Beginning Running
I ran a lot as a young person. Hardly at all as a young adult. Sometime around my mid-thirties I started running again; Running is an efficient and enjoyable way to stay fit. I enjoyed it enough to compete in a few road races, but I overdid it and cultivated a series of injuries: plantar fasciitis and shin splints. Injuries like these are almost totally avoidable, if you take it easy, listen to your body, and remember that you aren’t twenty any more.
I took the last year off to recover, and now I have to start from scratch. Here’s a plan to get you started.
A good beginner’s goal is to be able to jog/run for twenty minutes non-stop. It doesn’t really matter how far you run, as long as you aren’t overdoing it. Your pace should be such that you can have a conversation while jogging, not gasping for air, but you should break a sweat and get your heart rate up. It’s probably better to start out too slow than overdo it and risk injury.
How do you get started? Well, I’m going to assume you can walk comfortably, pain free, for twenty minutes. If that’s a stretch for you, start walking 4-6 days per week for several weeks before trying to run/jog.
There are many pyramid schemes to get you started. The basic idea is you walk/jog according to some schedule, and eventually you are jogging twenty minutes without any walking. Here’s a plan I like:
| Week | Run/Walk Ratio | Run Time |
| 1 | Run 1, Walk 2: 7 times | 7 |
| 2 | Run 2, Walk 2: 5 times | 10 |
| 3 | Run 3, Walk 2: 4 times | 12 |
| 4 | Run 5, Walk 2: 3 times | 15 |
| 5 | Run 6, Walk 1.5: 3 times | 18 |
| 6 | Run 8, Walk 1.5: 2 times | 16 |
| 7 | Run 10, Walk 1.5: 2 times | 20 |
| 8 | Run 12, Walk 1, Run 8 | 20 |
| 9 | Run 15, Walk 1, Run 5 | 20 |
| 10 | Run 20: you’re done! | 20 |
This program comes from Bob Glover’s The Runners Handbook.
Tips
Run 4-6 days per week. You need a rest day or two, but if you don’t get out enough, you won’t realize enough improvement to progress to the next stage of the program. Any week you don’t get out enough, just stay where you are in the schedule for another week.
Try to pick a time to run, like first thing in the morning, and stick to it. It’s a lot harder to make excuses if you box out some time and hold yourself to it. I’ve found if I wait until later in the day, things come up and I might not get to it.
Don’t overdo it. It took a long time to get out of shape. If you hurt yourself, it’ll take even longer to get back in shape. There’s really no hurry.
Last, try to enjoy yourself. Your body was made to move. Learn to enjoy any movement for what it is. You’re not a brain in a bucket.
If you need some inspiration, see Hal Higdon’s Website. At 80, he ran 8 marathons in 8 months. What’s keeping you on the couch?
disclaimer: I don’t really know what I’m talking about. If you drop dead trying this, it’s not my fault. Don’t come rattling your chains around my house from the dead. Frankly, you were probably going to die anyway. Do have someone let me know if you die trying this – I can always use a good story.
