Photo by Be Fitter ©

A  guest post from Brigitte Lyons for Zen Habits

True confession: When I was a kid, I couldn’t run a mile. I was relatively athletic. Good swimmer. Deadly at 3rd base. Hiked up and down and all around.

But running? No thanks.

Until, at age 20, I started dating a runner. I decided to let him teach me. This did not go well. We fought about it, because I was constantly miserable. I tried and gave up countless times.

Now I’m 30. I’m married to that runner. And, somehow, miraculously, I caught the running bug. And learned a few things along the way …

1. Sometimes things that suck are also awesome. This is not a post that extols the many physical benefits of running — or even teaches you how to get started. I’ll leave that up to Leo.... More...