Built for running?

Sports Day... a long time ago. 

 In my younger days (who am I kidding? I'm only just 22)
In my less lazy days I actually used to do sport.

 Zoom Terra Kiger Woman's Trail Running Shoe - £110
Would be hard to miss wearing a pair of these!

 It may have been a result of being at boarding school and therefore not having much else to do but I used to play (and enjoy) hockey, lacrosse, rounders, and netball as well as take part in the compulsory athletics of the summer term, and various charity/ competitive runs. Although the latter was just so you could get your hands on the '10k tshirt' to wear around House with pride.
As well as this I also attended pilates, dance and circuits classes from time to time, put in a few hours at the gym every so often, and maybe on one or two occasions even went for a morning swim.
All in all I was kept pretty fit and trim, and its only now post-University& post compulsory games that I realise just how important this was for me and my body.

LunarGlide 5 Shield Women's Running Shoe
Has reflective panels on - safety first!

Although not overweight, (yet) without any kind of enforced fitness my body has unfortunately been steadily piling on the pounds, not unnoticed, but not necessarily dealt with - until now.
At 1 and a half stone heavier than what I used to be in my prime I think it's high time that I took my hand out of the biscuit tin, shoved myself off the sofa, and take up an activity to try and get me back in shape.

As a child I was fairly athletic (2nd place for Girl's Champion, 1st place medal winner for High Jump at school *cough cough*) and my Dad had great pride in telling me that my (then) scrawny physique was 'built for running, if I'd only give it a go', but a disastrous inter-school cross country championship run at prep school soon put paid to those ambitions, and I flatly refused to run for anything more than a bus. In my defence for that competition I didn't actually understand what cross country was, I was fresh out of a primary school where P.E consisted of being released into a field for half an hour and I was suddenly told that I had been 'running well', bundled into my tracksuit and driven in a minibus with the other poor souls who had been selected to the track.
I remember thinking it would just be a run around a large field and tore off, only to horrifically realise that the other runners all started to go up a large hill after they had gone round the field.
I can still remember this horror, no wonder I was put off running.

Anyway, roughly about 12 years later I'm back, and actually excited to get going. I've been reading lots of running blogs to inspire me, and have been doing my research into kit, courses and tips.

Possibly my favourite - the Wildhorse Women's Running Shoe

I'll be going to get my gait analysed tomorrow to find the best pair of trainers to fit my 'running style' ad therefore hopefully sort out the pains I get in my shins while doing any form of high impact exercises; although I've included pics of some 'pretty' Nike trainers that I'm hoping I'll get paired up with, as well as tangling with some sports bras and running leggings.

If I spend enough money getting appropriately suited and booted then I'm hoping I'll keep running out of guilt - this was an actual tip that I read on the internet and I intend to follow it to the very letter.

I'll keep you updated on how I get on - but please feel free to bombard me with abuse if I don't keep it up! I think guilt is definitely going to be my main motivation to keep it going, but if I'm honest I am rather looking forward to reaching that point where I look forward to going for my run, and start crushing goals and feeling confident to enter races.
Maybe all those years ago my Dad was right (as he was about nearly everything) and I am 'built for running'. We'll see.

T x

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