I’ve been running for about 4 years now.
I was never able to run more than 1 or 2 KM in a row as i would get shin splints and pain in my heels.
Until 4 years ago when a friend of mine, who was the laziest person you could think of, who hated being out in the sun, who was more round than trim, who was more white than white, started running.
Now one other thing about this guy is that he is very meticulous. Once he had decided that running was a hoby he was going to do, he researched up on running, on running gear, on running tips, on running do’s and don’ts.
So when he was trying to get me started and heard about my problem, he said..”ok, invest in a pair of good running shoes.”
Now, like i said, i have been trying to run before and always would encounter pain after a few KMs. I was not about to plonk down a few hundred ringgit on a “good” pair of running shoes and then have it go to waste.
However, this time, due to my advancing age, health issues (h.b.p) i decided, “Why Not”. Plus, running shoes now were designed quite nicely. I used to prefer cross trainers more.
So i went out and got myself a pair of adidas running shoes. I tried it out on a hard surface and ..lo and behold, i could run 1 KM and 2 KM without having the problem of shin splints and all.
That started me on running regularly but what i mean by regular is that i would put in the time every week and run ..whatever i felt like..if i felt like 2 KM i would try to run that, if i felt i could do more, i would…so a lot of my running was basically just to get over 20 min and get some cardio in.
However as i ran more regularly, my legs took the brunt of it and although i could now run longer, the accumulated distance and regular running on the hard surface caused all sorts of injuries and pains and the splints came back.
I then started to do my own research and tried running on “soft surface” and moved myself to the gym and treadmills..
I only started using a training program this year. My 4th year of running. I downloaded a program from Runners World website that would get you to run 30 minutes in 12 weeks.
I only went for this as it was actually my daughter that registered an interest in running to lose weight and i thought that with her, it would be better to do something where we could track our progress.
Now once we started on the program, i realized that i had been wasting my time before while running without one.
With a program, you can easily track your progress and if you fall back, you can easily pick up from where you left off. This actually happened to me. I was on my 6th week of the program, where i had to run 6 min and walk 1 for 30 min (i.e. Run 6/ Walk 1 x 4 reps + 2 min walk at the end to fill 30 min)
Then i had to go overseas for a conference. When i came back, i was sick with a very bad bout of the flu and could not run for 2 weeks as my lungs and chest was congested.
When i could get back to running, i started with an earlier week than what i was at. I started at 4min run and 1 min walk. Within 3 weeks, i was back at the 6min run 1 min walk level.
It was then that i really appreciated the training program.
For me, a program helps me track my progress, helps me keep on track, i know that if i fall sick or fallback, i will just have to restart at an earlier week in the program and build up again, and it helps me plan ahead as well.
Nowadays, i advocate training programs strongly to anyone that asks me about running.
Great programs can be found on the net but a good place to start would be www.runnersworld.com look for the training tab.
