Today is the day

"If you run, you are a runner. It doesn't matter how fast or how far ... no membership card to get. You just run." -- John Bingham


  1. Start out small.  Don’t take on too much mileage or too fast too soon because more than likely that will lead to injuries.  


  1. Schedule in runs & make exercise a priority.  Too many times, I hear, “I don’t know how you find the time?” or “I don’t have the time.”  Honestly, in the beginning, I didn’t think I had the time either.  It wasn’t easy finding that time either.  I seriously had to write it on the calendar on the days I was going to exercise.  Now I just know I’m going to do some type of exercise each day.


  1. Listen to your body.   Your body will tell me if it’s tired and needs a rest day.  Recovery is just as important to the training as the running part is. 


  1. Shoes.  Visit your local running store and get fitted.  In Maine, we have Maine Running Company and met many knowledgable folks there who know shoes.  Some places may even have a guarantee with the shoes.  I know Maine Running Company has a 21 day no questions asked guarantee. 
 
  1. Run with a buddy.  Last year, Stacy and I started running together on the weekends.  Then we invited Jill and Jess to run with us.  The four of us ran together 1 day/week all winter long through snow, ice, and sub-zero temps.  I am honest when I say I would not survived a Maine winter running outside if it weren’t for these girls.   We must have a good thing going right now because Kim and Carrie have joined us as well. 






  1. Log your runs.  Seeing the miles pile up is motivational. There are many methods to choose such as writing your daily mileage on a calendar, in a journal, or you can head online to track your runs.  There are many online programs to choose from.  I have played around with a few of them and have settled on logyourrun.com.  Check them out, play with a couple at a time and make your decision.  Use what works for you.  I love to measure my weekly, monthly and yearly mileage and compare each month or year to each other. 


  1. Start NOW!  What are you waiting for?  Don’t put it off or you’ll never start.  

Comments

  1. I love your tips!

    Long runs are extremely motivational, I can't wait to start training again so that I can log runs that are above 4 miles at a time.

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  2. This is awesome, great tips! I have to agree that I used to have a hard time finding time to workout and now I do it every day without thinking twice :-)

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  3. Great tips! And I agree about logging your miles. It is really good motivation. And it's so nice that you have good friends to run with. It makes a big difference. My partner is currently 8 months pregnant and isn't doing much in the running department. I can't wait till she's back!

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  4. Great tips! I have told beginning runners the exact same things - especially #s 1, 4, and 6!! Too often I see beginners sign up for a long race (half or full marathon) and after 4 weeks or so, they are injured and wondering why they can't maintain the mileage the training plan says they should be doing.
    I still log my miles - it is extremely motivating and it holds me accountable!!

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  5. Great tips! I think #1 is especially key. I've heard a lot of people say they tried running and got hurt so they can't do it. Turns out they tried to run something like 5 miles a day, every day, right from the start...

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