Write down the reasons why you would like to pick up running. Set out your motivations.

These reasons can change, but there should be more than one reason that will get you started. Your reasons can vary by season, for example I love seeing the Halloween decorations around our neighborhood and typically plan different routes in October to cover more areas. I do a lot of my podcast listening intentionally while running and sometimes I continue my run a little more so I can finish the podcast I am listening to :)

🧠 Making up your mind is 90% of what you need to do when you are adding a new routine to your life, learning a new skill and eventually building a new habit.

🏆 Pick some rewards to celebrate your progress, such as a nice breakfast after a Sunday run. Or getting new running shorts or a new cap after achieving your monthly goals.

Assess your fitness level, so you can make your launch plan.

🚶🏻‍♀️‍➡️Take a short walk at a moderately fast pace (about 1 mile/1.5 km).

Pay attention to your breathing, can you keep your breathing calm? Can you continuously breathe only from your nose or do you need more air and need to breathe from your mouth?

If you have a smart watch check your heart rate and see if it runs too high.

🛑 When it gets uncomfortable, slow down or stop and take some rest to see if your heart rate goes to a normal (comfortable rate) within 2 minutes. If you are comfortable with this practice try running the same distance, if not repeat this walking exercise until you get comfortable.

You should save this guide and customize for yourself.

While making an exercise plan every person has different conditions to take into account, their body, the climate they live in, their work and personal schedules and more.

Never judge yourself if your plans turn out to be more aggressive than you can handle, keep a link to this original guide so you can re-adjust your training.

Don't forget, it is always important to check with your physician on any possible restrictions including spine injuries, allergies, or any other health issue that might be exacerbated by running or outdoors activity.

You will need to be consistent in keeping your running times similar. Consistency creates habits. I suggest following the ‘never skip twice for 30 days’ rule, you can plan on running every other day, or 3 times a day, whatever regularity you plan, never break it twice in a row.

Check your calendar, check the weather in your town, or check the gym schedules near you. Ideally find safe pockets of time that are good for running. I personally prefer running in the morning as it also helps me wake up and clear my mind earlier in the day. There are also less cars on the streets, which makes the air clearer.

I suggest starting with 15-20 minutes running if your fitness levels are at a beginner level, then increasing about 10% periodically either the time or the distance you run, until you reach your time limit (30 minutes a day have been what I could effort typically). Always put your running times on your calendar.

If you plan on running outside (which I would suggest over a treadmill) check the trails and streets around you, so you plan on easy slopes and a safe environment when you are just starting off.

If you plan on using a treadmill (at home or at the gym), again consider the conditions like neighbors and roommates noise tolerance, or check the opening hours and also plan your commute and shower. As much planning as you can do before you start you will find it easier to stick to your plans.

Try to minimize any obstacles that will cause you to change your mind from running.

Another thing I found working for a lot of people is finding running buddies, or joining running clubs. People are more likely to keep a consistent running schedule if they are close to other runners, even if they follow each other online.

Shoes will define almost 80-90% of your running experience. You will want to try a few shoes. I think finding a comfortable shoe is very personal. Usually it is easier to judge their comfort on an actual run. When you find the shoe that takes you further, instead of making you uncomfortable throughout the run, you can stick to that brand. Ideally change shoes at about 500 miles’ use.

When it comes to apps, I find them very similar (I used RunKeeper, Strava and Garmin). It is always fun to have an app to track and maybe even have the ability to share your accomplishments and goals with your friends and family. I am currently mostly on Strava because most of my running friends are there.

Don’t be shy to share your achievements, it can be consistency, it can be speed, it can be distance, it can even be just the fact that on this particular day you got yourself to complete your planned 2 miles run. You will find that any such exercise is highly appreciated by people around you, and you even start seeing more people joining you in sharing their exercises.

As I mentioned, I personally find shoes to be the most important investment, the rest are pretty personal choices, and you can start with whatever is comfortable. You can find that sports wear is better in keeping you dry longer while running, or easier to wash and dry, and lasts longer compared to regular clothing (like tech swap t-shirts I started off with for running tops).
After a few months I came to like capri yoga pants and long sleeve inner layers for my tops (I live in a cooler climate and typically wear 2 layers for top) to be the best variance. I started wearing caps after a few years of running and found out they help a lot when the weather is hotter or colder than average degrees. Nowadays I also use a windshield jacket on degrees below 40F (~10C) degrees. But as I mentioned above these are very personal choices and depend on your climate as well. One other thing I do is, I pay attention to what other runners in my neighborhood wear, and sometimes get gears that I see repeatedly being used. Also I made it a habit to use such purchases as a reward for achieving some of my goals :)

Another good investment is a light water bottle that you can carry easily while running. You will want to hydrate (rain or shine).

