Couch to 5k?

[Alex]

That's the way to do it. Stick at it and it will come eventually.

It alwayd did suck that the IAC was in such an extreme location, especially since I was at the dorms on the complete wrong side of campus. I thought employees had free access too, too bad that's not true any more (or I just completely misremember).

One thing I want to address is this:

and comes without public mocking.

This is something that kept me out of gyms for a very long time. And then when I did finally go it was because I hired a personal trainer and felt shielded by that. But what I learned over the next few years is that hardly anybody cares about the other people in the gym and certainly not the big gym rats. They just want to get in, get out, and not have people get in their way.

To the extent that they notice the unfit people coming to the gym it is to think "good for them, hope they stick with it." The only person I ever heard or saw mocked was this guy who would show up for aerobics wearing the skimpiest wrestling uniform I've ever seen.

So if you ever do have a gym available to you easily and you want to do use it, do try to overcome the feeling that people are watching you. I'm sure it happens but it is rare.