For many men running starts out with a casual glance in the mirror.
You may have looked in the mirror hundreds of times before, but then one day, in an unguarded moment, you catch a glimpse of yourself as others see you.
Overweight, bulky, with a semi beach ball of a stomach overhanging the trousers and making even your most expensive suits and pants seem ill fitting.
The daily ritual of donning socks leaves you breathless because there's a big layer of fat in the way.
Or a tell tale picture of a bunch of your pals seated together shows only you with a bulging waistline.
You make the decision there and then, the gut must go, so you decide to take up running.
Now men running is a common enough sight, but getting started is tough.
Once the initial excitement of buying the branded running shoes and the Breathetec running vest and shorts has been accomplished, you are still left with the inescapable and unpalatable fact that to take up running, you actually have to start running.
That takes determination, courage, willpower, effort, pain, sweat.
All those things it's much easier to lie in bed and forget about than actually do.
So for many men running, the sensible thing to do is to first visit the doctor.
He can check whether your blood pressure, heart and lungs, joints and muscles will be ready to hit the road.
Assuming you get the all clear, there's no more excuses.
You've got the kit, you've got the medical green light, it's not pouring with rain, it's bright and early.
Time to take to the streets.
The first run is undoubtedly the worst.
OK, the first ten runs are bad.
It's going to hurt, you are going to gasp, feel sick, feel tired, and ache in places where you forgot you even had places.
But if you can keep at it, force yourself each morning to hit the tarmac, it starts to get easier.
It becomes a habit.
The mile run you set yourself and struggled with can extend to a mile and a half, then two miles then as your men running fitness improves you are accomplishing three miles or more and you are still within your comfort zone.