Before you set a yearly goal, I find it useful to start setting smaller goals, and repetitively achieving them before I set a longer term one. If you are a beginner, trying to run 3 miles a week for 4 weeks would be a good start (makes a 12 miles a month goal). You can split the weekly goal to 3 times, or 5 times a week all depending on your schedule. Then increase your goals at least by 10 percent.

For me I set a 20 miles a week goal (which can take me to 1040 miles a year). I also aim to run about 3 miles daily when I have a very regular work schedule, but if I need to travel or have early morning starts on some days, I split the 3 miles of a day I can’t run to the other days. If my weekdays are busier I sometimes leave 10 miles to the weekend, or if it is opposite I try to increase daily runs to 4 miles.

By the way, when I travel I make sure the hotel I stay in has a treadmill (which they typically have) or close to a safe running trail or a track. I always carry at least one set of running cloths. (If you forget there are many places you can buy them)

Try to make less ambitious plans in your first week and maybe in your first month. Mix in a ratio of walking, you can start with half and half and as you feel stronger increase the ratio of running in your total time. It is better to breathe in through your nose while exercising and if you notice that you start breathing from your mouth it might be a sign of your body telling you you need to slow down for a minute or more.

Make sure to do a quick 1-5 minutes warm up before you start running (it helps activate your muscles warm up your body), and again a simple stretch at the end (easy lunges, or just reaching to your toes with knees locked would be enough).

Similarly, if you are recovering from an illness or coming back from a long trip that caused you to break your regular exercise schedule, be gentler on yourself and adjust your goals.

It is ideal if you can try to keep one thing the same, it can be distance or the time of your per day running plan. I usually keep the time the same (as that is the time on my calendar), and don’t get too tangled if I ran a shorter distance that particular day.

During this time listen to your body, don’t ignore any constant pain on your ankles or toes, as well as back and shoulders. I found that a lot of my shoulder and back pain were due to a bad posture while running (you want your spine to be straight while running), and most of the injuries around my foot were due to shoes or socks.

Another thing you can start assessing and adjusting during these first few weeks would be your nutrition. You might already have a good diet that will support your added exercise plan, but if you find yourself dragging at the beginning of your run, or more tired than expected at the end, you might need to do some adjustments.

Small healthy snacks or drinks for an energy kick before your run is not a bad idea, but definitely avoid eating heavily right before a run or drinking too much liquid. A full stomach will strain your run. You will want to make sure you have your electrolytes and salt levels balanced when you start exercising regularly.

If all went well you might have already settled on a regular schedule. You might have already done so, but make sure to set a weekly and a monthly goal (20 miles a week -> 80-100 miles a month would take you to 1000 miles).

Longer period’s goals allows flexibility in balancing out the miles missed in a period by running longer the next week or month, also it makes sure you don’t overextend yourself trying to compensate for a whole 3 miles run on the next day, but maybe split it to 6 days as half miles.

There will definitely be days that all your plans go out the window, a sick partner, a sick child, early meetings, yourself being sick, a travel plan going different, a hotel gym with a broken treadmill. Don’t over think them, whatever you missed on a day, try to compensate for the next run day, whatever you miss on a week, try to compensate for the next week. With a wider time splits, you have the chance to plan how you will divide and conquer the missing miles.

For me for the first year it was 2 miles 3 times on weekdays (M, W,F) and 5 miles run on a Sunday. That is when I thought it would be interesting to aim for running 500 miles (about 10 miles a week) in total by the end of the year. Later on I found myself being able to run 3 miles a day for a few months and that is when I raised my goal to 1000 miles.

Over the years I also learned which months, or weeks typically cause more disruption on my run and I came to expect them (like holiday weeks, or longer summer travels).

Also don't forget to get new shoes when you flatten current ones, as worn out shoes will cause more injuries (they tend to lose the elasticity and cause your foot hitting the ground harder and making it harder to bounce back).