Happy Spring! This Sunday’s Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle, for many, is the first race of the season – and many, like me, are barely ready to run. But I wouldn’t miss it for the world! It’s such a festive day that marks opening day of running season in Chicago!
The downside of the event, for those signed up to run the marathon in a little over six months, is it may have you wondering how you go from “shuffling” through an 8k to navigating 26.2 miles. I’ve learned to think more in terms of the Shuffle being the start of spring training!
If you are one of those runners who kept up their training throughout the winter and are already looking for longer races to put on calendar, this post isn’t for you. You just keep doing what you’re doing! We look forward to cheering for you!
This is for first time marathons, beginner runners, and the many, many who just don’t train through Chicago winters or may be coming back from an injury. Take it slowly. Even start out walking – but it’s time to get moving! If you’re coming back from a long layoff, sometimes starting over is the best option.
I was speaking with someone recently who had once been able to run half marathons. Then after some health issues, she was having trouble getting back out there. She told me that at first, she went out and just ran a mile, then a few days later upped it to three miles. She has been trying to recover ever since. Overwhelmed with fatigue, she can’t imagine even running a mile right now.
“Don’t start from where you left off; start as if you were a beginner,” I told her. I shared my 5k beginner program that instructs athletes to just walk briskly for 20 minutes, three times a week for two weeks before beginning the run/walk progression. The first run/walk week is simply a minute of running followed by minute and a half of walking repeated eight times. The second week keeps the running segments at a minute but reduces the walking breaks by 30 seconds. It’s hard for seasoned runners who are coming back after a long layoff to start off that slowly, but it’s a great way to come back.
Now there have been lots of times when I’ve had to take breaks because of a brief illness or injury. For those instances the comeback was more aggressive because only a minimal amount of fitness is lost over the course of a few weeks. The layoffs we’re discussing now are the long layoffs – months rather than weeks.
About 10 years ago, I was plagued with a lot of back pain (gardening injury, not from running!). I stopped running because I was so uncomfortable. After a few doctors’ opinions, the issue was uncovered, and treatment plan outlined with a focus on physical therapy. After my PT got me going on a consistent regimen of core strengthening exercises to help prevent a relapse, I was ready to get running again. But I hadn’t been running for nine months!
Getting back to running required a lot of patience. And this is where too many of us fail. We expect to be the runners we were before our layoffs. That’s just impossible. That’s not to say we can’t be strong again – maybe even better than we were before – but we need to give it time and not set our expectations too high initially.
I simply started getting back to running like I was a beginner all over again starting with the walk/run method (emphasis on walk). Then I signed up for a 5k with only a goal to finish. As I became stronger and had confidence in my ability to continue to run pain-free, I added speed work and longer distances. I not only got back to running, but the lessons I learned during my recovery about building core strength to prevent injury paid off. I started running stronger and faster than I was before my layoff.
Whether you are a new runner or coming back from a long layoff, start with a run/walk for 30 minutes 3 times a week. Gradually cut back on the walking and add more running, then increase the time you’re out there – but never by more than 10% each week.
If you would like to learn more about run/walk training, please reach out to me at marcon@mercyhome.org.
This was adapted from a piece originally published in theCauseCoach blog. It is used with permission