i used to run 15 miles a day 3 days a week (7.5 to work and 7.5 back). best piece of advice i can give to someone starting out 1) don't use music and 2) don't r

i used to run 15 miles a day 3 days a week (7.5 to work and 7.5 back). best piece of advice i can give to someone starting out 1) don't use music and 2) don't run for time but run for distance instead. my reasoning for the first is you will have an easier time drifting away and enjoying the running for its own sake (rather than as a chore) if you do not try to distract yourself. my reasoning for the second is running for time is like a prison sentence that you need to bear while running for distance is a goal you can accomplish (or fail to accomplish). my runs to work used to take ~1 hour and on the days that i couldn't make them because of inclement weather i ran on a treadmill. i never made it the full hour on a treadmill. these two tips help you overcome the greatest (and most important) hurdle to becoming a runner: enjoyment. edit: i guess one corollary of the running for distance thing is that you don't need to stress about speed; i often tell myself "you don't have to be fast you just have to finish". so when i get gassed in the second half of a run i slow down to compensate. that finish spurs you on the next time and naturally you'll get faster (well to a certain point - if you're really trying to get good then you need sprints/intervals/etc but then you don't need my advice).