How to start running: put on your rat-iest shirt

Anyone familiar with dieting knows the high that people get just from the thought of starting a diet tomorrow. The notion that you will do something good for yourself tomorrow alone makes you feel good at least for a day.

However that same mentality is detrimental to running. Thinking that you will start running tomorrow may send you on a shopping spree. (Don't have a shopping addiction like I do? Skip to the next paragraph) Do not run out (no pun intended) and buy yourself some new running gear. Most importantly don't buy new running shoes. There's probably an old pair kicking around your house somewhere and if you use those you're most likely to find them comfortable enough to run in. Same for a t-shirt and bra (or no bra - if you happen to be of the male variety). Pull out those old shorts that you feel most comfortable lounging around in on Saturday afternoons in front of the tv. Why? Because these are precisely the clothes that you will feel most comfortable in around your neighbourhood. New shoes may or may not be the right fit.

Secondly, start slow. No one told me this, so in the past I would triumphantly leave the house at full sprint, dressed in my finest new work out threads and halfway down the block I'd be huffing and puffing, lungs burning, already giving up, wondering what went wrong. Now I never do that. The first time MSH joined me for a run (six months after I had started running) he was surprised at my super slow pace. I said "What do you want? We're warming up." Really, my non-warm-up pace isn't too much faster. Running is defined as having both feet off the ground at some point. As long as you're meeting that requirement you're running. You don't have to beat any records. (And, trust me, at first you won't, even if you try. No offense.) I started running on the treadmill at 3.9 MPH - you can walk at that pace, but I didn't want to walk, I wanted to run.

So here's your plan for starting to run:

Week 1: 3 minute warm-up at 3 MPH, Run at 3.9 MPH for 20 minutes, Cool down for 4 minutes at 3 MPH

Week 2: 3 minute warm-up at 3 MPH, Run at 4.1 MPH for 20 minutes, Cool down for 4 minutes at 3 MPH

Week 3: 3 minute warm-up at 3.5 MPH, Run at 4.4 MPH for 20 minutes, Cool down for 4 minutes at 3 MPH

Week 4: 3 minute warm-up at 3.5 MPH, Run at 5 MPH for 20 minutes, Cool down for 4 minutes at 3 MPH

Guess what? You're now a runner. Really. That is all it takes. You can take it from here. Trust me.