starting running - how ambitious to be?

[Sweetpeasandcarrots]

I'd like to start running in the street 2 - 3 times a week. I've done no exercise for the last 14 years !! I'm not overweight or unwell. I have a lot of enthusiasm but no experience!

Realistically, how long will it take me to reach a stage where I can run for an hour / hour and a half in one session?

And realistically how long does it take til you can say something really impressive like "I'm training for a half-marathon"? Are we talking years?!

Look up couch to 5k. It's a really good way of starting running.

Once you've done that you can do bridge to 10k and so on.

It'll take 3 months I reckon for you to run 5k quickly and efficiently then progress at your own rate.

Start with couch to 5k and work up from there - theres lots of training plans online for 10k/half marathons once you are confidently running for half an hour.
I started C25K in April 2013, did a 10k in the July, then a half marathon in the September. Doing my first marathon next month, but I've done triathlons, HM, duathlons and 10ks since

This is really encouraging. Thank you so much

It's much better to start slow and build up gradually that go all out and get injured. Make sure you've got proper shoes and a good bra.

Couch to 5k is brilliant. If you get on well with it you could look for a local park run.

Realistically, how long will it take me to reach a stage where I can run for an hour / hour and a half in one session?
people respond at different rates and to different degree's but if you get out and do it regularly and consistently you will improve

I found it helpful to set a goal of a certain location each time, eg to the station, to the park etc, and not focus so much on KM until i felt I was ready. That way, without knowing it, you're already running 2/3/4 km and a 5k becomes easy. Good luck!

dont think about running, just jog slowly

I completed my C25k in the March, ran all of an 8.5 mile run in the June and a half marathon in the October!

Once you've cracked half an hour, stamina improves quite quickly.

2.5 years since I started the C25k and I'm still improving on things like varying my pace. My second HM a year after the first was much easier than the first.

I finished c25k a year ago, followed by parkrun a most weekends and a couple of 10ks last year. I'm training for a half marathon next month now. I'm not a natural athlete at all and am still pretty slow but I absolutely love running.

C25k worked very well for me, I think the gradual build up was very good mentally and physically. Good luck!

I work it out that...
If you started out running 0.25 miles as maximum in one go, and increased 10% per week (which is a common guideline), then it will take 36-39 weeks (8-9 months) of building up to get to about 6-8 miles in one single run, which is about 1-1.5 hours of running, depending how amazeballs fast you are.

I started c25k just before Christmas, having done no exercise since having dc2 by c section in sept. I was persuaded into entering a half marathon and am now 3 weeks away from it I've found it incredible how quickly I've improved once I got to the 5k mark, have run 20k a couple of times in training and although I'm struggling with my knees a bit on the really long runs I'm now at the point where 10k seems easy! And I never thought id say that! So ime it can come pretty quickly!