Tuesday, June 29, 2010

A Good Way to Start Running

There are natural runners.......
(Anderson really gets into running...)

(My husband and his sister after a race.)


And then there are those who know that running is good, want to try it, but just aren't...well...natural.
(Me (not a natural) and Carys (a natural) after my race.)

I, obviously, fall into the second category.  I don't just hop out of bed one fine day and decide I'm going to run a 5K, or even a 1K for that matter.  I have to build up.

A few years ago, I ran across a running plan in a Brazilian magazine.  I followed the plan and worked my way into being able to run for 30 minutes without stopping.  Of course, since then I've lost the copy of the magazine, but I remember the main idea of the plan.

Maybe there are some more "unnatural runners" out there like me, who would like to get into running.  Here is a way you can work your way into it.
  1. Walk 5 minutes
  2. Run slowly 2 minutes
  3. Run fast 1 minute
  4. Walk 2 minutes
  5. Repeat steps 2, 3, and 4 until you have done them 5 times.
  6. Walk 5 minutes to cool down.
That's it.  After that gets easy to do, make it a little harder by reducing the walking time and increasing the running time.  Keep going until you don't need to walk anymore.

I am doing this right now with a friend of mine who hadn't run in a long time.  The first day she barely made it and had to stop several times.  After 2 weeks, running 3 times a week, she is doing this much more easily and is ready to increase the running.

It works!

2 comments:

  1. Obrigado amiga pela tua paciência, pelo teu encorajamento, não só ao redor da praça, mas em nossa caminhada nesse mundo atribulado.
    Tu és muito especial pra mim. Te amo!

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  2. There's a program on the internet, with webpage and podcasts (with or without music) that say you can go from couch to 5K in 9 weeks.
    I was thinking of seeing if I could go from Couch to 5K (C25K) in 18 months...

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