To the left and right of you in every cardio area are people who seemingly run forever. They can run through a whole episode of Oprah, sometimes even an entire TBS airing of Days of Thunder. They’re just chilling…like it’s no big deal. And for some reason, on our own island that is the treadmill many of us experience running for longer than one minute as an alternative to corporal punishment.
Were these energizer runner bunnies born this way? Don’t they get bored? Are they doing something different than everyone else? How do we get to run as far and fast as them??
No need to be jealous my friend, though some of these runner bunnies may have been genetically predestined for endurance exercise, most of them started off in your shoes, struggling to figure out how to survive the next minute of cardio. Since you’re most likely too afraid to ask them how to get there, and it might be a little tough not to take their advice personally, I’m here to break it down for you and everyone else who wants to run a little bit further.
The Pros Top Secrets on Building Your Base Running Routine:
1. You’re Running Too Fast– You heard me. TOO FAST!! Most ambitious new runners skip right to 6 miles an hour (a 10 minute mile) when they try to begin their running routine. Try starting at 4.8-5.3mph for your whole run the first month to help build your running endurance. Yes, this is going to be a tight, fast stride and may even feel awkwardly slow the first couple times, but just go with it. Running at this pace allows you to truly tap into your aerobic metabolism, burn tons of fat calories, and will make it easier to run longer, make you less sore, and leave you with a better psychological running experience. Not sure I can come up with any more selling points than that!
2. Your shoes are old– Are you having pain in your ankles, knees or hips from even small running bouts? Ok, you probably should check with your doctor to make sure nothing orthopedic is going on, but I’m also willing to bet your tennies are more than 5 months old or have more than 400 miles of wear on them. It’s important to only wear running shoes for running. Sounds crazy, I know. For the record also, the most respected true running shoe brands are: Asics, Sauconies, New Balance and Brooks. Go to a running store and have a fitting with a professional. Running is one of the cheapest sports to partake in equipment-wise, so invest in your sneakers and save your joints over the long term. (To put this into perspective: If you run 20 miles a week you need new shoes every 5 months.)
3. You’re trying to do too much too soon– The theme of progression runs through all of these blogs. But I really really mean it right here. Start with running literally 1 minute intervals at that 4.8-5.3mph pace with minute of walking rest between. And no more than 1-2 miles on your first day. Seriously!! Every week your total mileage for the week should progress no more than 10%. In other words, if you ran a total of 3 miles your first week, the next week you should run no more than 3.3 miles, the week after 3.63 miles, etc. Breaking this rule only increases your chances of injury and therefore decreases your chances of loving running very much and succeeding in your ultimate runner bunny goal.
4. Map it out for the long term–The same rule of increasing 10% a week at a time applies for building up to 5k, 10k and half marathon and marathon distances. If you’ve got a fitness friend daring you to enter a half-marathon next month, kindly tell them.. “I don’t think so.” If you’re starting from scratch, training for a 5k takes 2 months, a 10k-3 to 4 months, a half-marathon-5 to 6 months, and a full marathon-6 to 9 months.
5. DO NOT Run everyday– Shocking, yes. Running everyday is not advisable. Start out running 2 days a week, build up to 3 days a week by the end of your first month. Try to spread these running days out so you can recover inbetween. Ideally try not to run more than 5 days a week. Save longer runs for the weekends, and faster runs for shorter distances following rest days. For solid running programs pick up an issue of Runner’s World (http://www.runnersworld.com).
6. Lift Weights– Strength training can improve your cardiovascular endurance. Of course, do not resistance train your legs on the same day prior to your run, or make yourself so sore that you dread running at all the next day. But DO fit weightlifting into your fitness program a minimum of two times a week and DO incorporate leg exercises. This will only help you.
Got more specific questions? Email me: liz.marmesh@gmail.com. In the meantime, get out there and start running right!
