It’s been almost a month since I ran the NYC Marathon. I knew that after such an emotional experience, the longer it took me to lace up my shoes, the harder it would be. I’ve been missing writing my weekly posts about all things marathon training, and now that I’m finally back on the pavement, I thought I’d give you guys a running trick.

For me, the hardest part about getting back into running after a break is establishing a new routine. What do you do when you’re not following a strict (well, semi-strict) training plan? Especially for people who don’t consider themselves runners in the first place, what do you do? There are many reasons why someone might struggle with running, but I find a big culprit is lack of planning. You have to find a balance between ambition and flexibility, and then actually hold yourself accountable to your plan. Let’s take a look at why the secret to becoming a runner is the power of your routine, and how you can create a running routine of your own.

Over and over again, my friends tell me that they’ve started running, but within a few weeks they lose interest (or quit). Data varies, but one study suggests that it usually takes about two months for something to become a habit, and many of us don’t stick with it for that long. But as Beth Skwarecki, senior health editor at Lifehacker, has previously explained, much of our talk about “habits” isn’t so much about habit formation as it is about behavior change. She gives this example: “You could think of ‘going for a run every morning’ as a simple habit. But there are a lot of things you have to do to become the kind of person who finds it really easy to go for a run every morning.”

Your routine, and how well you stick to it, is what makes the difference between incorporating running into your life in the long run. Here are some tips for becoming the type of person who finds it easy to run every morning.