Sunday would have been the day that Chicago hosted the annual city marathon, so this week I have decided to focus my posts around one of my most favourite activities running! I absolutely love distance running, and competing in the Chicago marathon every year is truly one of the things I look forward to. This year, I will be running virtually on Thursday and while it will be no where near the real experience, I am excited to get out there and get the miles in.
One of the most common questions I get asked is, how do I start running? So here I am going to attempt to break it down.
Firstly, if you have the motivation to get out there and get running then you are already half way there and once one you are ready to run, the good news is that because you’ll be moving faster than when you are walking, you’ll cover longer distances without adding workout time to your schedule – YAY!
Below you will see I have put together a 6 week plan, if you follow along you’ll be able to complete 185 minutes of exercise per week, running for more than twice as long as you walk
In the first two weeks, you’ll exercise for roughly 30 minutes, five days per week. Then, in week 3, you’ll start running.
Up The Ante: If you find yourself ready for a bit more of a challenge, you can pick up the pace: On any given day, work out for the same amount of time, but gradually build to a run/walk ratio of 4:2 minutes, then 6:3 minutes.
Slow It Down: If you find the plan is moving too quickly for you and want to dial it back, you can repeat any week for as long as you like, until you feel ready to move forward.
Are you a running? Do you want to start? Download the PDF and give the schedule ago. Let me know what you think and if you enjoy your new running routine.