Hi my name is Chris and I am a fitness professional and personal trainer I am 24. I have studied fitness and sport and exercise science as well as running a personal training business for about 5 years. One of the best pieces of advice I can give is DO NOT FORCE IT, just take it one small step at a time especially over the age of 50. Set tiny day by day goals and don't overdo it.

At 52 you are still fairly young and have a lot of time left in which you can run at a pretty high level, I have a friend who is 68 and runs all the time in 10k, half marathon and occasional marathon and shows no signs of slowing down. I read a story about another guy who started lifting weights at the age of 79 and was bench pressing 450lbs by the age of 84, WOW, I am a strong man in my early twenties but never have been able to do that.

The good news is that one of the last things to disappear as you get older is your endurance and with dedication and consistency (and by consistency I mean do some form of training almost everyday even when you don't feel like it) you could eventually get times not far off what some people can get in their late teens.

One programme I have used for my clients with great effectiveness is the walk-jog programme. This programme is basically self explanatory, you go for a long walk and add in short periods of jogging even if it's 30 seconds and then continue walking and do this at least 8-10 times during your walk. As you progress, aim to jog longer in these periods and increase the distance covered and try to do it in the same amount of time, eventually you should be able to jog the whole way. Once you get to this level aim to increase either speed or distance each time by tiny increments and over time you will find yourself at a great level of fitness and it will seem like you haven't even stuggled too much (provided you don't get impatient).

As for the weight loss this will automatically happen if you eat the right foods and keep your caloric intake to lower levels than what you will use and that way the weight can't help but come off. The basic rule of weight loss or gain is as simple as energy in vs energy out. I hope I have been of some assistance.

Cheers, Chris.

Thanks Chris for the info and training advice...
I have already started the walk / jog regime although I am going through the aches and pains stage...I can see a gradual improvement.
Thanks again and keep up the good work
Flossy

if you wish to apply for the london marathon, the easiest way is to contact the charity you wish to raise money for, as they will probably already do sponsorships for that activity. For instance last year i did an abseil for the royal national institute for the blind and have since found that they have many sponsor based activities including the london marathon.

I like the comments that I read about how to start your process of running and allowing time to let your body build endurance. I have now been running for 5 months and would like to share my observations with you hoping that the few things that I have lesrned may help...
Fisrt I would like to say that at twenty six years old I started running really for the first time and was up to 10 miles a run in 60 minutes four days a week...those record body responses are over now.
This time I have been training for 5 months and am up to twenty miles a week, adding a maximum of 10% of mileage per week, depending on how I am really feeling and doing (how many days it takes to feel OK again). I have a terrible back from injuries and have had to learn to isolate the twisting at the waist with isometric stabalization. This inhibits my stride but is helping my overall strength and endurance.
I started out just walking at 3 MPH on a tread mill and would increase the incline up 2% to 10% until I was sucking wind and then I would zero the incline tell I could really recover.
Over 10 weeks time I moved to a rate of 5 MPH as the fastest (12 minute miles rate) rolling incline up and down. My long workout once a week was for 90 minutes after this time and regular work outs were 30 to 45 minutes as time permitted.
My total long distance for 90 minutes was 6 miles at this time, a pace of 15 minute miles average...not impressive but much improved from my staring point.
After burning up the tread mill, a personal triumph, I hit the road running with my lumbering lightning. I set out a three mile run with natural incline and decline and a little flat area. I like to start the run with a flat or little down hill to to loosen up and get the legs to move and then see the uphill as an added challenge after just moving is overcome. One day of running, one or two days or rest seems to work for me...if I am really hurting I just give myself a little time to heal. An injury from abuse will end the real victory. I know this will hurt and I will need to push on but I can certainly tell the difference from aches and pains and a real need of another day to recover.
Fourteen weeks into getting of my butt, my personal best was 5 miles non stop in 60 minutes (12 minute miles average). Not even on the map for world record but a real personal achievment from the previous 15 minute miles).
Now 5 months in to my running I am running 7.5 miles non stop in 75 minutes which is 10 minute miles average...again a personal best achievement for this time in my life.
I just read two things that have helped immensely and will try to elaborate. Agreeing with the trainer that said to walk and then jog and then walk again. I have been running my 10 minute/ mile pace and then I open up a slow rise in my pace steadily to about 90% all out until my wind just won't let me do it and then I go to my 10 minute per mile pace until I recover. I have been doing this the last few weeks in my under 4 mile short runs and I can do about up to ten sprints with recovery before I am exhausted.
The hope in this and my personal goal for the next 7 months is to be able to run 10 miles in 80 minutes (8 minute miles average). I said that my back is really messed up and to continue with that topic...I have found that for me the running is slowly strengthening my stomach girdle and I am just now starting to allow a very small pelvic twist which is increasing my stride length. In essence, I go further with really almost the same effort, which should affect my minutes per mile average.
My long term goal is to run a marathon in the next year and a half or two years. Trying to run to far and building to fast may indeed take you or myself out of the race short or even long term. I don't care to compete with others for now...I have myself to compete with and that is enough.
I have lost about 26 pounds which I think is about 1.5 stone or so. I haven't gone on a diet or really been concerned about the weight loss, it is a natural benefit of exercise and a pound a week is really a healthy loss. I have about another 10 to 15 pounds to loose to be at my fighting weight, so to speak, I still am just going to let that happen without forcing the issue.
I am now 210 pounds and still 6' 3" tall, 195 pound will be thin for me.
Last but not least, my daughter is a ballet dancer and becoming quite beautiful in the art. If you think that a runner gets shin splints then you don't know what they go through. I read from a running magazine how to get rid of them and before I tried their way I talked to my daughter about the process. Here is the real magic exercise to run shin splint free. Your calf muscle is growing stronger and is outpacing the strength of the muscle on the front of your leg.
Lift your toes toward your knees as high as you can and then relax them or point your toes away...repeat straining a good lift toward your knees...repeat for as long as you can...30 to 50 seconds will seen like eternity at first. Do this exercise twice a day and try to get to a point that you can do it for three minutes per time. I am still not at three minutes but I am running shin splint free even on the pavement!
Hope this is helpful information...
best regards, may the Lord bless you in Him,
ddrmast