
I bought the wrong shoes twice before learning this: the shoe matters more than the training plan. Start here.











Once you pass 10K regularly, your shoes become your training partner. These are mine













My first month was in cotton tees. By km 4 I was soaked, chafed, and miserable. Never again.



















A bouncing phone ruins rhythm faster than a hill. These stay put













A blister once ended my run at km 3 of a planned 10K. I limped home angry












I ran 'by feel' for a year and plateaued. The week I started tracking numbers, everything changed.













Music is my pacer. Earbuds that fall out mid-interval are dead to me.













Most of my runs are before sunrise on roads with no sidewalk. A driver once braked late because he didn't see me.













I bonked at km 14 once — dizzy, nauseous, walking home. All because I 'didn't feel thirsty.













The run is only half the workout. Skipping recovery once cost me the next three runs.











