Let me break it down for you…

Overload and Injury

Its great seeing people get out and active but a common mistake when taking up a new form of exercises is that we go bull at a gate without thinking about our current physical abilities/fitness level and this more often than not results in injury. ⠀⠀

So what I propose is slowly and incrementally increasing our duration and then intensity of training to avoid the injuries that will sideline you from your newfound hobby. Something like the couch to 5km is a great example of a progressive training program, incorporating periods of walking and running in order to slowly build the fitness base to complete a 5km run i.e. walk for 4 minutes/run for 2 minutes up to half an hour 2-3 times per week, then increase by 10%. Once you can do the time (duration) increase the intensity. Incorporating a strength program is also great to get the appropriate muscles engaged for that given exercise.

Recovery is also important, not just for elite athletes but the hobby runner also. Why? Because you need to let your muscles adapt to this new load, otherwise it will end in overload and injury.

This may be achieved by having a rest day, doing your strength program on an alternate day to a run day, incorporating some stretching into your regime, getting a good nights sleep, adding in a walk instead of a run or eating protein rich foods to encourage muscle recovery. ⠀⠀
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Its also great when you mix it up a bit. How about trying some Pilates, Yoga or resistance training to keep you on your toes!
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With this in mind I hope this helps you to get the most out of your training/hobby and avoid injury. ⠀⠀