Rest days can be motivating; they keep you hungry for the next run. Without rest days, you will find that there will be fewer days you feel good during your runs and your chances of injury will increase

3. Run long one day each week. How long? Try twice the distance of your average weekly run. Example if you ran 4 days during the week for a total of 12 miles your long run can be 6 miles. (12 divided by 4 x 2 = 6) Always put an easy day on either side of the long run, better yet, your days off.

4. Follow a schedule written by you or a coach. Now that you know the basic rules to follow, you can write a schedule. Make a commitment to the schedule and it becomes strong motivation. Once you start running in a disciplined manner as apposed to haphazardly running when you can, you will make amazing progress. That progress will motivate you to even greater goals.

Click here to find a sample schedule. Run fast and take chances!

Randy Step