Running: Keeping Fit For Free

As a parent in my early 40s, I've gradually become more and more obsessed with keeping trim, healthy and trying to keep the advancing years at bay.

A proper diet, not too much booze (my biggest vice!) and exercise all helps with the effort, but over the last two years I've been bitten by the running bug and now, every other day (ideally) if I can't get out to run a few miles I get what's known as 'Runners Envy' (watching other runners from my car/house window, wondering what time/ distance they've been pacing at).

This new passion is all the more surprising considering that before two years ago, if you had ever seen me out running it generally meant that something truly awful was about to happen behind me; at no point would I have ever decided to put myself through such a gruelling test of endurance for fun. Actually, 'fun' is a strong word, I still dislike the physical side to running in every sense - if I'm out for a 30 minute jog I spend the majority of the time thinking about stopping/the pointlessness of it all/having a nice drink of water at the end of the run.

But, in its own weird way I relish the sense of achievement when you finish a run. And, that's the catch, because as a fitness regime it's very low maintenance (shorts, t-shirt and running shoes) and off you go. It's something that I enjoy doing on my own - no membership fee, no parking at the gym, no having to talk to other people (my working life is spent talking to people, so the solus nature of the sport is a real godsend). Just me and my own thoughts, working with nature.

And as a sport and fitness regime, running is one of the easiest and most practical ways to get fit; I lost nearly two stone in six months through running alone. It has to be said that I wasn't a big guy to start with, but a regular diet of lager had taken its toll and I had decided I needed to lose the beer belly.

Now, two years in, I'm looking at beating times and trying new routes, courtesy of fantastic free apps such as Strava and Map My Run, which give each runner stats such as distance/time/personal bests via the GPS functionality on your mobile phone. Basically, it times you against other runners out on the same routes without actually haven't to race or meet with them, which is very cool app indeed.

And, being a Ware resident, there are no shortage of places to run routes (or segments, as they're known on Strava). Favourites being anywhere along the river, in the direction of Hertford or Stanstead Abbots, around Tumbling Bay and through town and around The Priory. If you're more daring, there's always the odd local 5 or 10K race to put your name down to, or if you're more sociable than me, join the local running club (such as www.ware-joggers.co.uk and www.hertsandsole.co.uk)

And what do you need? A pair of decent running shoes (Asics are more than adequate if you're running outside and not indoors, from £50 a pair) shorts and a T-shirt (I've gone mad and bought Nike Dryfit shorts and top, bit more expensive, but they do keep you sweat-free and comfortable on longer runs/ summer evenings and mornings). Good local shops to try would be Scotts in Hertford, Go Outdoors in Harlow and The Nike Shop in The Galleria in Hatfield.

So, what are you waiting for! Pull on your shoes, don your sweatband and pound the miles around beautiful Hertfordshire. Trust me, you will feel much better for it.