Getting Started Running

Getting StartedGetting Started RunningRunning

Copyright 2008 JenkiNternational, LLC

Getting Started Running


Table of Contents1 - Introduction................................................................................................................................32 - First Step.....................................................................................................................................33 - What Equipment Will I Need?...................................................................................................54 - How To Save Money..................................................................................................................65 - Getting Started............................................................................................................................76 - Your First Ten Steps (Stage 1).................................................................................................107 - Your Next Ten Steps (Stage 2).................................................................................................118 - Intervals....................................................................................................................................129 - Pace Runs.................................................................................................................................1310 - LSD Runs...............................................................................................................................1411 - Hill Repeats............................................................................................................................1512 - Fartlek.....................................................................................................................................1513 - A Program for the Second 10 Steps........................................................................................1714 - Stretching................................................................................................................................1715 - Weights...................................................................................................................................1816 - Final Word..............................................................................................................................1917 - Disclaimer...............................................................................................................................1918 - Further Information................................................................................................................2019 - Resources................................................................................................................................20

Copyright 2008 JenkiNternational, LLCPage 2



1 -Introduction

So you've decided to start running. Congratulations! You're about to add a whole new dimension to your life. And you'll have a heap of fun doing it!

How do I know about these things? I have been a beginning runner for about fifteen years now.

Maybe that doesn't make sense, so I'll explain a little.

You see, various circumstances have caused me to stop running for a while and then start over. Because, unlike a lot of other sports, with running, when you've had a long layoff, you really start all over again. (OK, so you don't need to buy new shoes, perhaps, but your body needs to rebuild the strength and stamina you need to run.)

Before you start actually running, though, let's take a look at a few things you MUST do.

2 -First Step

First see your doctor. Before you undertake any new exercise program, you need to clear it with your doctor. If your doctor says "Don't run, it's bad for you -- you should walk" find a new doctor.

Some doctors who don't run still believe it's bad for you. They seem to



think that running is unnatural, but walking is normal. If you think they may be right, just take a look at young children. How often do you see them walking? Not often -- usually they run everywhere until adults stop them running and tell them to walk!

Also, when humans were hunter-gatherers we could outrun any animal. We had to -- it was the only way to get meat. Deer, for example, can run a lot faster than us, but primitive man would just run after a deer until it dropped from exhaustion, when he could spear it.

So find a doctor who is a runner. If you need help, let me know and I'll give you a list of runner MDs in your area.

Just in case you think seeing a doctor is unnecessary, I'll tell you a true story that happened to me.

A doctor told me to stop running because he found I had a popliteal aneurysm. Due to some sports injury I had suffered years earlier, an artery at the back of my knee had ballooned and was likely to rupture under stress. I asked him if it mattered, and he told me that if they could get me to the ER in time it would probably not be life-threatening, but I might lose the leg!

So I quit running until I could get it repaired. After that, I was on a walker for a few days in the hospital until I could walk out of there and eventually start (beginning) running again.

Interestingly, the person who found the problem (which had been there for some time) was not my MD, but a chiropractor! He gave me a thorough physical exam before fixing a problem in my back. So be sure that you get a good physical exam (not just a bunch of tests) before you get your physician's go-ahead.

What's Next?



OK, so you saw the doc and got your clearance and you're hot to trot. What's needed now?

3 -What Equipment Will I Need?

The good thing about running, as opposed to most sports, is that you really only need two things to get started: a watch and a pair of shoes! I'll assume you already have a watch (if not, you may be able to manage without it). So let's look at the shoes.

Whatever you do, don't start running without the right shoes. If you do, you'll be setting yourself up for injuries, and that will just make life miserable for you! It's important enough, I'll say it again:

Whatever you do, don't start running without the right shoes.

So how do you find the right shoes?

What I do is to get my shoes from Road Runner Sports. (I have used them for years, and found out that I can get a small commission from them, but it won't affect your price.) You can reach them online at http://tinyurl.com/2o5efj and order from there, and their prices are good!

RRS even has a method to choose the perfect shoes for you, called “Shoe Dog.” You answer a few questions and they'll show you the right shoes for you. In essence, there are four things you'll need to know:

1. Your arch type (high, medium or low)2. Your weight type (light, medium or heavy)3. How much you run (low, medium or high mileage)4. Whether you're a fast or a slow runner.

The last two are easy – it will be low mileage at first, and you certainly


http://tinyurl.com/2o5efj


won't be fast! You need to start running slowly, so don't get racing flats. For the first two, they'll tell you how to decide. If you get it wrong, and the shoes don't fit, don't worry – they give you time to run in them and replace them if they don't work.

Incidentally, sizing is really important. The best thing to do is to add one half size to your dress shoe size and use that as your basis. Why?

