Shit. First run for 6 months and I've realised how unfit I am.

[Freddorika]

As per title.

Got quite happy with running 5k last year, then stopped at the end of the summer for various reasons.

Anyway, I've put on weight so dusted off the trainers and went back out there yesterday. My local park has a 3k run route. Annoyingly it has a REALLY steep hill about 500m in.

Could only manage half the hill and that felt really difficult. Walked the rest of the hill. Ran the rest very slowly. Literally 8minutes per km.

I felt TERRIBLE at the end, with a chesty cough that hasn't gone even today (I never get coughs!). Also my quads are agony

Any advice?

Repeat whatever it was that you did last year to get yourself up to 5k and lower your expectations of what you can achieve at this current level of fitness. You'll get there again in no time!

Yes I clearly need to cut right back. Maybe couch to 5k although I find that quite frustrating. I wanted to do a park run, its depressing to think I am not fit enough for that.

Just stick with it, every run you get under your belt will bring you closer to your former level of fitness. The first is always the worst, especially when it comes to aching muscles the next day!

And actually, you did just manage a 3k run including 250m of steep hill! So that's a pretty good effort for the first run in 6 months.

It's not about speed it's about getting out there I would keep doing the same run and walk if need be but you will get quicker

Thanks. I've scared myself a bit. I might do a combination of run walk (giving myself permission to walk at certain places IYSWIM) but keep doing the same route. Its a useful run with marker points and on the way home from work!

Warm up before you start, and stretch after. Try running in the morning when you have more energy rather than in the evening.

Definitely experiment with times of day. Weirdly, I find I have most energy in the evenings if I have been at work all day....maybe just the relief at being outside instead of cooped up in an office!

You did really well though, you'll be back up to 5k in no time if you just keep at it.

I had to take 3 months off with a sprained ankle and just started training from scratch again. Frustrating when the mind says yes and the body says no, but at least you know you can do it if you train.

C25K is much quicker if you've done it before. I've had to go back three times after long layoffs and each time it only takes a couple of weeks of regular 3x a week runs to be back at 5k.

Keep going. I had a year off running (was reasonable fit before, 10K races and such but not particularly fast) when I had DS, due to pelvic issues in the pregnancy and then obviously didn't go back straight away after the birth. I went back to running in September 2015 and was pretty much doing your 8m km pace at first. i struggled to even to 4km and was very depressed about it.

I kept at it though and entered some races for the following year to give me an aim. I aimed to just run three times a week, one parkrun, one short 'fast' (for me) run and one slightly longer, slower run. By May 2016 I was running 10k in 50 minutes and 5k in 24, without much bother. Not superfast I know, but a real improvement for me personally. I'm pregnant again now and having a break from running again, but the baby is due in 5 weeks and all being well I am aiming to do my first 10k race in November.

So, advice? Keep at it. You have taken the hardest step already. Go to parkrun if there is a local one, it's fun and let's you see your progress accross the same course. Aim for 3 runs a week and vary it - speed, distance and hills will all help you develop different 'skills'. Enter a race that's a challenge for you, so maybe 10k if youre used to 5k? That really gives you somethint to aim for. Try all that and I guarantee you will see an improvement and I bet it happens quicker than you think.