I was very self conscious to start with - wobbly bits, beetroot face, and sounding like a steam train. My heart sunk when I had to go past the teanage hangout (the choice is the underpass or cross the duel carrageway), but I've never had a comment from them.
The comments I have had have ALL been positive - either that looks like hard work from walkers desperate to do what I'm doing, or other runners who know what its like to start at the beginning givign me smiles or thumbs up.
YOU might know you've only done 2km, and some of it was walking, but they don't know that your not running the last few m of a marathon, or walking to cool down after a marathon. They are just in awe you can pull on some trainers and run any distance!
The stop start can be difficult, but if you really are starting from the couch, it needs working though to get to the fitness levels required to do the 20+ mins of running.
Do you listen to anything when you run? Most people seem to have music, but there is someone who listened to comedy podcasts, iirc. Audio books may be an alternative?
Dutchess My legs can keep going, but my lungs give up (which is suprising, because lung function tests at work show I have above average lung capacity). I sometimes run with a mate from work whose legs give out but breathing is fine. He is most miffed after crossing the roundabout (which involves stopping usually, so my breathing recovers) that i can put on a burst of speed for the last 100m up hill to work - his legs don't recover as fast, but he can usually keep going longer than me.