Sticky: Introductions!

[matt]

Hi all, and welcome to the Get Running forums!

This topic is where you can come say "hi" and tell us a bit about yourself. If you want to ask a question about running, you might be better off posting that separately, as its own topic. Everyone on the board here is quite friendly, so feel free to ask away!

Anyway. I should start the introductions. I'm Matt, and I handle the web stuff for Get Running. I went through the Couch to 5K with Get Running, and I've been running ever since. I'm entered in my first race in May, the Bristol 10K. And I'm a bit nervous about it, even though I did 10K in training on Saturday

Anyway. Enough about me! How about you?

EDIT: Since posting this message, I've happily completed the Bristol 10K, and both the Bristol and Bath half marathons, so I'm pretty convinced that Get Running works

[benjohn]

Hi,

I'm Benjohn. I'm currently living in North London with my wife, Misa, and our two sons.

As Matt said, welcome to the forums! Here you'll be able to share your running journey with others who are jogging along the same route with you – all the highs, and the occasional lows.

I developed Get Running last spring ('09). Like a lot of people then, I'd lost my job. After encouragement from friends, I decided I should start writing iPhone software independently. As I wanted to get healthier anyway, I thought my first project might as well take care of both aspirations at the same time!

So how about you? How have you got in to running? Where are you based and where do you run? Where are you at with Get Running, and are you signed up for a race? Let everyone know!

[Timl2k10]

I just finished my first week with Get Running. I tried the couch to 5k before but couldn't figure out a good way to stick to the intervals. I love the gentle encouragement the lady provides, and I think Get Running offers a nice balance between features and simplicity. In a word, it's great! I'm about 40 lbs overweight though so this will be no easy slog. I really hope I stay with it to the end. Right now I get shin splints really bad, I'm hoping that will soon ease up a bit.
BTW, i'm state-side in sunny Florida. The weather is just beautiful. Running becomes a real challenge here in the summer with the tropical humidity.
Feel free to follow my progress on Twitter. I am timl2k8.

[benjohn]

Hi Tim – @getrunningapp is following you on Twitter, so we'll bug you if you don't keep up the good work

Regarding shin splints, the two thoughts I've heard are run on soft ground – grass if possible. Another option is to run on a cross trainer or "elliptical" at the gym. I like getting out doors and seeing the air like you, but maybe you could do some of your runs on one of those.

Really happy to hear you like the program, and if you just keep working through, you'll be fine. Remember you can always run a week more than the suggested three times if you want to.

All the best!

[jspiro]

I'm Jono -- and I live in San Francisco. I'm also in software, and like many of the engineers in the city, I'm also a climber (something about the problem solving technical aspects of it that appeal to us). I was told by numerous people that running makes you a better climber... and so here I am!

[benjohn]

Heh – it's true, I know some other coders that climb, and the three or four times I've given it a go, I've loved it. Wish I had a wall close to hand: I think it is something I could get in to.

[Dawn]

Hey All,

I LOVE this app already and it's just day one! I have hated running all my life. I am very overweight, so although I am active and love cycling running has never been for me really .... but I want to try make myself like it. i want to get fit and my goal is to run a CaniX race with my dogs....if I like it! I was really nervous about starting in case I couldn't even do the first set - but I got up at 6am this morning and started. And today was good...can't wait to go again actually, but i am sticking to the program

Anyway - thanks guys...

Dawn

[benjohn]

Brilliant Dawn! Very well done for getting started, that's the single most important step. I'm really happy that you like the app

[roncg41677]

Hi! My name is Ron. I started running because of the get running app. I tried running in college and hated it. I hated it in high school. But I thought the idea of easing into it made sense. I'm on week 6 now and so is my wife. We absolutely love running now! It's a great stress reliever, one of the few times during the day we actually get to ourselves (with 2 kids), and we look forward to each run. To Tim, I also had bad shin splints, but thy went away around week 2-3. Just don't run if they are hurting while you run. Generally mine hurt for a day after I ran but by the next running day they were manageable.

I'm on my 3rd week of week 6 right now though as I've started getting some bad pain in my foot after running that won't go away. I've actually had to skip today's run because I'm still limping. Not sure what the issue is, but I'm a diabetic and need to be very careful with my feet, so I'm seeing my podiatrist tomorrow.

Well there's my life story. Love the app! I'd really like to participate in a 5k after I'm done with the program. I'd encourage anyone who thinks they'll hate running to give it a try.

BTW, love all the updates! How likely would adding a gps tracker be? I'd love to know how much distance I'm covering on my runs.

[benjohn]

Hi Ron,

It's great to hear that you're enjoying running. I really hoped Get Running would help people who don't think of themselves as runner to start running.

Somehow, running has an elite atmosphere around it. I'm not sure this is much to do with the running community themselves – I think they're warm and welcoming. I think it's more because people try to run (as I have and you have in the past) and find that if they run and run like a runner does, then they feel really terrible, so they figure that runners must be different and they say "well, I'm not a runner then. Oh well".

Also, many companies that are in the sports market do nothing to dispel this idea by focussing on power, speed, bright orange and yellow, energy drinks, reaching your maximum, being the best, not being a looser, and lots of other fantastically macho nonsense.

I think that's all rubbish.

Anyone who can comfortably walk can almost certainly also run quite happily for at least a few kilometres, but they need to build up gently.

I have to keep reminding myself of this: just enjoying something is great, particularly if it's healthy. You can certainly really go for it with running, but I know I'm very unlikely to ever be a great runner, or frankly, even an average runner! I'm happy about that – I'm happy that I can get myself out on a park path and run about through the trees

Regarding GPS – take a look at http://getsatisfaction.com/splendid_thi ... ng_of_runs – after a suggestion there, I've got an idea for adding GPS to Get Running. However, it's unlikely to happen for a while as I have a few other projects that also need attention.