Running??? I am trying to get in shape.?!

Running??? I am trying to get in shape.?

I recently started running and I have found it hard to increase my endurance. So far I can only run for about a minute, alternating it with walking because I am gasping for air. Should I just push myself for longer, or do weight training or something?
I have no health problems, I am just wondering what some good running habits are. Thanks!

I started running from scratch for a Race for Life event. It took me about 3 weeks to get through the schedule for Week One... It will improve if you give yourself time to adapt. Keep the running/walking routine and you should find you can gradually increase the running and decrease the walking until eventually you can run for 20 to 25 minutes non-stop.

Also, remember its not just the adaptation of your cardio system - your bones and joints have to get used to the impact too. This is the same for people that already have high cardio fitness but take up running.

And when starting out don't run on consecutive days to give your body chance to recover (you can rest, or do something different). Also, make sure you are not running too hard, a mistake many beginners make is to run too fast and wear themselves out too quickly. To increase stamina you need to slow down and you should be able to run longer. Try and heart rate monitor, or you should be able to carry out a conversation whilst running, if you can't then slow down.

When I started I could only run for about 1 minute with a 2 minute walk for about 5 or 6 repeats before I was gasping for breath, but I have since run many half marathons and two full marathons.

You will probably feel just as knackered every time you come back from a run and feel you aren't improving, but then one day you will realise that you have done much more to get to that same level of tiredness, so you have improved.