Marion Freijsen A blog about Sports, Fitness & Health

Running Schedule

It’s Spring… finally! Spring means you wanna get outside again, (well if it isn’t raining too much

Spring also means that you start looking at that bathing suit or trunks and wonder how it’s going to look this year. Or rather more pertinently – how YOU are going to look. So Spring is the time a lot of people try and make good on those resolutions they made early on in January when it was all still dark outside and spring seemed far off – to get in shape. And that means, for a good many people, that they pluck their running shoes out of the back of that attic cupboard, and start running.

You’ll know by now that I strongly advise doing things in a bit more measured way. That means you can start running to one lamppost and then tomorrow two lampposts and next week round the block – that is fine. But to make it even easier, I have pasted my favourite running schedule below. I use it still – whenever I got injured, this is what I base my ‘come-back’ on. It’s a great schedule, it’s safe for most people (if you have any concerns, go see a doctor first and all that) and it’s a nice incremental way that’ll have you amazed when completing your first 10k run in only 4 months!!

Couple of quick rules:

1. Form is very important – particularly when you are getting tired, make sure you still run “well”!
2. Minutes given below for walking always equal the prior running period, unless otherwise stated
3. Never do more then 1 Stage per day
4. Don’t run more then 3x a week
5. Don’t increase more then 3 stages in one week
6. If a stage feels good, and comfortable, then proceed to the next stage.
7. Never skip a stage – if you are experienced and are just getting back into running, you can start at stage 3 or 4. If you are building up post-injury, start at week 1!