Thursday, Jan 2, 2024

Ready to start a running program?

Here are 3 options to choose from:

• Walk
  • Start a regular walking program.

• Run-Walk
  • Alternate short periods of running with walking.

• Build Capacity
  • Strengthening exercises + bike or elliptical.

How do you choose?

Consider these questions….

How do you feel today?

Good! No major aches or pains.	Good! No major aches or pains.	Minor aches/pains, but I can walk comfortably and do everything I need to.
Not very active.	Fairly active – I get some walking and light activity in most days.	Not very active, or fairly active – in either case, start by building capacity with a combination of sustained low-impact activities, and strengthening and mobility exercises.
Have not run regularly before.	Haven’t run regularly before, or it’s been a while	Haven’t run regularly before, or it’s been a while
Walk	Run Walk	Build Capacity

Running to catch a bus, or running to the fridge before the end of the Netflix commercial, do not count as previous running experience.

WALK

10-15 minutes, 3 days/week.

Firstly, don’t underestimate the power of walking.

If you’re new to running or are currently working through some aches/pains, it is an excellent place to start. 

Building the habit of exercise 3-4 days/week, and getting your body used to moving on your feet for 20-30 minutes at a time, can create an excellent foundation for running and a host of health benefits.

Start with 3 days/week. Mark them on your calendar like business meetings that your life depends on. Choose a length of time that feels somewhere between easy and medium. This might be 10-15 minutes, or 20-30 minutes. It is totally up to you. If you’re unsure, start conservatively. You can always add minutes later if you find it’s too easy.

What you should feel

Your heart rate is elevated but feels comfortable. Your feet, legs, and arms start to warm up as you walk. You feel more alert. You could still maintain a conversation if you wanted to.

What you should NOT feel

You’re out of breath and cannot maintain a conversation. Your heart rate is so high it feels uncomfortable and unsustainable. Aches and pains in your joints or muscles.

Example of how to progress walking over 9 weeks.

Week	Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa	TOTAL
1		15		15		15		45
2		15		20		15		50
3		20		20		15		55
4		20		20		20		60
5	15	15		15		15		60
6	15	15		20		15		65
7	15	15		20		20		70
8	20	15		20		20		75
9	20	20		20		20		80

RUN WALK

See below for Warm Up.

Walk 5 minutes

Jog 1 min. Walk 1 min. Repeat 3 times. (The final 1-minute walk will be part of the cool down.)

Walk 4 minutes. (Total of 5 minutes)

2-3 days/week

Concept

Alternate running for a short time (1-3 minutes) with walking for a short time (1-3 minutes).

Why

The brief walk allows your muscles and heart to recover; you’ll feel your heart rate and breathing rate decrease, and any fatigue/burning in your muscles start to fade. This will allow you to resume the next running interval with good form. Your muscles, now recovered, will be better able to minimize stress through your joints and move you along smoothly.

How many minutes

This is very individual and might take some trial and error. In general, after your warm up {link to warm up}, start with 1-2 minutes of jogging, and 1-2 minutes of walking. Repeat 3-5 times.

Warm up: walk 7-10 minutes, dynamic stretching for 7-10 minutes. (20 minutes)

5 minute warm up walk (5 min) 

1 min jog, 1 min walk, 3 rounds (1 min jog, 1 min walk, 1 min jog, 1 min walk,  1 min jog) (5 min)

5 minute cool down walking. (5 min)

35 min from start to finish.

Listen to your body and consider recent exercise history: if you’re totally new to running, the above workout might be a great starting point. If you’ve run regularly in the past but it’s been a few months, you might start with 4 rounds of 2 minute jogging and 1 minute walking.

The exact numbers are not as important as finding the numbers that fit you the best!

A good fit means your running feels comfortable and rhythmic, and you’re able to recover during the walking period so the quality of each run is about the same and each running interval feels equally comfortable.

If you notice a significant decrease in the quality of a running interval (your form feels stiff/jerky, your posture starts to collapse, you’re totally out of breath within the first 15 seconds, etc.), then either take a longer walk interval or call it a day.

If you can find a comfortable running rhythm after a longer walking interval, you might do 1 or 2 more intervals, but consider calling it a day after that. More (in one session) is not better if you’re playing the long game.

What you should feel

Light burn in your muscles; that feeling of your muscles working and warming up.

Elevated heart rate and breathing rate, but not in a way that feels uncomfortable (though it might be unfamiliar if it’s been a while!)

What you should NOT feel

Aches/pains that don’t resolve with your rest period.

So out of breath you cannot maintain upright posture or speak in short phrases – talk test.

WARM UP before Running

Walk 7-10 minutes – walk until your feel and legs start to feel warm. Allow your arms to swing naturally (no texting or looking at your phone, or your playlist).

Dynamic Warm Up

• Walking high knees.
• Carioca stepping.
• Body weight squat to comfortable depth, 1×10, hold onto something for balance as needed.
• Heel Raises, 1×10.
• Forward lunges, 1×5 each, alternating sides, with opposite arm overhead reach.
• Backwards lunges, 1×5 each, alternating sides, with trunk twist towards front leg.
• Light mini-hops in place, 1x 20-30. Or, jump rope 1x 20-30.
• Do this circuit, 1-2 times.

Keep in Mind

The idea is to cycle through a variety of movements in a comfortable way to gently wake up all the muscles you’ll use while running.

So, listen to your body – higher high knees or more depth with the lunges and squats is NOT necessarily better if it does not feel good to you.

BUILD CAPACITY

Walk, bike, or use an elliptical machine 3 days/week.

Strength exercises 2 days/week (S x2).

Example of 6 week progression of building capacity.
Numbers indicate minutes of activity.

Week	Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa	TOTAL
1		15	S	15		15	S	45	S x2
2		15	S	15		15	S	45	S x2
3		20	S	15		15	S	50	S x2
4		20	S	15		20	S	55	S x2
5		20	S	20		20	S	60	S x2
6		20	S	20		20	S	60	S x2