Sarah posted on her blog last month about a running program she’d started and been having success with. I used to run a lot. A good friend and I used to run 5k every other day, and I won some medals and ribbons in city-wide races. But it’s been over a decade since I’ve really run much, and I feel like I’m pretty out of shape. Granted, we walk together almost every night, even in the winter when it’s rainy, and in the summer Meredith and I usually go on one or two walks a day too. But it’s different.
I keep telling myself I want to start running again and get into shape like I used to be. I’ve never really had the motivation. Now that I have a dog who I can take out into public during daylight hours though, I feel like that could be motivation. I want to do agility with her too, and so we both need to be in pretty good shape for that. She came from a foster home with three other dogs, and her foster home in Arkansas had other dogs to play with too, so I want to make sure to keep up the activity and exercise now.
My biggest hesitation is that we are wanting to have another baby. When I ran a lot as a teen, I had very sporadic periods and had very low body fat. I’m not sure if that’s something I should worry about over ten years later when trying to get pregnant again? My cycles aren’t consistent even now though. Also, what if I got pregnant in week three or four or something. Is it okay to keep up a program like that while pregnant? I’m sure eventually as I got big and sore I would have to stop it, but I assume that as long as I’m comfortable and not pushing myself it would be okay to keep going, albeit maybe increasing the times at a slower pace. I was so tired and sick last time though, if it’s the same this time I might just lose all motivation to keep going anyway lol.
I sort of started this Monday night, though I keep forgetting to bring a stop watch with me and have just been counting slowly in my head. Two minutes is surprisingly not too bad at a time, though my legs feel a little bit jelly-like the rest of the evening. We have training classes on Wednesday nights, so my schedule will be modified. Maybe Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. I did some more tonight. We walk to a park in a big field every night with Meredith, so I’ve been doing laps around the field while Kris is on the park with Meredith.
Sorcha doesn’t really heel yet, but we have a regular training leash and a *gasp* flexi for her. I know flexis get a lot of bad rap, but I’ve pretty much only been using the flexi when Meredith isn’t nearby. We decided when she’s on a regular leash she needs to know not to pull and (eventually) to heel, but when she’s on the flexi she’ll get more freedom. So I’ve been putting her on the flexi while I’m running and letting her run around with it. She can only go as far as the end of the flexi so she still has to pay attention to me and which direction I’m going, so I think it will be good practice for agility when she will have to pay attention to me while still running some distance away.
Anyway, here’s the program as written from Runner’s World:
Your 10-Week Training Plan
The following running schedule was created by Budd Coates, Health Promotions Manager at Rodale Inc., who instructs a corporate beginning running program. Coates has taken nonrunners and, in 10 weeks, helped them reach their goal of running the 3.5-mile Chase Corporate Challenge.
Before you start with this schedule, get your legs ready with eight days of walking: walk for 20 minutes a day for the first four days, then increase to 30 minutes a day for four more days. Now you’re ready to begin with week 1.
Each week of the program, do your run/walk workouts on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and take Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday off.
10-WEEK TRAINING SCHEDULE
Week 1
Run 2 minutes,
walk 4 minutes.
Repeat 5 times.Week 2
Run 3 minutes,
walk 3 minutes.
Repeat five times.Week 3
Run 5 minutes,
walk 2.5 minutes.
Repeat four times.Week 4
Run 7 minutes,
walk 3 minutes.
Repeat three times.Week 5
Run 8 minutes,
walk 2 minutes.
Repeat three times.Week 6
Run 9 minutes,
walk 2 minutes.
Repeat twice, then
run 8 minutes.Week 7
Run 9 minutes,
walk 1 minute.
Repeat three timesWeek 8
Run 13 minutes,
walk 2 minutes.
Repeat twice.Week 9
Run 14 minutes,
walk 1 minute.
Repeat twice.Week 10
Run 30 minutes.Note: After completing week 9, if you feel tired, repeat this week of training before moving on to week 10.
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Sounds like a good program. I’m always impressed by runners, I used to sprint (and was fairly good at it) but never had the endurance to be a runner. But I’ve always found it easily to get in shape when you have an eager pet urging you to keep it up. And the heel thing will work out. As she learns to trust you, she’ll keep an eye on where you are and keep up.
If you don’t mind me asking (but if it’s too personal I understand), how did you conceive? We’ve been trying but my cycles are so random it’s hard to figure out whats going on. And the longing is starting to kill me.
Oh, I think I fixed the comments on my blog, please let me know if it doesn’t work and I keep trying. I like to read the comments.
See and I can’t sprint to save my life lol. My best time is about twice as slow as most people seem to do it.
We were charting when I conceived, but I also was trying lunaception. If you haven’t read “Taking Charge of your Fertility” by Tony Weschler, I can’t recommend it highly enough. Even if you don’t start charting, it will really help you understand your cycles and body. I thought I knew how it all worked until I read that book! Lunaception is basically sleeping in a completely dark room except for 4-5 days each cycle you would have a night light on. Most people say to start the night light around day 12 or 13 of your cycle, but since mine were so random and long (and my body would “try” to ovulate a few times each cycle), I tended to wait until the first time I was getting fertile signs. I went from having 60+ day cycles to 30-35 day cycles and ended up getting pregnant pretty quickly once it started working.
I love “Taking Charge of Your Fertility” too. Anthony was conceived using it, although I think I am fairly fertile regardless. It is nice to be able to choose when though. I don’t really chart anymore, but I think it gives enough info to go on without charting for birth control reasons (although I guess we could end up with a surprise).
And Sorcha is a good name! Although I have become a bit used to Sorchaa =)