How to get back into running
Running has a load of benefits, one of those being it requires zero equipment or experience to get started, and it can be done anywhere. So for those of us who are locked out of gyms right now, it’s a great way to maintain or improve fitness and relieve some stress.
One of the downsides to running is that it can be easy to get disheartened. As I’ve figured for myself, if you head out without a plan it can be easy to start off strong but then fizzle out quickly and end up feeling overly puffed and fatigued, from not a quantitatively huge amount of energy output.
So even though you might feel like you’ve done a huge amount of work, you’d probably have had a more effective workout by just going on a brisk walk in a hilly area (which is also really good for you!).
Don’t let this discourage you though - because with the right plan running can be a great addition to your routine (assuming you don’t have any injuries or muscular imbalances that running could make worse). My biggest tip, is to keep your ego at the door, and go slower than you think that you need to- until you actually have the fitness level to run for an extended period of time.
My next tip is to decide what your running goal is. Do you want to run 5 km non stop, or do you want to run 5 km in under 30 minutes? Do you want to be able to run for 60 minutes non stop, or just be able to run 10 km? Set your goal by thinking about where your fitness is right now, what you’ve been able to do in the past, and what would genuinely make you feel pretty awesome to achieve.
As a baseline, I think that most people should be able to run for 20 minutes non stop, unless they have a health condition or injury which would prevent them from achieving that.
I personally think that using time based goals (rather than distance based goals) is better for goal setting with running, because distance goals are not always practical from a time perspective. Unless you are training for a marathon or half marathon, there is very little benefit to doing runs that are longer than 10 km for ‘health’ purposes. If you can already run 10 km, you should just try to work on increasing the speed and difficulty (hills, bumpy terrain, etc.) of your runs if you want to keep improving your fitness.
Next, you need a plan to help you reach that goal. A good plan will gradually increase in intensity week by week, allowing your body to adapt without burnout.
You shouldn’t be feeling sick, wiped out, depleted or sore after your runs.
You should be feeling energised and happy, and like you probably could have kept going if you wanted to.
With ANY workout- you do NOT need to push yourself to absolute extremes, running is no different.
So, instead of just heading out there and running for as long as you can until you need to walk, my suggestion would be to follow some sort of plan that looks a bit like this:
Goal: Run 20 minutes non stop. Deadline: 9 weeks time
Week 1: 2 x 20 minute running/walking workouts.
4 minutes walking
2 minutes running, 2 minutes walking, repeated for 4 sets (total 16 minutes).
Week 2: 2 x 20 minute running/walking workouts.
2 minutes walking
2 minutes running, 2 minutes walking, repeated for 5 sets (total 20 minutes)
Week 3: 2 x 20 minute running/walking workouts.
2 minutes walking
3 minutes running, 2 minutes walking, repeated for 4 sets (total 20 minutes)
Week 4: 2 x 20 minute running/walking workouts.
2 minutes walking
4 minutes running, 1 minute walking, repeated for 4 sets (total 20 minutes)
Week 5: 2 x 20 minute running/walking workouts.
2 minutes walking
5 minutes running, 1 minute walking, repeated for 3 sets (total 18 minutes)
Week 6: 2 x 20 minute running/walking workouts.
2 minutes walking
7 minutes running, 3 minutes walking, repeated for 2 sets (total 20 minutes)
Week 7: 2 x 20 minute running/walking workouts.
2 minutes walking
8 minutes running, 2 minutes walking, repeated for 2 sets (total 20 minutes)
Week 8: 2 x 20 minute running/walking workouts.
2 minutes walking
9 minutes running, 1 minute walking, repeated for 2 sets (total 20 minutes)
Week 9: Test week: Try going for 20 minutes non stop.
Following a plan like this is going to yield much better results long term than winging it with your runs every time. Obviously if you are already able to run for 20 minutes non stop, you could set a more challenging goal, such as 30, 45 or 60 minutes- but see how it feels to follow a similar strategy with your running plan and notice the difference it makes.
It seems counter-intuitive, but it has been proven that by including planned rest breaks into your run, purposely going slower than you may want to, you can more effectively increase your stamina and eventually be able to run for much longer.
