Find a progression plan and stick to it. Without a plan, you’re just going off feelings and if you’re anything like me, I never feel like running. “Couch to 5k” is a good search term to start with. Don’t get wrapped up in finding the perfect plan, just pick one and go and adjust the plan over time.

Take your time. Lots of the plans out there are like “get ready for a marathon in 8 weeks!!!”. Look at your chosen plan and stretch it out way longer. Your joints and tendons will take longer to get up to speed than your muscles and cardio.

Find a stretching/mobility routine that works for you. Some people need a lot of stretching and some don’t; do what helps you. For me, there’s basically one stretch that is a must after running, others are nice but I’m fine if I don’t get to them.

I set my daily/weekly goals with what works for me. I know I won’t run every day. I set a goal of, say, 3x per week. I don’t even say “run on Monday, Wednesday, Friday” because the flexibility of any three days within the week works better for me. Sometimes I go to bed planning to run in the morning, wake up and say “nope”, and I am ok with that.