Here’s what I didn’t take seriously enough:
1) shoes..Find a store dedicated to runners and get a gait analysis. More expensive doesn’t mean best for you. You want a place that has a treadmill you can try out the shoes. When you settle on a pair, buy 2 and rotate them on your runs.
2) Nutrition..Don’t blow this one off..Eat right, not light.
3) Train slow..Don’t worry about increasing your pace. That will come on it’s own and when it does, still frequently slow your pace for training runs. Start slow, finish strong. If I start out 10-15 seconds slower per mile enables me to increase my pace about 20-30 seconds per mile at the end of the race.
Listen to your body. We were meant to be runners. It knows what to do.