Earn the Burn - I think I'm becoming a runner

I never expected to be a runner, I felt it was boring, and stagnant as I've said before, I prefer trying a wide array of odd classes. However sometimes even a quick class can be complicated to make time for and get motivated to get in the car for. A few months ago I stumbled across Fit dash Personality - a tumbler page from a hilarious 20something runner, who's main message was something I could not only understand but totally agreed with:

Slowly but surely her lifestyle and exercise plan seemed do-able. The super clean eating may take some time to get used to, but I'm doing much better than I used to be. Running however has been actually happening (which is shocking to me). So here goes my newest fitness proclamation! I will surprise myself with my ability to run, eat better, and commit to be fit.

Here are a few tips that I've collected that really made me feel confident I can do this:

1- ACTUALLY GO! The hardest part for me was actually putting on my shoes and stepping out the front door. Your first run will be the hardest, so rip off that bandaid and get out there.

2- Start sloooow: even if you're an athlete and go to the gym, learning to run is not easy on your body. If you try to commit to 5 days a week to start off, you'll likely get burnt out and give up.I started on Tuesday, then ran again Friday and have kept that up for almost 8 weeks now. Make it managable and you're much more likely to succeed.

3- Pace yourself: I took about 2.5 miles for my first run and found a tip that recommended you run until your get winded, run another 15 seconds and then walk until you can run again. This has worked very well for me, I've shaved almost a full 2 minutes off my average mile.

4- Track yourself: I'm a huge fan of the Nike+ Running app. I take my phone with me anyway for music so, its super simple to just let the app run while I do. It shows me my route, average speed, and speeds throughout my route (sprints and slow downs etc). Regardless of what you use, be sure to keep note of how long it took you, how far you went and how you feel. Nothing keeps me motivated like watching myself improve. 

5- Reward yourself: I'm a single mom and often feel guilty "splurging" on myself for no reason, however if I've earned it it feels much more justified. So I've started setting goals, which allow me to really strive for something and stay motivated. So here goes my newest fitness goal proclamation!

Goal #1: 3 runs each week for 2 months 

Reward #1: New workout tanks from Rome&Romie

I'll post new goals as I make them, but every plan has to start somewhere. What are some goals (and rewards) of yours? In fitness or general life?