Becoming a Runner

Last week we discussed how to build a healthy base by getting off the couch and participating in a walking program. This week we will discuss how to take the next steps towards becoming a runner.

A successful running program will help you to run longer and faster while minimizing the risks of sustaining unnecessary and oftentimes avoidable training injuries. Such a program must also be enjoyable. The best way to progress from walking to running is to continue walking and simply add short periods of jogging into your walks. A good way to measure how best to do this would be to use time and ratios. Start at a 4:1 or 5:1 ratio, meaning follow four or five minutes of walking with a one minute jog. Doing this for a 20 minute workout would have you jogging four or five times for a minute each time. As your endurance improves, try tightening your ratio to 3:1 and eventually 2:1.

How many days should I walk/run each week?

Exercising five days each week should be sufficient for you to improve your body’s strength and endurance, while at the same time allowing you two “off days” for recovery. Remember, you have two goals with this program, 1. Improving your running, 2. Avoiding injury. Your body will need time to rest and recover, or eventually you will break down.

Progressive challenge.

As you get into better shape, you will need to challenge your body more. Progress your program by increasing the time of your overall walk/run workout, or by increasing the speed that you run. You can also increase the time of your running intervals, while remaining, for instance, at a 2:1 ratio, by walking for four minutes and running for two.

Vary your workouts.

Doing the same workout everyday gets boring. This is also going to yield less than ideal results because it allows your body to get accustomed to the challenge. If you are going to walk/run five days each week, as recommended, than make some of your runs more brief and quick (i.e., twenty minutes), and make other runs longer, but a bit slower (i.e., 45 minutes to one hour).

Good pain or bad pain; what to expect.

Since you will be asking your body to work in new, harder ways than you have recently been accustomed to, you can expect to become sore. Muscle soreness throughout your lower half, especially bilateral soreness, which lessens in a few days is typical. As you get into better shape, you can expect less frequent and less intense bouts of such soreness. Pain in and around the joints, which persists despite rest, may indicate a greater concern. When ice and several days’ rest do not do the trick of relieving such pain, you should arrange to be evaluated be a sports medicine expert. Thankfully for you, that’s what we are. Give Physical Solutions a call.

Join us next week for advanced training tips for more experienced runners.