That's when it hit me. I haven't written about one of the most important things about getting started: stretching. It's that bridge between getting your mind right and getting your run on. (And just because I'm thinking about it, I'm going to say a little something about shoes today too.)
Stretching
I don't come from the old school or anything but for the longest time, whenever I'd start stretching out, I'd think of my Granddaddy Horne, who smoked unfiltered Camels and drank like the store was burning down. He coached my dad and uncles through baseball, football and basketball all year long and didn't have patience for pantywaist stuff like stretching.
Well, I've been around the block a few times now and not only do I have time for stretching, I insist on it now. It doesn't just loosen up your muscles, but it helps you ease into the right mood for running. I hate waking up early, getting out of my warm bed and going running. The stretching acts like a bridge from my post-bed grumpy mood to the all-smiles running mood. Your body gets in motion and those endorphins that exercise produces start wandering in.
And yeah, it gets your muscles warm too so you aren't getting hurt or cramping up. Try these:
#1) Back & Hamstring -- AT THE SAME TIME!Isn't technology great? Yeah, I like this one because you kill two birds with one stone and if there's anything I like doing it's killing birds with stones. Okay, sorry. Yeah so the key to this one is just relaxing through it. You can try hanging there or touching your toes or grabbing the back of your calves. Just make sure you keep your knees locked so you get the full benefit. If you're doing it right, you'll be slightly uncomfortable. Get to that point and hold it for a minute.
This is really easy to figure out, but kinda hard to do unless you have exceptional balance. Feel free to steady yourself with a chair, wall, lightpole or nearby motionless stranger (not to be confused with a nearby emotionless stranger because those folks are mean). Be sure you pull straight back, NOT to the side. Don't pull crazy hard either because you don't want to accidentally rip your lower leg off. That would be embarrassing and would certainly set your training back.
#3) Calf Stretches
This is not where you go out to the pasture, grab our baby cow and do yoga (that's later). Here you pay a little attention to a muscle group that's easy to overlook until your running. These two stretches aren't exclusive. You can do both and perhaps should just to make sure you're limbered up. I do. However, if you don't have a wall around, the curb stretch is a dandy replacement. Either way, make sure you gently ease into these stretches because you're also stretching things like your heel and plantar fasciitis, which can be really painful when they get hurt. (I've had both and it'll shut you down.) 
Just kidding. But seriously, yogi helps. You can get all kinds of flexible with yoga, it's a tough workout and it helps stabilize your core, which until a year ago I didn't realize I even had. A good core makes running easier because it keeps you lined up. But that doesn't have to happen yet. (Or so I hope as my core is still hiding under some baby fat.
#5) Walking or running, start slow!
Here's one of the things I wish I'd known when I started. Your first mile should be at a really easy pace. It gives your legs a chance to really warm up. The blood starts flowing, your body adjusts to the increase in activity and all of a sudden, you're finally ready. If you're a walker/runner, this means you walk at a regular I'm-just-walking pace as opposed to the faster striding walk you'll have later. Same goes for joggers and runners: take your regular pace and cut it in half. Doesn't have to be for the whole mile, but just ease into it.
TODAY'S TIPS:
FUEL UP - You're gonna burn calories so make sure you have some to burn. Otherwise, you'll fatigue too quickly. As we advance here, we can get into all the crazy amazing specialty things like Cytomax and GU, but for now, keep it simple. Before you run, have a little something to eat. I LOVE these Fiber Plus bars. They're delicious, somewhat nutritious (more so than the bacon-wrapped sugar cubes I used to eat for breakfast) and very light on my stomach. Eating before you workout prepares your body to burn calories whereas starving yourself makes your body think it needs to conserve calories. Just be sensible about what you eat.LACE UP - First off, no shoes are going to make you a world class runner if you aren't putting in the work. That said, the wrong pair of shoes can set you back. The quickest and easiest way to handle this is to go to a store like Run Fit Shoes, which is locally-owned and competitive with the big chains. They'll put you on a little do-hickey that shows you what kind of feet you have and then they'll bring out shoes that suit your foot type. Tell them if you plan to mostly walk or run in these shoes, and whether you're going to stick to 5Ks or get adventurous and try out longer races too.
Then be prepared to spend a little dough on this because a good pair of shoes isn't just a pair that look cool and fit well, it's a pair that will last you for a while. I spent about $90 on the shoes I wear now, wore them throughout the training for my first marathon then the actual marathon and now this training and will likely wear them in the next marathon. I'll get at least 500-600 miles out of these, maybe more. The other pairs I'd bought, spending $50-$60 each, didn't last as long so I really spent more money on cheaper shoes than I would have if I'd just bought one pair of good shoes.
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