So, if you’re following
along here, you are completely hydrated, all stretched, and well-equipped to
run. What’s next?
SIT DOWN.
Take a few minutes to plan
and your training will go much more smoothly!
Where will you run?
If you've already been walking or running and have a route you like,
stick with that this week. If you've never run before, pick a place you can
run/walk for about 15-20 minutes, then turn around. Don't worry about the
distance right now. The simplest,
easiest route is to head out your front door and start your timer there. As you get more comfortable, you might
want to venture out to local trails or other interesting places to run, but to
start, try and keep things as simple as possible. Just think about where you’ll have a safe place to
comfortably run/walk for about 15-20 minutes in one direction. As simple as it sounds, just taking the
time to think about where you’re going will go a long way towards getting you
there!
Next, figure out which days next week you're going to run/walk.
If you're really good, you can even plan the exact time. I never do that-- I
have to wait and see what the weather's doing and what my day is like and how I
feel. I also have to think about
my schedule and when the sun's going down. I never know exactly what time I’ll run, but I always know
which days.
You need to choose 3 days to run with a day off in between.
Your options basically start with which weekdays work best for
you: Monday and Wednesday or
Tuesday and Thursday. Then pick
your weekend day: Monday/Wednesday
runners can choose Friday or Saturday for their third day, while Tuesday/Thursday
runners can choose Saturday or Sunday.
Think about your schedule, your activities, your typical week and
weekend and figure out how you’ll fit in 3 days with rest days in between.
Choose your days, and MARK IT ON THE CALENDAR!
It's easiest if your training days are the same every week, but in
real life, that may not work for you, and it's fine. Just be sure to plan to
take a day off in between training days! Don't stress about the whole month,
just look at next week for right now.
A great question you’re likely to have, as one of my good friends
did: "So when you say rest,
so you mean no exercise? I usually go to the gym every day, elliptical weights,
etc.....or is it still ok, just no running/walking?"
I really mean rest. Take the day off.
If you want to do some kind of exercise, weights (upper body) or
core work, pilates, yoga... any of those would be great. But definitely no
running two days in a row, and ideally, no cardio on your non-running days.
Having said that, I am the poster child for resisting rest days.
When I started this journey, almost a year ago, I was working
out on an elliptical trainer every day, 7 days a week, no rest days. I did that
for 5 months, and only missed 3 days, and only because I had no access to a gym
those days. That's actually why I started running-- no access to a gym. I was
lucky to make it that long without getting injured. I was even more lucky that
I was intercepted by a friend who introduced me to running, and then once I was
hooked, only agreed to help me with a training plan if I agreed to take a rest
day at least once a week!
When I started, I did still do the elliptical on my non-running
days, and took Saturdays completely OFF. I didn't do anything-- no weights, no
yoga, not so much as a push up. Nothing. But when I started training for the half
marathon, I really had to take those non-running days off as well. I do yoga or
pilates, and weights (arms, abs), but that's it. No cardio.
I know, you ran today and it felt great, so you are itching to
go again tomorrow, right? I've been there, trust me! But here's how it works--
when you run, tiny tears develop in the muscles you're working. On your rest
days, those tears heal and your muscles grow. If you don't rest, you just keep
tearing-- no healing, no growth.
At shorter distances, you'd probably be ok to do some cardio
between running days. But do something that doesn't put pressure on your
hamstrings, quads, calves and ankles like running does. Cycling is ok, but no
spin classes!! Walking or swimming are great options!
But again, ideally... just
rest!! You'll be glad you did!
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