Beginning Running Training

About a year ago, I had made the decision to get into shape.  I had been unemployed for 6 months ( stupid economy), and during that time, I dropped in weight from 227 down to about 205.  I attribute that weight loss to nothing more than not eating out for lunch, and cooking more dinners at home.  It’s quite amazing what can come from having to cut costs.  I had just turned 40, and although I was losing weight, I was certainly not in shape.  I doubt I could run more than a few minutes before passing out.

I first made the decision to get more hiking.    I had bought most all of the gear a number of years previous, but had never gotten out there.  Story of my life…  Anyway, after a number of hikes, I realized I would need to get into other forms of more strenuous activities if I truly wanted to drop the guy I was, and get into better shape.  I also realized that I was hiking for the pleasure of being in the outdoors, and the small fitness gain was just a bonus.  In all truthfulness, I would rather hike any day, but hiking was not getting me into the shape as I was targeting.

Along came the internet!  After doing a number of Google searches, I found a few beginner running programs that looked like they would mostly fit the bill.  The only problem with them, was I believe they were designed by in-shape people.  I was not one of them, and I knew if I started one of them, at age 40, I would certainly fail.  So, I took a few bullet points from a number of them and created my own – Designed by an out of shape 40 year old, to be used by out of shape 40 year olds.  OK, maybe not just out of shape 40 years olds, but you get the point.

So, here it is.  It’s pretty basic – You run/walk for 20 minutes, every other day for 12 weeks.  Each week you either drop your walk time or ramp up your run time, but still keeping it within the 20 minute window.  At the end of the 12 week program, you should be able to run 20 minutes without a problem.  Don’t get me wrong, this is all theoretical, but I am currently in week 2, and will see this through to the end.

And, as I am not a doctor, take this info for what it’s worth – I’m posting it for motivational purposes only.  See your own Doc before you go out and injure yourself by starting a new program…