EUGENE - The birthplace of Nike. Home to running legends like Steve Prefontaine. Host of the 2008- and 2012- Olympic Trials.

Eugene's impressive running pedigree is enough to scare some casual runners from the trails.

"They think they're not going to fit in. I'm going to be out of place, I'm slow, I'm old, I'm this or that," said Joe Henderson, a marathon training coach. "And they quickly realize, once they get with out people, that they're just like them.

That's the beauty of running and walking for fitness. Anyone with medical clearance can do it.

Whether your ultimate goal is fitness or finishing a race, the key is to start slow.

"We have a beginning running group here," said Laura Coll, owner of the Eugene Running Company and an accomplished distance runner. "They start out one minute walking, one minute running. Or one minute running, two or three minutes walking. They start slow and in a few weeks they're realize I can run two minutes at a time, I can run 3 minutes at a time."

The mistake people often make is too much, too soon.

"Most people go out 30-45 minutes and the next day they can't get out of bed," said Coll.

Henderson, the creative founder of Runner's World magazine, says fitness runners/walkers should build up to two or three miles, three to five alternating days a week.

"At a pace where you can talk comfortably," he said. "In other words, not getting out of breath. Aerobic, not anaerobic which means breathless."

An important rule of thumb--never increase your mileage more than 10% a week. So if you run 10 miles on week, you should not run more than 11 the next.

Doing too much is an easy path to injury.

For more running and walking tips, watch Training in Track Town every Thursday on KVAL News at 6 a.m. and 5 p.m.