Buying new running shoes feels like a decision. Lacing them up on a cold morning is the actual decision.

Preparation can impersonate commitment convincingly. Buying the equipment produces the feeling of having begun, along with a small burst of enthusiasm that tends to fade before the first cold morning arrives. The real decision is the unglamorous one made with the door closed and the temperature low.

Skip the purchase for now and do the thing three times in what you already own. Buy the gear afterwards, as a reward for a habit that already exists rather than a substitute for one.