Last month, after Cindy and I finished the juice fast, I wrote “I got to where I am by making lots of small negative changes over an extended period of time that felt good in the short-term but resulted in negative long-terms consequences. I’m not talking about just my weight here, either. So, the only way to undo it without ‘falling off the wagon’, to my mind, is to make lots of small positive changes over an extended period of time that may feel uncomfortable in the short-term but will result in positive long-terms gains.” And when I said “small positive changes over an extended period of time” I meant it because I’ve now put myself on one of the most gradual running programs I’ve ever seen. It’s almost ridiculous, but since I’ve never been a runner — that is, I’ve never been able to run very far or for very long, even when I wasn’t overweight — I feel pretty good about this plan.
On Monday, after doing 30 minutes of cardio on the elliptical machine, and lifting some weights, I ran 0.20 miles on the treadmill. That’s one-fifth of a mile. That’s it, and that’s all. And it was plenty. I spent the next 20 minutes walking around trying to get my burning calves to loosen up. I could barely walk.
Yesterday, I ran 0.30 miles, and while I was huffing after just a few minutes, my legs felt fine afterwards.
My plan is to add one-tenth of a mile each day until I can run one whole mile without stopping. It’s something almost everyone I know can already do, but I have never been able to. Never. After that, I’ll keep going until I can do a 5K.
Today, I had planned on adding one-tenth of a mile to my run, bringing it up to 0.40 miles without stopping. Instead, I did 0.60 miles, which is damn good for me. My legs were getting a little tight near the end, but I felt okay. An hour later, I was feeling better than okay. I felt great.
Maybe there’s something to this running thing after all.
UPDATED: 09.22.2011 - Based on the advice in the comments from Scott, I’m making some changes to this plan. Now that I’ve reached the 1-mile milestone, I won’t be adding any distance to my runs for at least a week. Instead, I’ll be running the same distance (1 mile) every day for least a week to try to build up my cardio strength. When running 1 mile becomes easy, I’ll re-evaluate what my next milestone should be.
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{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
I think it’s a fabulous plan! I’m so proud of you!
I am also proud of you. I also like that you are doing this all on your own. Finding your own health path. I love you.
Good for you! Also, many people would not be able to run a mile even after 10 days. Especially after doing other stuff before it. Loads of people don’t even walk that much. Breaking it down to 1/10 of a mile at a time makes it sound so much more do-able.
I cannot run a whole mile without stopping and I’m pretty sure I’ve never done so. You’re way ahead of me and I’d never have thought of breaking it down like that. Sounds like a brilliant plan!
Awesome! Good plan. I <3 you!
Go! Go! Go! Run Forest Run!
While I think it’s great that you’re working out, I would advise that you *not* do it the way you are planning. Adding 1/10th of a mile a day will ramp up your distance before you are strong enough. Instead, run the same distance for a week—or until it is relatively easy for you.
One of the really nice things about beginning running when you’re out of shape/overweight (I speak from experience here) is that when you’re moving a lot of weight around, you build up strength (even over short distances), which means that once you get your lungs and heart in shape, you can run farther, which means that the weight begins to melt away.
So take it a week at a time, not a day.
I ran 1 mile today (the first one I’ve ever run without stopping). It was pretty tough, but I recovered faster than I did after my first run (the 1/5th mile on Monday). So, I’m going to do that 1 mile for at least a week. Thanks for the advice.
You can also imagine your weeks as a kind of bell curve: mon and tues you run a half mile, weds a mile, thurs and fri a half mile. Take sat and sun off.
At this stage, resting is crucial. You have to let your body recover.
As I was reading I was thinking pretty much what Scott said. Great idea, but I don’t want you to do too much too fast. In any case, be careful and this sounds like a totally doable program that I am stealing.
Yeah, I changing the plan to weekly, based on what Scott said. I just needed something so ridiculously easy to get me started without feeling overwhelmed.
Thanks for all the encouraging words, everybody!
My suggestion is to continue to run your mile, but adjust your time. Try to improve your time 5 or 10 seconds each day. Use your little steps though to keep improving on your big step. It’s funny to me that you posted this week, because I’ve been thinking about preparing to run the say way you’ve done. I promised my neice i’d run a half with her next summer. Unlike you, I’ve run miles at a time, but I haven’t done it since high school—that was a long damn time ago! It, however, was funny to see you actually doing what I’ve been thinking about.
Keep going, keep improving, and know that you actually started something and acheived it! Chris I’ve believed in you since I met you. Now start trusting yourself first.
Robin’s advice is good (although 5 to 10 seconds a day is only manageable for your first 3 miles, I’d bet). When you can run a mile in some arbitrary time (10 minutes?) the add a half mile at a slower pace.
One of the things that really helped me get into the routine was that I had a set of podcasts that I listen to while I run (BBC’s Best of Today, NPR’s Most Emailed Stories, etc.) that tend to be a set time. It helps me judge distance and pace. It also helps fold the exercise into some other routine, which made it stick (for me). Now I don’t feel like I’m awake unless I’ve run at least 3 or 4 miles.