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Runner’s World February 2007
By Jeff Galloway

Q: I’m 45 and haven’t been active since school. How do I start running?

A: After you get the all-clear from your doctor, start with a mix of walking and jogging. Begin workouts with a five-minute walk. Then jog for 10 seconds and walk for a minute. Repeat for ten to fifteen minutes, and cool down with five minutes of easy walking. Try this every other day, increasing the jogging/walking portion by three minutes each workout until you get to 30 minutes total. Then increase the running segments to 15 seconds with one-minute walk breaks for three sessions. Continue to increase the running segments every three workouts.

Outrun the Weather

Two workouts that take the bite out of winter

1.) The winds of change. If you’re running an out-and-back course on a windy day, it’s best to start the run into the wind so that you don’t get chilled battling a headwind for the entire second half of the run. But you can also mix it up for a more interesting and challenging workout. Start with an easy ten minute warmup running into the wind. Then turn around and run with the wind for three to five minutes, take a one-minute walk break, and run into the wind again for two to four minutes. Continue this pattern for as long as you planned to run. During some of the segments when you’re heading into the wind, try running zigzag (as long as it’s safe). Altering your angle to the wind taxes your muscles in different ways, making for a better workout.

2.) Break Up the Cold. When it’s freezing and you’re tempted not to run outside, try breaking up your workout. Warm up indoors by walking around or jogging on a treadmill for five minutes. Then go outside and run a three- to five- minute loop. Return indoors for a one-to two minute walk and go out again for another three- to five- minute run. Keep alternating until you have run about the same number of minutes that you would have run if the weather were warmer. By running faster during the outdoor segments, you will warm up quicker and benefit from a bit of speed work. Don’t sprint. Just run about a minute per mile faster than normal training pace.

Fact or Fiction “To become a better runner, you need to increase your mileage.”
Fiction. Upping your weekly mileage dramatically can lead to injury, lingering fatigue, or mental burnout-sometimes all three. To stay physically and mentally strong while improving your running performance, you need to gradually increase the length of your long run by one or two miles every other week and do race-specific speedwork once a week. With sufficient rest between these two components, you may even be able to decrease your total mileage and still improve your speed and endurance.

(Say What?) Running Jargon, Translated

Splits: Your times at mile markers or other preplanned checkpoints along a run or racecourse, which indicate the pace you’re running at.

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