Back into the Swing of Running

Workouts to get you running again an back into the swing of running.

What happens when life gets crazy?  You miss a run.  Then you miss another and with each passing day it becomes harder and harder to get back in the swing of things and start running again.  If you just pick up where you left off, say a 30 minute run, you’re a likely to feel sore the next day.  You may have sore muscles but your ego will probably be a little sore, too.  You’ll remember when running for 30 minutes was easy and you will probably feel a little discouraged.  These workouts are designed to help you gradually get back into the running groove, and keep it up.

Five Minutes:

If you’ve had an especially long running hiatus, just five minutes of running will be enough to give you an energy boost, and it won’t leave you tired.  Try this:  run for two and a half minutes from your starting point, then take a break and run back.  The next time you go out, build on this base and add another segment with a walk break in between.  You’re running for ten minutes!  As you begin to feel stronger add more segments and decrease your rest or walk breaks.  Gradually, you will build a foundation and in the mean time, running will begin to feel more natural.

10 Minutes:

For 10-15 minutes, alternate running for 30 seconds and walking for 30 seconds.  The running segments will be easy to handle both mentally and physically, and the walk breaks will give your muscles a chance to recover.  Once this becomes comfortable, increase your run by five to 10 minutes every other day.  Over time, decrease your walk breaks and increase the time you spend running.

Building Blocks:

Scope out a quiet block near your home or office and set a goal to run around the block just once.  Each time you run try to increase the amount of times you circle the block by one time.  To keep it interesting develop new routes.  As you take on more blocks, you’ll learn the neighborhood, and be back in the swing of running!

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hamed/258971456/

July 10th, 2009 by Aspen Streetman | Posted in Tips, Training | (1)