• Your feet will swell during a run• You'll probably wear thicker socks than normal• You can run without injury in shoes that are slightly large, but not in

shoes that are too small

I found that last one out the hard way – I still have a problem with one toe due to running for a while in shoes that were too tight.

Once you've got your base size, you'll find that some shoes need to be sized up a half, or even a full size. RRS will tell you.

4 -How To Save Money

Would you like me to tell you a secret on how to save even more money on your shoes?

If you're not interested in making a fashion statement by buying the latest and prettiest shoes on the market, you can save a bundle by buying the RRS “classic” shoes. These are popular older styles which are generally unobtainable in the stores. They're perfectly good shoes, just not the latest styles and colors, and they're about 2/3 to ½ the price of the new shoes, because the setup and advertising costs were recovered in earlier years.

What to do with the money saved? Buy a second pair!



You should always have two different pairs of shoes for running in order that your feet get a rest from wearing the same pair every time. That way you'll run injury-free for a lot longer than if you always wear the same pair. It may seem expensive at first, but you know what? Once you wear out a pair of shoes for running, you can always use them to kick around in!

Which brings up another point: keep your running shoes just for running. Wearing them for every day use will cause them to break down sooner and end up costing you more in shoes and injuries than if you save them for running.

5 -Getting Started

By now, you're ready to get started (I bet you thought I'd never get around to this!)

But first, a few words of caution.

When I started running, I jumped into an old pair of tennis shoes and ran out of the door like someone was chasing me. Within a few minutes, I was puffing and panting and ready to keel over. My legs hurt, my feet hurt and my lungs were bursting!

Well, you already know better about the shoes, but let's look at the rest of how to get started.

First, start out by walking. Yes, walking!

I'm assuming you're a couch potato whose most challenging exercise recently has been pressing buttons on the TV remote. The fact that



you're still reading this says to me that you're probably better than that, and certainly that you're motivated to improve!

But seriously, folks, don't do what I did! See that you can walk briskly for thirty minutes without feeling tired or strained before you do anything more strenuous. Then we're going to follow a couple of guidelines.

The first is never to increase your level of effort by more than 10% each week. For example, if your longest run is 30 minutes one week, don't try for more than 33 the next week. If your best pace is 10 minutes per mile one week, don't go faster than 9 minutes the next week. Try to stay within those parameters all through your training -- no more than 10% per week.

The second guideline is always alternate hard and easy. After a hard day, take an easy day. After a hard week, take an easy week. Simple, isn't it?

There are good reasons for both of these, and they have to do with the fact that when you exercise you are breaking down muscle fibers. It takes 48 hours on average for those fibers to repair, so that's what's happening on your easy days. Also, when you've had a tough week, it's a good idea to give your body a chance to rest for a week so that it will be strong for the next week's workouts.

And don't forget the most important thing of all -- have fun with it!



A 10K run



6 -Your First Ten Steps (Stage 1)

So here it comes -- your schedule. To start, you'll mix walking and jogging. Let's explain what I mean by jogging. It's running SLOWLY so that you don't get out of breath and could carry on a normal conversation. And we'll do it a bit at a time.

It might take ten weeks, or ten days, or ten months -- it doesn't matter, because this is YOUR program! Just do it at whatever pace works for you, but try not to skip any steps. (You'll need to keep this information, as you'll use it whenever you come back to running after a layoff.) Each workout should take 20-30 minutes (30 is better!)

You will walk a certain number of minutes and jog a certain number of minutes each workout. At first, you may not be able to repeat the sequence, but don't worry. Just do it as many times as you can, making sure to walk at the end. Once you've completed one sequence for the full thirty minutes, you're ready to move on to the next. Don't worry too much about the 10% rule or the hard/easy rule for this part -- you're just building up a base fitness level so that you can get started running.

Step Walk (minutes) Jog (minutes) Notes0 30 0 This is your base point1 5 1 Walk 5 minutes at end2 5 2 Walk 5 minutes at end3 5 3 Walk 5 minutes at end4 5 4 Walk 5 minutes at end5 5 5 Walk 5 minutes at end6 4 5 Walk 5 minutes at end7 3 5 Walk 5 minutes at end8 2 5 Walk 5 minutes at end9 1 5 Walk 5 minutes at end10 0 30 Walk 5 minutes at end



Wow! You've become a runner! Take time out to celebrate, because once you can jog for thirty minutes there's no stopping you. And what may have seemed impossible to you when you started was actually a lot easier than you thought, because you took it in tiny steps!

7 -Your Next Ten Steps (Stage 2)

Now comes the fun part. This is where we start to add some variety to our training (yes, we can call it training now!)

What we'll do is to start seriously alternatingly hard and easy days, but we'll change out what we do on the hard days.

