Week 2 running schedule
Sheela Rangarajan
Hi everyone,
Please see the coaches email on Week 2 running schedule and note on the right running attire and shoes.
Happy running!!
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Hello
Runners -
We had another fantastic turnout on Saturday and we
saw plenty happy faces! As we said last week, the first few
weeks are just to get your body used to running, whether it is for
the first time or if you haven't run for a while. To achieve
this, the schedule will be the same as last week for now.
A
few notes:
Beginners - Those of you who have never run or only run a few
miles each week
Intermediate - Those of you accustomed to running 10-15 miles
per week
Advanced
- Most of you know who you are but if you run consistently 3 -5 miles
4 or 5 days a week and are running upwards of 20+ miles per
week.
Walk/Run -
For those of you who are just starting out this is a great way to
ease into the program. Start by walking for 3 minutes and
running for 2 minutes. Adjust as needed for your pace or comfort.
Do this for the entire distance. But try to make the walk a quick
walk, don’t stroll. If you feel that you have to walk, make
it a point to at least walk as fast as possible. Keep your body
upright and move your arms to support the walking.
Beginner
- (Those of you who have never run or only run a few miles each
week)
o
Monday - Off
o
Tuesday - 2 miles (walk/run)
o Wednesday - Off
o Thursday - 2 miles
(walk/run)
o
Friday - Off
o
Saturday - See you at the tree for a short run (up to 3
miles)
o
Sunday - 1-2 miles (this will become your recovery run so get used to
putting in at least
a mile after your Saturday run)
Intermediate –
(Those of you accustomed to running 10-15 miles per week)
o Monday - Off
o Tuesday - 3 miles
(walk/run)
o
Wednesday - Off
o
Thursday - 3 miles (walk/run)
o Friday - Off
o Saturday - See you at the tree
for a short run (up to 4 miles
depending on
experience)
o
Sunday - 2 miles (this will become your recovery run so get used to
putting
in at least a mile after your Saturday run)
Advanced –
(Those of you accustomed to running 3- 5 miles 4 or 5 days per
week)
o
Monday - Off
o
Tuesday - 4 miles (walk/run)
o Wednesday - Off
o Thursday - 5 miles
(walk/run)
o
Friday - Off
o
Saturday - See you at the tree for a short run (up to 5 miles
depending on
experience)
o
Sunday - 3 miles (this will become your recovery run so get used to
putting
in at least a mile after your Saturday run)
Please be sure
to adjust your running to fit your comfort level. We think it is
vital that you keep your running easy enough to have some sort of a
conversation. No need to be able to go into detail about your life
but you should be able to say a short sentence. Otherwise you are
running too hard.
As some of you might not have received last week’s email, below please find last week’s tips again followed by some new stuff.
If 3 miles is too much - do 2 miles. And if you feel like you have only energy for one mile – do one! One mile in the bank is one mile in the bank. And once you are out there, surely you will find the energy and urge to do a second mile. But don’t skip entire workouts. If you feel sluggish or tired on your scheduled day, you will find that running actually helps it. It gets your blood flowing and the fresh air cleans your mind. And if it still just doesn’t happen one day, it’s not the end of the world. Just make sure you run the next day. But think about it: if Bill Clinton and George Bush were able to run every day during their Presidency, why couldn’t we?
Soft surface – running on concrete and tarmac can be tough on your joints, bones and ligaments. Some people are built to sustain running daily on that. Others get injured more quickly. Therefore: run on grass, dirt or gravel from time to time. Some of you might say “Hey, I don’t have access to soft running surface!” If you look twice, most of you actually do. Why not incorporate a couple of loops on a football/baseball/soccer field or the local park? In Central Park, most people just run the main road. But the park has so much grass and dirt, you can just find your own way over the fields and on the grass along the roads. It’s actually lots of fun to put some variety to your runs. Also, it breaks your feet’s routine and keeps them entertained which prevents overuse injuries. You don’t have to do that every time you run but try to do it once a week.
Stretching – do your stretches, it’s like brushing your teeth. Some things might be more fun than that but without it, things get dodgy. Best is if you stretch immediately after running. Sometimes that might not be possible. The good thing is: if you are a little careful you can stretch anywhere and anytime. I stretch in front of the TV, in queues, waiting for the train etc. Don’t worry about the looks, no one really cares.
New running shoes – we were glad to see that many of you took the chance to buy new shoes at Urban Athletics, enjoying a nice discount. It might be a good idea to wear the new shoes walking around the house in the beginning to get your feet used to it before you go on your first run. This is definitely not a necessity as the shoes should be comfortable from the beginning but if you have a chance to wear them, do it. Should you experience severe pain or strong blisters from the shoes, return them immediately and change them for a pair that fits you better!
If you haven’t had a chance to get new shoes, we will do another trip to Urban Athletics on May 30. Again, we recommend having two pair of running shoes, preferably different types (brand and/or model). It might be an investment now but given that you rotate your shoes, they will last longer and long term it will cost you the same. One single trip to the doctor/physiotherapist will easily exceed these extra costs. Your feet will thank you.
Clothing – we have noticed some people running in long pants although it was pretty warm and humid. First of all, you should run in whatever you feel comfortable in. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!
However, you might have realized that once you start running, you warm up pretty quickly. What seemed comfortable standing around before starting to run soon was uncomfortably warm. It is not only an unpleasant feeling but your body is all busy trying to keep down its core temperature while that energy would be more needed for actually running.
Rule of thumb: if you feel slightly cold at the start of your run, you are dressed properly. You might want to bring an extra T-Shirt/Jacket to be warm post run for our stretching/debriefing.
Again, wear whatever you are comfortable in but please be aware of potential side effects.
The key now is to get comfortable with the running and the routine over the next couple of weeks and then we will start increasing the mileage.
As always: have fund out there and stay safe!