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12 A Woman's Step-By-Step Guide to Running

The sooner you start running, the
sooner all your doubts about your-
self and your abilities will fade. In the
words of Amelia Earhart, “the most
effective way to do it is to do it.” It
sounds obvious, but there’s so much
truth in the statement that it’s worth
repeating. The best way to become a
runner is to get out and run. Don’t al-
low yourself to put off your first run
any longer. Whether it’s your first run
ever, or your first run in a long time, it
is better to begin as soon as possible.
Once you’ve made up your mind that
this is something you want to do, start
before your motivation fades. It won’t
necessarily get easier after your first
run, but you will start to experience
the many benefits of running and this
will help provide you with the extra motivation you need to keep training.
Even if you’ve never run before and don’t consider yourself to be athletic, you can, in a
relatively short period of time, learn how to make a regular running routine part of your
life. The word routine here is key. Going for one run every six months won’t make much
difference to your overall physical and mental health. It is absolutely necessary that you
plan strategically how you are going to work running into your weekly routine. You need
to carve approximately two and half-hours out of your weekly schedule to set aside for
running and cross training exercises (5 thirty minute sessions of exercise a week). Before
you go any further, take a moment think about how you use your time on a weekly basis.
Jotting down when and how you spend your time will help you to identify the time of day
when you are either least productive or are not making the best use of your time. When
you review your notes, try asking yourself these questions: