our neighbour, a good friend of mine. Started running more often, eventually entering races and joining a running club. Am now happily divorced but still enjoy running as often as I can.
Like others I wish I'd run properly when I was younger - the people I know who are my age/speed and have always run did respectable times in their 20s.