Let's do the easy ones first -- just thirty minutes of easy jogging. I would recommend at this stage that you try to get six days a week whenever you can. When you miss a day, treat it as one of your easy days. If you miss more than one day, treat them all as easy days and get back to your schedule. If you lose a lot of time (through an injury, for example) you will need to step back in your program. The general rule is step back one week for each two weeks you missed, but let your body tell you if that's right for you.

While I think of it, it's important at this stage to listen to your body. We're all different, and what works for me may not work for you, but your body will soon let you know if you're abusing it. And, if you're in pain, stop running!

You will soon learn which aches and pains will go away if you keep running and which won't, but when in doubt, stop. To keep running with a pain that doesn't go away is asking for trouble later -- find the cause of it and do what it takes to get rid of it. Sometimes it's a simple as laying off for a week.



What we'll do now is look at three different programs that you'll work on. The first one looks pretty familiar by now -- it consists of intervals. For an interval, we run for a while at the fastest pace that is comfortable and jog to recover (the same way we jogged and walked to recover before). This time it will take at least one or two weeks for each step, because we'll jog, then run an interval and then repeat the process until the full thirty minutes is up. At first, the repeats may be too difficult to complete comfortably, so we'll just jog or walk at the end until we've built up the stamina to finish the repeats. Make sense?

It looks a bit like this:

8 -Intervals

StepWarmup (minutes)

Jog (minutes)

Run(minutes) Notes

1 1 5 1 Jog/walk 5 minutes at end2 2 5 2 Jog/walk 5 minutes at end3 3 5 3 Jog/walk 5 minutes at end4 4 5 4 Jog/walk 5 minutes at end5 5 5 5 Jog/walk 5 minutes at end6 5 4 5 Jog/walk 5 minutes at end7 5 3 5 Jog/walk 5 minutes at end8 5 2 5 Jog/walk 5 minutes at end9 5 1 5 Jog/walk 5 minutes at end10 5 0 30 Jog/walk 5 minutes at end

Notice the warmup at the start of each of these interval runs is the same length as the “run” part. It's not strictly necessary to do this, since the jog is a warmup in itself, but if you use a watch with an interval timer it works well. You might find one of those a good investment at this stage ― I have a Timex Ironman, but you need to check the model to see that it has the interval timer. You can pick one up for about $30-40.

This is a tough program! I find it takes about two weeks for each step,



so it will be about four or five months before I complete this part of the program. Of course, once I'm there, I can extend it by repeating the whole thing and stepping up the pace – faster jogging and running.

The benefit of intervals is that you'll be building up speed as well as stamina. And if you decide to race, they're great when you want to pass someone who is just ahead of you!

One word of caution -- it's best not to do intervals more than once per week.

9 -Pace RunsPace runs add another dimension to your running program. The idea here is to gradually build up your speed. The way it works is that after your warmup, you step up the pace for a while and then drop back to jogging. It goes something like this:

StepWarmup(minutes)

Pace(minutes) Notes

1 10 1 Jog/walk 19 minutes at end2 10 2 Jog/walk 18 minutes at end3 10 3 Jog/walk 17 minutes at end4 10 4 Jog/walk 16 minutes at end5 10 5 Jog/walk 15 minutes at end6 10 6 Jog/walk 14 minutes at end7 10 7 Jog/walk 13 minutes at end8 10 8 Jog/walk 12 minutes at end9 10 9 Jog/walk 11 minutes at end10 10 10 Jog/walk 10 minutes at end11 10 11 Jog/walk 9 minutes at end... ... ...15 10 15 Jog/walk 5 minutes at end

Why is it called a pace run? Because the pace you're running at is about



what you'll use for a 5K or 10K run when you're racing.

Once again, pace runs are a once-a-week thing. I like to start with a slightly longer warmup, depending on how long it takes me to get comfortable running. Sometimes, I'll warm up indoors and go straight into the pace run, taking a longer cooldown at the end. This works well for me in colder weather. Just do what you find best for you, and remember to have fun with it!

10 -LSD Runs

What a trip!

No, it stands for long, slow distance runs. Once a week (not more, unless you're willing to take a risk) do a long, slow run. You don't need a table for this, because you'll start with jogging for thirty minutes and then just add 10% a week until you decide you've gone long enough. I usually quit at about two hours. Then I'll start slowly increasing my pace by running 10% further in the two hour period. Again, though, do whatever works for you. If an hour is enough, just do that.

The idea here is to increase your stamina and your ability to run distances. It's also a great time for getting creative. Your mind will go into alpha state after a while, just as though you were meditating. I find that most of my creative thoughts (such as the idea of writing this e-Book) come when I'm on my LSD run. For me, the weekly long run is such a joy that I look forward to it the way most people look forward to weekends!

One word of caution. These are the runs where you are most in danger of dehydration, even in the winter. So always carry water with you on any run over one hour, and preferably any run over thirty minutes. If you prefer a sports drink, that's OK, too. (Not beer, though!)



