by OldManBurns

Created on: August 27, 2009

Running is an amazing sport! It can be taken up at any stage in your life, you can take it as serious as you want, train as little or often as you like and diversify into whatever discipline takes your fancy. You can join a club or run solo. This truly is a sport that can be all things to all people.

Making the transformation from 'normal' to runner is not hard at all. The biggest challenge would be the change in mindset. To become a runner means to voluntarily become odd. To voluntarily wear strange sports kit in public, run past people you may know, exhausted and leaking sweat all over the pavement. To get up at the crack of dawn to train. These are not the actions of so-called normal people. To take running seriously borders on lunacy, and that's what makes it great!

Critics point out that runners get bad knees, are always exhausted and look like freaks. And for what reason? What they conveniently leave out of their argument is that running injuries are mostly preventable with a bit of learning and proper equipment. They forget about the strong heart and lungs that gets developed, the weight-loss, the powerful legs, decreased risk of nasty diseases...the list of benefits is a long one.

So you want to join the club? Excellent! And it is so easy. If you are a complete novice, simply start to get in the know by reading a few specialist running magazines. They generally recycle the same theories and articles, and in this way you can learn the lingo and pick up some useful viewpoints on training methods and kit available. In no time at all you will be wondering if you pronate or supinate, and what PB you can achieve for a 5km.

The next bit is the hardest. It is the shift in attitude you need to make mentally. People that don't understand the sport, or who are simply jealous of your effort to achieve personal goals will poke fun at you and mock your endeavours. Laugh off their ignorance, you are stronger than that. Congratulations you have just completed your application form to the nutty world of running!

Now you are ready to advance. A medical examination would be wise if you are in any doubt as to your medical condition. Then the most important item of equipment you need is a decent pair of running shoes based on the type of foot you have. There are essentially three different types of shoe that are available for runners. Please don't just buy a popular brand in your local sports shop because you feel under qualified to pester a proper running store specialist.

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