I guess I need to start this off with the comment that this is not advice, these are just “things” and I write stuff down sometimes so that I can look back on it later and snort coffee out of my nose when I realize what I used to think.

But if you find something useful (or want to share something), there is a comments thingie and I don’t bite (unless you ask) and this is just one big happy blog.

Ahem.

So, in no particular order (but numbered because that’s why god created “ordered lists”):

1. Running is easier than I thought, but in some ways harder.
2. Start out slow, then back off. It works.
3. You can run in anything (clothing wise) as long as it doesn’t chafe or cause you to overheat.
4. Where I live, overheating is a problem.
5. Drink lots of fluids. Then, drink some more.
6. Find running buddies. You don’t even have to run with them, but having somebody to talk to or e-mail with is a great means of support.
7. Treat yourself now and then. I buy clothes, often from One More Mile. No affiliation, just happy to have them out there – they sell good stuff.
8. Just because you ran three miles does not mean you can eat an entire pint of Ben and Jerry’s without any consequence.
9. Not that I listen to that piece of advice all the time.. 🙂
10. When I started, I ran a schedule based on time. “10 minutes,” “20 minutes,” “30 minutes,” etc. After a couple months, I’ve switched to distance (two miles, four miles, etc.) I’m glad I did it that way, it worked well for me. When I was starting, I was very worried about overdoing it – when you weigh nearly 300 pounds, you don’t wanna overdo it. But now that I’m more comfortable running (and I’m down to about 250 pounds) it’s easier to just pick a distance and run it, and not worry about the time.
11. That probably doesn’t make sense. When I run for a given time, I’m always thinking “am I halfway finished?” and such, and at the same time worrying about my pace (wanting to go the farthest I could in the time allowed). Now I just plan to do X miles, and if I run further because I feel like it, that’s ok too. I save my time on my watch to write it down later, but don’t dwell on it.
12. I’ve become a believer in keeping my heart rate down when running. I know there are a hundred different ways to calculate your maximum, and there are lots of variables between people, and there is sometimes spirited debate over whether or not you even need to know your heart rate. But it’s working for me, I don’t see the need to change.
13. There’s good days and bad days.

Well, that’s about it for now. I’m sure I’ll think of something else.