By the way, did you check back with your doctor yet? You probably should, because you're getting into some serious running now, and you might want to get his or her clearance on it.

11 -Hill RepeatsIf you are lucky enough to live somewhere where there are some hills, take advantage of them to build strength and stamina. The technique is to run up the hill and jog down. There are two types -- long hills and short, steep hills -- and both are good training. Mix them up, if you can: one day long hills, another day short hills. Once again, once a week is enough for hill work.

Hill runs are really great for building strength, and they also give you a chance to vary your program to save from getting bored. Substitute hill runs occasionally for your interval or pace runs, or use them to replace the LSD runs on occasions when you're short of time.

If you can't find any hills in your area, be inventive. Parking lot ramps, for example, are great for this!

12 -FartlekUnless you're already a runner, you probably haven't heard of this. It's a Swedish word which translates roughly to "speed play". Instead of intervals, you just run at your normal pace and every now and then put in a short burst of speed. It's a lot of fun, and really gets your excitement going.

When running gets boring, try a little fartlek.



The author near the end of an LSD run



13 -A Program for the Second 10 Steps

Here is a suggested program for your second ten steps in running:

Day Activity AlternativeSunday Easy jog No activityMonday Intervals Hill RunsTuesday Easy jog No activityWednesday Pace Run FartlekThursday Easy jog No activityFriday No activity Easy jogSaturday LSD LSD

Note that this shows a minimum of four and a maximum of six days per week training. Some weeks you can run seven days, but I don't recommend that you do it all the time, unless you're trying for a streak. Especially when you're starting out, your body needs to rest occasionally.

14 -Stretching

Runners need to stretch. Actually, we all do, but runners need it more than most. You should stretch before and especially after running. The details of what stretches to do and how to do them are beyond the scope of this little booklet, but the principles I use are, briefly:

Before running, 15 seconds of Achilles stretch (runner's stretch) for each leg.



After running, 30 seconds stretch each side of: Achilles Quadriceps Hamstring Calves Ileo-tibial band.

The first fifteen seconds of each stretch is just to get the flexibility back to normal. The second is the developmental stretch to go deeper and add flexibility.

15 -Weights

Finally, you need to do some weight training to complete your fitness regimen. The object here is not to bulk up, but to do two other things:

First, you need to do some upper body work to make up for the fact that your lower body is the only part exercising while you're running.

Second, you can build some extra leg strength which will help your running by using weights.

The problem I have is that I find weight training boring! If you enjoy it, go right ahead with whatever you're doing now, but if not, I have a suggestion of how you can cheat like I do!

The general idea is that you do your weight training on the "easy days" using the run as a warmup, but I found that after my easy run I really didn't feel like doing weights. However, I really need to do some weight work, so what I do is cheat. I carry some light weights with me on my easy days. Not as good as serious weight training, but hey, it's better than nothing!



16 -Final Word

Well, that's not all I know about running, but it's a good start for you. Congratulations on your decision to run and on having struggled through all this stuff about how to do it. I know I haven't answered all your questions, but at least I hope you are now in a better position to know what to ask.

If you sign up for my free newsletter, you'll get more running tips to help you on this incredible journey you've started. I promise I won't spam you -- you'll just get one e-mail a week (unless something really exciting comes up) and you can cancel them at any time.

Welcome to running, and good luck!

Above all, have fun with it.

17 -DisclaimerNeither Alan Jenkin nor JenkiNternational assume any liability whatsoever for the use of or inability to use any or all of the information contained in his Web Sites, Blogs, emails, reports, ebooks, audios, broadcasts and newsletters.

The information expressed and contained in Alan Jenkin's Web Sites, Blogs, emails, reports, ebooks, audios, broadcasts and newsletters are solely the opinion of the author based on his personal observations and years of experience and those of 3rd parties.

Use this information at your own risk. Be responsible! Always do your own due diligence.



18 -Further Information

For further information, you can refer to my website at http://www.beginning-running.com, where you will find many other links. One of the links is to a newsletter service designed for beginning runners, which will provide newsletters on topics of interest as well as other e-Books like this one. The newsletters will arrive about once or twice per week.

19 -Resources

Here are some other useful links:

Anti-Aging Fitness ProgramChange Your Body And Be Admired - How To Get The Sexy Sleek Attractive Look You've Always Dreamed Of.

Develop Killer SpeedA Training Manual For Increasing Your Running Speed.

Developing Youth Speed An Easy To Follow Manual With A 9-week Program.

Athlete Recipes


http://beginningr.soforreal.hop.clickbank.net/

http://beginningr.sportx.hop.clickbank.net/

http://beginningr.strasser.hop.clickbank.net/

http://beginningr.antiaging4.hop.clickbank.net/

http://www.beginning-running.com/

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Getting Started Running