Last week I received this email from a runner…
“Hi Beka. So I wondered if you have a beginner's running program to get ready to train for a half marathon! Last year I had foot surgery and had to take some time off. Then I just got in the habit of being lazy, so it’s super frustrating, but I have to start all over from the beginning. I want to get back into shape and be able to run a half marathon!”
Then I recently received this one…
“ Hi Beka. I'm due to have a baby any day now, and my goal is to run a half next fall. Any tips or thoughts about getting back into running after our little one arrives?”
It’s not the first time I’ve been asked how to get started again. I’ve been there myself and I know how frustrating it can be when we feel like we’ve let our health and fitness slip. Often it’s due to circumstances out of our control, but that doesn’t make it any less intimidating to get started again. But it’s important to remember that the worst thing we can do is just NOT START because we dread how difficult it’s going to be. I’ve been there too… where I keep putting off “getting back into it” because I know it’s going to be a long and arduous process to get back to where I want to be. I want to give you the weapons that will help you fight the battle of getting back into running! Some of you may not need this information right now… you’re in one of those sweet spots where you’re motivated and consistent and killing it! Awesome! But some of you aren’t there. You’re in one of those seasons of life where every run is a struggle! You want to make positive choices and you want to be consistent, but if you’re totally honest, the drive just isn’t there. YOU’RE IN GOOD COMPANY! Part of being human is dealing with the inevitable valleys that always follow the mountaintops. When you see runners or other “fitness people” on social media that appear to always be motivated and consistent… TRUST ME! You’re not seeing the whole picture. Those people may have figured out how to deal with their valleys, but they definitely still have them! You’re not alone! So, how do we deal with the valleys? How do we find the motivation and the drive and get started again? After years of running and several seasons where I’ve had to essentially start all over again, I can tell you that there are two weapons you absolutely must have if you’re going to win this battle! You need PATIENCE and you need a PLAN! YOU NEED PATIENCE I've often wished there was a “silver bullet” or a quick fix for rebuilding running fitness! If there was a pill or a procedure or SOMETHING to just get me there, I’d be willing to pay just about any price. But the reality is that there are no short cuts. You need patience because you have to be willing to spend a significant amount of time BETWEEN “here” and “there”. We live in an impatient world and we’re used to being able to get the things we want in a short amount of time, so we get frustrated when we don’t see immediate results. But running fitness is built slowly… one step at a time. And we sabotage ourselves when we get impatient and decide that just because we’re not there yet, we’re never going to get there. That simply isn’t true! When you’re just starting out again you will have to build your mileage slowly. You will feel out of breath sometimes. Your pace will be slower than it was before. You will struggle to complete a run that would have felt easy to you before. THIS IS ALL PART OF THE PROCESS! I have a small picture hanging in my son’s room that says, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step”. I want him to always remember that big goals can be accomplished as long as he’s willing to take them one step at a time. So, be patient with yourself. Be patient with your body as it catches up and adjusts to your new routine. Be patient with the time it takes to build your strength and endurance. Remember when you’re struggling that it’s not in vain! Every step is getting you closer to your goal! YOU NEED A PLAN It’s one thing to say you want to build your running fitness, and it’s quite another to actually have a plan to get you there! When a runner tells me they want to get back into running and build their fitness back up, the first thing I ask them is, “what’s your plan?” You need a plan because, when we leave it up to chance, most of us will just stay on the couch. We need to break our running goals down into an achievable plan with measurable milestones. For someone who wants to get back to the running fitness needed to train for a half marathon, these are the milestones I recommend: Milestone #1: Find time in your schedule for 3-4 workouts every week (walking or running). It doesn’t have to be a specific distance and it can be walking OR running OR a walk/run, but if you want to have any success, your first goal should be consistency. I would much rather you ran for 20 minutes 3 times a week than for an hour once a week. Before you even start to worry about your pace or your mileage or your breathing or anything like that, commit to consistency. You must find time in your weekly schedule to walk or run at least 3 times each week. Milestone #2: Increase the duration of each workout to at least 30 minutes. Once you have consistency, begin increasing the duration of your walks or runs until each is at least half an hour long. Don’t be concerned with whether you’re able to run for the whole half hour. The important thing is that your heart-rate is elevated throughout those 30 minutes. Milestone #3: Be able to run continuously for 30 minutes. Now that you’re consistently walking or running for half an hour at least 3 times each week, your next goal is to be able to run for the entire half hour. The best way to achieve this is by incorporating regular walking breaks and then slowly cutting back on those breaks until you can run continuously for 30 minutes. Milestone #4: Be able to run 3 miles comfortably. It can take several weeks to achieve consistency and then build up to running for 30 minutes continuously, but once you’re there, the final milestone you need to hit before you can train for your first half is being able to run approximately 3 miles comfortably. I use the term “comfortably” loosely! I’m not saying that it has to be a piece of cake, but I am saying that you should be able to run this distance without feeling significantly fatigued or needing significant amounts of recovery time before feeling back-to-normal after your run. So, now you have a PLAN! Instead of one all-encompassing goal of “get back in running shape”, you have some very measurable milestones to work on hitting over the next several weeks! And you also know that PATIENCE is going to play a huge role in sticking with your plan. I’ve developed a 4-week training schedule designed to make hitting these milestones even easier for you by walking you through 4 weeks of specific walk/run workouts. Click Here if you’d like to download the training schedule and get started! Comment below and let me know… Are you just getting back into running? What’s your end goal and what challenges are holding you back?