How I did it: In my life I have never been any good at sports. I never enjoyed them much and so I never did any sports. Luckily I live healthily overall so I hadn't turned into a complete slob. But these last years (I'm in my early thirties) I noticed I was gaining weight, feeling tired and negative and I wasn't at all happy with how I looked and felt.

I decided I needed to take to sports to try and turn the tide. It's a bit of a thirty-something cliché, I know, but that's what life can be at times. Of all the sporting activities I could think of, running seemed like the easiest to achieve and get into.

At first I bought some good running shoes and I ran a short distance that same day. It felt okay, but somehow It didn't take. I let my shoes rot away for almost a full year.

I picked the habit up again when autumn hit and this time I enjoyed it better. I needed the support of another runner to remain active. But noticed soon enough that running alone could be fun as well. Running with someone else made me feel less silly, but running alone let me set my own pace and route. I found out that running on my own was how I wanted to build my endurance, speed and distance.

I bought some gear, a jacket and pants, to help me during the winter days and an Ipod to track my progress. I consciously put a lot of money into the sport, to make sure that to quit running would feel like a waste of money.

Using the Ipod I put myself on a coaching program to build strength and endurance and I now run 5k distances every time I go out.

I've also learned to love running for the activity itself instead of the statistics. At the moment I would never want to give it up. It's a great way to get active and enjoy a healthy life.

Lessons & tips:
Prepare:
- Buy good gear. Bad shoes will not help you improve and make running a pain.
- Be prepared to run on cold days, hot days, rainy days.
- Find a coaching program that challenges you, but don't push too hard early on.
- Find a rhythm. Try and run once every two or three days.
- Do some stretching exercise before and after your run.

Be mindful of how you run:
- Keep your body straight
- Keep your arms close to your body. Clench your fists slightly.
- Breathe, but don't force yourself into a breathing pattern.
- Land ever so slightly on your heels, make the ball of your feet and toes the last thing to touch the ground.
- If you want to train your abs, keep a slight tension.
- Pace yourself, but make a last push if you have the energy.
- If you feel pained, in most areas this is a good thing. But don't run yourself into an injury. If you feel that your knees can't take the impact, walk.

Days you don't run
- Recuperate.
- Plan a distance for the next day. Will you push yourself to run further? Or do you want to recuperate a little more?
- Lead a healthy life.

Resources: - Dedicated running shoes
- Gear to help me pass the cold days.
- A distance and speed tracking system to track my progress.

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Jan 24, 05:13AM PST | 2 comments | 21 cheers