First and foremost, take it slow, start small, and accept that your windows of free time are going to be closed down dramatically if you are starting from scratch (like I was). If you are currently participating in zero physical activity, start doing something, anything really, that will get your body used to exercising. Take a cardio-class at a local gym, start building some base mileage on a treadmill, walk/jog around the neighborhood, take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator, bicycle, swim, just do something more than you currently are. This worked for me. I was able to learn how to fit exercise into my daily schedule, how to make it part of my routine, and how to get my joints and muscles used to the new demands I would be placing on them.

I began walking the 1/2 mile to and from my local grocery store, which is also more environmentally friendly than driving, when I did my shopping. I enrolled in the twice weekly 45-minute cardio-fitness class at my office gym and started running 15-20 minutes on the treadmill. I subscribed to Runner's World magazine for education and inspiration on running. I bought some running specific technical apparel and got fitted for appropriate footwear based upon my biomechanics.

I started participating in more local events as both a runner and a volunteer to gain better exposure to the running community and to learn tips on good locations to run, groups to run with, clubs to join (which I still have not done), and other events to participate in. After about a year of this I felt ready to test myself with a Half Marathon, the 1st annual Boston's Run to Remember in March of 2005. It wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it was going to be, even with the fresh snow and ice turning the course threaded through downtown Boston and the industrial port area into an especially fun filled treat. When I finished I found that I was only about 7 seconds per minute off pace for my age group to qualify for the Boston Marathon. I was completely amazed at how far I had progressed and how attainable my goal seemed to be. I say "seemed to be" because those 7 seconds per mile combined with an additional 13.1 miles were not quite as automatic as I had thought that wonderfully blustery March afternoon. A fact that would become all too clear 7 months later in Hartford, CT.