Today out of nowhere a thought came to my mind. Do I remember when and how I started running ? The answer is crystal clear. I said it the way Colonel Jessup says in the movie ” A Few good men”. When he was getting interrogated by Lt. Kafee in the climax scene, he says I can remember everything clear as crystal. In the same breath when anyone asks if I remember how i started running my answer is the same with the same intensity.
I started running in 2009 after I finished my MBA and had just changed a job. I had also just got out of a habit which was not good for my health and I had lots of time and energy left. Suddenly there was a vacuum in what I needed to do in my spare time. The unused bundle of energy one evening led me to the road below my building and I just started running and have never looked back since. As someone who had never run, how did I start running ?
Get the running shoes first !!
Purchase running apparels
Next would be the turn of getting a running T Shirt and running shorts. The T shirt should be a dry fit material especially if you live in a place where the climate is hot and humid. Dry fit apparels will help you manage the sweat and will not increase the weight of the T shirt once with sweat. If you run in a cotton T shirt, the T shirt will get wet and will not dry. This will make your running experience un pleasant. 
Get a watch !!
A watch will help to calculate the time it takes you to run a certain distance and speed if case you opt for a GPS watch. When I had started running I got a digital watch and used to keep a log of runs in a diary. This helped me tremendously to see the progress I was making.
Run with a partner
Initially when you start its a great idea to make a partner and then run with them. Running is an individual sport and sometimes on long runs it can get lonely. If you get a partner the long runs can be easy of the soul. You can share your struggles, excitement, achievements, milestones. This will ensure the enthusiasm is kept up and the morale in high. Usually I have seen that the runners start with a partner and then slowly their tribe increases as more and more people join. Eventually you are looking at a a bigger group who meet weekly to enjoy running. Later they become part of your social circle and many of the activities are done as a group.
Join a run club
This is strongly recommended. There are many run clubs in big cities and they are now expanding into smaller towns. A run club is headed by a running coach. The coach usually is a long distance runner himself and also is an expert on various aspects of running. These could be pre and post run stretches, exercise which are useful for strength in core and legs. There would also be drills which are useful in increase pace. As a runner who is just starting you might have many questions and doubts and these have to be tackled by the expert. When you join a run club, there are coaches which will help you answer these queries. One such run club in Nike Run Club which I have attended. It has helped me tremendously in my growth as a runner.
