Have you ever dreamt of being a runner? Passing runners on the street brings a pang of jealousy, as you pass by them in your car. You watch the televised marathons and the people running on the treadmills beside you at the gym and your envious, wishing it were you. But, then you hear horror stories about people with knee problems due to running or another long list of injuries. Everyone has a story; some good, some bad. When I tell people I run, I hear many reasons why they don’t.

But you can! I truly believe anyone can build up to be a "runner". I was never athletic. In high school, I didn’t play sports. I was one of the last ones chosen for teams. I was never an athlete. I wanted to be…but, it wasn’t in the cards. As an adult, I made the choice I was going to get in shape. I needed a replacement addiction when I quit smoking and decided it would be running. So I joined the gym, ok – I was already a member, but I started going everyday to "run". I'm using the term "run" loosely. In the beginning of this journey, I walked more than I ran. But, I never gave up!

You cannot build up your endurance without sweat, work, and tears. I started slowly and built up slowly. Runners were not created overnight. My newfound love of running started at a slow and steady pace for a short periods of time, alternating with walking. I worked to increase my distance and speed. One week I would work on distance, the next week I focused on speed. Running is the delicate balance of the two. You want to go fast, as far as you can. But if you try to do either too quickly, you will experience injuries, side-lining your training.

Start a running program using a walk/run routine. Run for 1 minute and walk for 1 minute. Do this for one week. The next week increase to running for 2 minutes and walking for 1 minute. Keep increasing the time you spend running each week, until you can comfortably run miles at one time. By increasing slowly, you will build up your endurance and decrease your chance of injury. Give your body the time it needs to adapt to your new fitness routine. If you don’t push it too hard too fast you’ll be running marathons in no time! Good luck, I know you can do it!