Rookie Runners - share pains and gains

Well, hello to all. I have not been around for a while, bit busy with a few other things but have decided to visit more regularly.

I have just started my running schedule again after having a bad bout of flu. It was a bad 2 weeks as I had just started getting really fit and now it feels as if I haven't been running for a year, but that is part of the pains and gains of being a Rookie Runner.

Well, I have also made the worst mistake by not doing my stretching and have decided that it has to be a golden rule. I normally run for about 1 Km and then do my stretching as I find that my muscles are nice and warm carry on and a further 3 Km do the last bit of stretching. I find that by doing it this way my stretching becomes easier and I break the first part of my running schedule.

Please share your pains and gains of your running experiences with us and we can all learn from them.