Hey, where have you been?

It's been a while since my last blog post.  I have been trying to get back to a running system, but unfortunately, my training has not been met with any success.  It has ranged from sporadic walking (smart, but with no real plan), a run\walk combo (smart, but with no real plan), running 3k at the gym after lifting (kind of dumb, but able to adjust the speed to a quick walk), running 5k at the gym (dumb, but most of the time it reverted back to a run/walk thing), and attempting to go out to the bikepath and running 5k, on the assumption that I have does this before (incredibly dumb, but again, it turned into a run/walk session).

Last week I was at Barnes & Noble and came across a book entitled "The Born Again Runner" by Pete Magill.  It is basically a guide for either new or returning runners.  Two things caught my eye right away.  The first point he made was that if you try to go out for a run without building up to it first you will fail so miserably that after about five or six minutes you will be doubled over sucking wind.  Yep, I had this experience.  Well, almost; I only lasted about two minutes.  The second point was that you can build up to the fitness you were formerly at with a training plan that includes a steady buildup of work.  It seems so simple to figure out.

Magill stresses to go at your own pace since everyone has different goals and starting levels.  The training schedules are broken down into several grids, such as new runners, returning runners, level of fitness or activity, competitiveness, and so on.  I decided to try the schedule for returning competitive runners, and start off on week 3, which is a walk/run, alternating a one minute walk with a one minute run.

The training session, much to my surprise, was a complete success.  After 30 minutes of alternating walks with running, I managed to cover about 2.2 miles at average pace of 13:45 (you probably figured that out).  My average heart rate was about 130 bpm, right about where I wanted it.  But most importantly, at the end of the run/walk, I felt very good physically, and I also felt like I accomplished something for the first time in many, many months. 

My next training today will consist of a distance run, 2 x 10 minutes with a three-minute walk in-between.  I would have done it yesterday, but I did not want to push anything to set me back.  So far, so good.  And yes, I would definitely recommend this book, I have only had it for a week and it seems to have all the answers I have been looking for.  Thanks Pete!