Do you suppose the first mile keeps millions of people from running? Getting started in the sport is hard enough, but that first mile is the most grueling of any run. It would not surprise me if a lot of would-be runners were too discouraged to try again. Instead they claimed their knees were too bad, their feet were too flat or they just couldn’t find the time.

Long ago I learned that, for my body, the first mile was going to be the most difficult of the run. Knowing that the pain would ease after eight or ten minutes of running made it easier to keep going.

Even with stretching and a little warm-up in place, the effort required by running is a change for your body. Legs and lungs and the heart don’t just transition to running mode because you laced up your shoes. The muscles need time to adjust to a higher activity level. And I can say from experience, old muscles need more warming up to perform at a high or even medium level. In fact, at any level!

Old or young, I believe the best way to start a run is to do the first mile at an easy pace.

It takes discipline. After all, you are fresh. You should feel your best so you have to force yourself to take it easy.

But starting slow will pay off in better overall times, better training, less shock to the system and fewer injuries. Most running injuries are muscles strains. Overused? Yes, but sometimes just badly used without stretching and without a good warm-up. Misguided runners think that better training or race times come from going out fast. Not so!  Better running happens when runners understand their body and learn to work within its limitations. Start easy!