Running for Beginners: The Easiest Way to Start Running (6 page)

In this phase we’re looking at increasing your endurance so that over these three weeks slowly the total time spent running and walking is getting closer to the 30 minute goal.

In the final phase of the program you are going to increase the amount of time you spend running and decrease the amount of time walking until… bingo - you’re running for 30 minutes continuously!

How far will I be running?

As a rough guide most people will run one mile in ten minutes, runners will refer to their pace by x minute miles, so in the case of this example you should be running a ‘ten minute mile’. Bearing this in mind, by the end of the program, you should be running roughly three miles or five kilometres.

What equipment will I need?

The only equipment you will need in addition to a good pair of running trainers, a pair of running socks and a bra, is a method of timing yourself. This could be done using your phone if it has the functionality, a cheap stop watch or a more sophisticated running watch with GPS functionality.

What happens if I miss a session?

If you miss just one session then simply skip back a session and repeat it. Likewise, if you should miss one weeks’ worth of runs for any reason, I would suggest that you skip back one week. For example, if you had run weeks one to three of the program and had to take a week off (you’d better have a good reason) I would recommend starting at the beginning of week three again. As a rough rule of thumb however many weeks you take off – jump back the equivalent so if in the case of the above example you had to take two weeks off, jump back to the beginning of week two.

What do I do once I’ve finished the program?

Once you’ve finished this program, before you increase the mileage, I would recommend that you keep running three 30 minute sessions a week for the next four weeks. At this point you could just decide that you’re happy to be a recreational runner and you’re happy with the results or you could start to gradually increase your mileage. Be patient when increasing your mileage and never increase your weekly mileage by more than 10%.

I’ve got shin splints perhaps I’m not a runner?

Not true, I had shin splints and I am a runner. It simply means that you are trying to push yourself too much. I spent most of my days clicking mouse buttons and staring at a screen, so it was a shock to my body when I started running. If you are struggling with shin splints or other aches and pains for that matter simply rest for a week and go back a week in the program. It’s not a race, slow and steady means injury free and that means a longer running career.

Will I get blisters?

Aside from the fact you will actually be getting closer and closer to running for 30 minutes continuously, many peoples motivation to start running is to ‘lose weight’.  

To keep up your motivation on this program it’s essential that you forget the idea of ‘losing weight’.

The truth is that throughout the 12 week program you may not see the scales change but what I can guarantee is that you will drop a dress or trouser size or two. I can assure you that friends are far more likely to comment on the fact that you look slimmer rather than how much you weigh.

What The?!?! What do you mean the scales might not move?

Simply put, muscle weighs more than fat and throughout the duration of this program you are bound to build some muscle - you will also lose body fat too, but if you build more muscle and lose some body fat, your body composition (proportion of fat to muscle) will change. You may not see the results of this on the scales; however, your measurements will definitely change.

In my opinion there is no better way to tone up and lose body fat than running, and losing body fat is the key concept that you need to understand.

To keep motivated this is what I would suggest:

1. Discard your weighing scales. If you must weigh yourself, do it every two weeks, on the same day of the week and at the same time but don’t get obsessed by the weighing scales.

2. Replace the scales with taking measurements of key body areas.

To monitor real progress when you are running, take measurements. I would suggest that as a minimum you take the following measurements; chest, waist, hips, upper arms and thighs. Figure 13 shows you exactly where to take these measurements. I would suggest that you record your measurements every week by creating your own chart or by downloading a ready prepared one from
http://Running4b.com
to record your progress. Figure 14 shows and example of a measurements chart.