Every year, more than 40,000 people run the London Marathon, and many other thousand people run in the hundreds of marathons around the world. Running has become a very popular sport but starting can be quite difficult as it can lead to different overuse kind of injuries. Most of those issues can be avoided as they are mainly related to lack of information or rushing in the running plan, etc.
So don’t worry, we will help you with that!
Let’s start:
1. Find a goal:
Lots of runners sign up for a race to get the motivation, stay focused and keep on a regular running schedule. If this is the case just consider that the first one does not have to be a marathon and also take in account whether or not you’ve got enough time to train for it – there is no rush!
2. Adopt the run- walk method:
Running seems to be the easiest exercises, “it´s just open the door and go”, but the truth is that you need more than good motivation, you will need PREPARATION. The body is able to adapt to any kind of demands but needs to learn and build up skills to achieve proficiency.
For any running plan, even for the professionals, the most important thing is that you avoid moving to fast, too soon!
For beginners, the run-walk method will give you a safe and comfortable progression, taking the time for your body to recovery and adapt, avoiding injuries.
It is very simple and safe: running for a few minutes, followed by a period of walking. Here’s a great example below:
| Week | Sessions per week | Times | Series |
| 1 | 2 or 3 | Run 1 min – walk 2 min | X 8 |
| 2 | 2 or 3 | Run 1 min – walk 1 min | X 8 |
| 3 | 2 or 3 | Run 2 min – walk 1 min | X 8 |
| 4 | 2 or 3 | Run 3 min – walk 1 min | X 6 |
| 5 | 3 | Run 4 min – walk 1 min | X 5 |
| 6 | 3 | Run 5 min – walk 1 min | X 4 |
| 7 | 3 | Run 10 min – walk 2 min | X 3 |
| 8 | 3 | Run 15 min – walk 1 min | X 2 |
| 9 | 3 | Run 20 min non stop | |
| 10 | 3 | Run 25 min non stop |
Take this programme as a reference, but if you feel too tired or not 100% comfortable add one minute walk between rounds. There is no rush!
3. Relevance of planning:
As we mentioned before, running requires adaptation so in order to achieve that it is important to expose your body a regular training. Running once every 2 weeks will not be enough for you to get better. Plan your week and and ensure you are covering a few runs per week; considering speed, distance, short and long runs! Don’t forget your rehab exercises alongside your running!
4. Warm up and Cool down:
Don’t forget to factor it time for a thorough warm-up and cool down period. The warm up will not only bring more blood flow to the muscles, but will prepare your neuromuscular system for better control, and start raising your heart beat progressively, to make your body work more efficiently.
Finally, when you are able to run consistently for 20 min or more, start to mix the running with days of strength training, to improve all your physical capacities and avoid injuries!
Running has many benefits, but can also cause a lot of physical harm if not done properly. If you’re still not sure where to start, contact us and we will guide you!
