How I did it: I ran with a friend. We ran at a nearby park 3-4 days a week. When we started out, we ran 3 miles. Soon 4 miles became our average. The longer you do it, it'll naturally get easier. Just keep doing it.  When the weather doesn't cooperate with your outdoor activities, as happens so often here in seattle, you should be running on a treadmill.

I think 10 min/mile or 11 min/mile is fast enough. In my humble opinion, endurance is better than speed. I'd rather be able to run a half marathon at a 10 min/mile pace than run a 5K at a 6 min/mile pace. It's more interesting.

Lessons & tips:

• Having someone to exercise with is priceless. You can keep each other accountable by scheduling time to run together.
• Time yourself - get a digital watch and use the stop watch on it.
• Walk when you need to, but try to make yourself run the entire course.
• Stay hydrated. Drink water throughout the day
• Don't eat 2 hours before running
• Listen to uptempo music - it helps you run faster

Resources: Runkeeper is a great mobile app. I use it on my android mobile.
DailyBurn is a great site for tracking your overall fitness

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Dec 29, 2011, 01:47PM PST | 1 comment | 6 cheers