Running for half an hour is the first step on the ladder for beginners. Kalenji will guide you through this first stage. 30 minutes in a month is totally possible!
Get kitted out
It is essential that you think about your morphology when buying a pair of trainers. Make sure you also have summer and mid season clothes that you feel comfortable in.
Consult a doctor
If you decide to follow our plan for running for 30 minutes, make sure you take the time to speak to your GP so you can be sure that you have no medical conditions that could affect your running.
Decide on a goal and stick to it
The plan we suggest is based on three sessions per week. That might seem like loads. It is however the minimum. Each training session is relatively short. Follow the programme for each session without lengthening it, even if you feel fine.
Pace yourself
You are aiming to develop your endurance, which means your ability to sustain moderate exercise for longer amounts of time. You must be able to hold a conversation or even to run with your mouth closed. If that is too hard, it means your speed is too fast and surpasses the endurance threshold. So slow down!
Alternate running and walking
It's a must for beginners – and even for lots of experienced runners! Alternating running and walking allows you to lengthen a training session without sparking excessive muscle fatigue. Over time the running/walking stages, which should be of equal length to begin with, will become irregular. Eventually, you will run without having to walk.
Be patient
It's psychological: the body adapts as actions are repeated. By spacing out training sessions, you deprive yourself of this healthy adaptation mechanism. To put it simply, you're starting from zero at each session! Short but regular sessions are therefore a good strategy. Not long: 15, 20, 30 minutes. But often: at least two or three times a week. It's better to run three times for 30 minutes than to run for 1 hour 30 once!
Don't give up
It's possible, and even probably, that the first month of regular running will be punctured by moments of doubt or weariness. It is important to stay the course and never put off your good intentions to get started until later (be it a day, a week, a month). Remember that only a very few people are able to run for 30 minutes without stopping. Be proud of finishing what you set out to do!
4 WEEK BEGINNERS' TRAINING PLAN
Goal: to run for 30 minutes
- Week 1 :
Session 1: 15 x 1 minute walking / 1 minute slow jog + Stretching
Session 2 : 10 x 2mins slow jog / 1min walking + Stretching
Session 3 : 5 mins walking at a gradually increasing speed + 5 x 4 minutes slow jog with 1min30 walking between each jog. Finish with 5 mins walking + 5mins stretching.
- Week 2 :
Session 1 : 5 mins walking at a gradually increasing speed +3 x 6mins slow jog . With 1min30 walking between each jog .Finish with 5 mins walking + 10 mins abs
Session 2 : 10 min slow jog / 3 mins walking /then 10 quick increases of 20 strides broken up by 1 min walking / then 10 mins slow jog
Session 3 : 5 mins walking at a gradually increasing speed . Then 4 x 5mins slow jog with 1min of walking between each jog . Finish with 10mins of abs.
- Week 3 :
Session 1 : 10 minutes slow jog / 2 minutes walking / 8 minutes slow jog / 2 minutes walking / 6 mins slow job + 5 mins stretching
Session 2 : 15 mins slow jog / 2 mins walking / then 10 quick increases of 20 strides broken up by 1 min walking / then 10 mins slow jog
Session 3 : 5 min walking at a gradually increasing speed 3 x 10 minutes slow jog broken up by 1min of walking. Finish with 10mins of abs.
- Week 4 :
Session 1 : 5 mins walking at a gradually increasing speed + 15 mins slow jog +2 mins walking + 8 quick increases for 30 strides + 2mins walking + 10 mins slow jog
Session 2 : REST
Session 3 : 5 minutes walking at a gradually increasing speed + 30 minutes slow running + 10mins stretching.