Recently, a very dear friend of mine asked me to help her get back into running after saying that she had been inspired by my blog. Well, what can I say but...virtual running buddy to the rescue!!!
After writing it up I thought...hey, maybe there are other people that need a little boost to get them started, and probably some people that have the motivation, but just don't know where to begin. Now, I'm not claiming to be an expert, but in my opinion, their is nothing wrong with starting out slow, and building up your mileage gradually. I'll basically try to outline what I would recommend for the first month or two, and then, at that point, it can be up to your discretion, and what your plans for your future running endeavors entail.
Week 1: Run three days, 1 mile each time, with off days used as either rest days or cross training days (biking, swimming, aerobics class, yoga, etc).
Week 2: Run four days, 1 mile each time, with off days used as either rest days or cross training days.
Week 3: Run four days, 1 mile for three of the days, 2 miles on the fourth day, with off days used as either rest days or cross training days.
Weeks 4 and 5: Run four days, 1 mile for the first and third day, 2 miles for the second and fourth day, with off days used as either rest days or cross training days.
Weeks 6 and 7: Run four days, 2 miles for the first, second, and fourth day, 1 mile for the third day, with off days used as either rest days or cross training days.
Week 8: Run four days, 2 miles each time, with off days used as either rest days or cross training days.
At this point, you can start adding in interval training (6x 15 second sprints up a hill with 30 second breaks in between; short run afterward, only a mile or so) and weight lifting if you want to increase your speed or your muscle tone. And then, depending on whether or not you want to train for a certain race (5K, 10K, half or full marathon) you gradually start increasing the mileage in your weekly runs, adding in a long run on the weekend.
Well, I hope this helps...as I said before, I'm no expert, so you can try this, or look up a training program on your own. I do know that I did something similar to this when I began running myself, and it ended up working out pretty well for me. If you are looking for the added motivation to help you along your runs, you can run with an iPod, or even convince a buddy to start training with you. Happy running!
What triggered your initial desire to start running?
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