My Running Program

I feel like I reference this a lot in my posts, but I don’t give anyone an idea of what I am exactly doing.  This program is not the C25K program, but it has a similar end goal of running for 30 minutes straight (which at a 10 minute mile is just a little less than a 5k).  I adapted this program from this website to better fit my workout routine.

A few  notes before I go into the program:

You really should see a doctor before you start running, especially if you are overweight like me.

I highly recommend getting your cardiovascular system in shape before running.  I did this by using a recumbent bicycle regularly for a few months before beginning this program.  Running is hard on your body, especially when you are starting out.  You should give your body as many breaks as you can by making sure that your lungs and heart are ready for the challenge.

 

It is about a 3 minute walk (and a flight of stairs) from the nearest parking space to my gym doors.  When I start off with stretching before my run, my muscles are already fairly warmed up from my walk.  You should never stretch cold muscles because it won’t do you any good.  If you’re walking 20 feet from your car to your gym, I strongly suggest spending 3-5 minutes doing a light cardio routine before stretching.

Also, I try not to do my runs back to back to back so that I can give my body a chance to recover.  I usually do my runs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, but there is flexibility built into the program.  That being said, I labeled the days in a way that you could fit them into your own routine should you choose to use this.

Week 1

Day1: Stretch, walk 10 minutes, run 1 minute walk 1 minute (3 times), walk 4 minutes, stretch

Day 2: Stretch, walk 10, run 1 walk 1 (4 times), walk 2 min, stretch

Day 3: Stretch, walk 8, run 1 walk 1 (5 times), walk 2, stretch

Week 2

Day 1: Stretch, walk 6, run 2 walk 2 (3 times), walk 2, stretch

Day 2: Stretch, walk 10, run 1 walk 1 (5 times), walk 5, stretch

Day 3: Stretch, walk 10, run 1 walk 1 (6 times), walk 3, stretch

Week 3

Day 1: Stretch, walk 10, run 2 walk 1 (4 times), walk 3, stretch

Day 2: Stretch, walk 8,  run 2 walk 1 (5 times), walk 2, stretch

Day 3: Stretch, walk 10, run 1 walk 1 (5 times), walk 10, stretch

Week 4

Day 1: Stretch, walk 10, run 1 walk 1 (8 times), walk 4, stretch

Day 2: Stretch, walk 10, run 2 walk 1 (5 times), walk 5, stretch

Day 3: Stretch, walk 5, run 2 walk 1 (7 times), walk 4, stretch

Week 5

Day 1: Stretch, walk 5, run 3 walk 1 (5 times), walk 5, stretch

Day 2: Stretch, walk 4, run 5 walk 1 (4 times), walk 2, stretch

Day 3: Stretch, walk 4, run 5 walk 1 (4 times), walk 2, stretch

Week 6

Day 1: Stretch, walk 5, run 8 walk 3 (2 times), walk 3, stretch

Day 2: Stretch, walk 5, run 10, walk 5, run 5, walk 5, stretch

Day 3: Stretch, walk 5, run 12, walk 3, run 5, walk 5, stretch

Week 7

Day 1: Stretch, walk 10, run 15, walk 5, stretch

Day 2: Stretch, walk 6, run 18, walk 6, stretch

Day 3: Stretch, walk 5, run 20, walk 5, stretch

Week 8

Day 1: Stretch, walk 5, run 22, walk 3, stretch

Day 2: Stretch, walk 3, run 25, walk 2, stretch

Day 3: Stretch, walk 2, run 30, walk 2, stretch (Hooray!  You ran for 30 minutes!)