A friend of mine convinced me (more like bribed me) into doing my first 10K this spring. My first thought was “nope, I’m good” but after a few free lunches (I love food) I changed that to an “ok, I guess, but I better not die”. I am now on week 7 of my training. It isn’t too bad but I’m still not at the part where I run for a full hour nonstop. I’m thinking I’ll need to fuel those runs so I will need her to bring more snacks. Luckily there are great resources that will get me there (aside from the snacks).
Last year as my New Year’s resolution I decided to try new things and leave my comfort zone. I love a good workout but I usually stick to what I know. I’d done weight training, boxing, yoga, pilates, spin and zumba but never running. I thought to myself “what the heck let’s try something new”. I’d lost 100lbs the year before so I was feeling pretty unstoppable. I trained from February to May and was pumped and ready to run. My very first race was the Color Run. It was fun but I was a little disappointed it wasn’t a timed race. I trained hard and was ready to crush it just to find out people stop to take selfies! I was ready for more! Last summer and fall I did about 1 to 2 races a month and I’m working on my 2016 calendar now. 
Once I started this endeavor I fell in love and needed to know EVERYTHING about running. The best part is that most runners are generally like that so there is a plethora of information out there on nutrition, gear and training.
The library has great resources to get you off the couch and crossing that finish line!
The library also subscribes to running magazines.
LI Running is a great tool to use. They have a list of local running clubs as well as a calendar of runs. http://www.lirunning.com/
Run LI is another great resource for race calendars and local running clubs.
For laughs, I love to watch the “things runners say” videos on Youtube. 
Bring on the 10k. I might even try doing a half marathon in October! It’s getting warm out and that means it’s time to take my running outdoors again. If you see me running be sure to say hi, runners are very friendly!