Believe it or not, not having the right gear and right pre-running checklist has been a huge detriment to me in the past. Here's what you need to have locked down before you start.
Make sure every piece of your outfit is comfortable and not going to be something you want to mess with while running. For me, it meant finding the perfect pair of pants to fit my gut and my butt. My belly jiggles and my ass won't quit while I'm running, so if I have pants that don't sit high enough on my waist, I spend half of my run pulling them back up.
Then there's the problem of finding the right sports bra. I still haven't nailed that down, because my favorite comfortable sports bras are too loose, which sadly means too much bounce and a little bit of pain. However, you don't want a bra that's too tight, because you won't be able to stop focusing on how it's cutting into your skin and maybe even hindering your breath.
It's also been a process for me to find the right shoes to run in. I used to swear by an old pair of Nikes I had until someone at a sporting goods store told me they were absolutely not meant for running because they provided no ankle support. Yay. So I switched to a pair of Asics that I hope never wear out on me because they're a godsend.
Make sure you're laced up properly and have socks that won't slide or annoy you. Also make sure your phone is properly charged and your headphones are comfortable to run in. Would you believe that on my first run after my break, my headphones weren't cooperating with my iPhone and about a quarter mile into my run, my music started to randomly skip and shut off? Yeah, make sure that doesn't happen to you.
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Diggy Lloyd