Acclimate to the Distance

When you begin new distances, your body’s fitness level will drops while you get used to the new demands you’re putting on your body. This is a time, I've read, when most new runners give up. Understand before you take up running that it takes your body about four to six weeks to acclimate to the new demands on your body. Anticipating that “wiped out feeling” can actually make it less of a shock. Just know that you’re going to feel the effects of your new activity. Hang in there. Tough it out. And before you know it, you’ll feel stronger. Also, as I've written before, go slow. Too many new runners experience shin splints, pulled calf muscles, cramping quads, or sore hips from going out too fast or from doing too much too soon.