Athlete Question: “How Do I Ease My Way Back Into Running?”

I’ve gotten this question more than a handful of times from clients and athletes in the last 12 months. It usually continues on with “i’m not trying to run a race or become a runner, but I feel like I should be able to run for 15-30 minutes at a time” This athlete in particular is late 50’s, has been strength training 2 days per week for at least the last 8 years, and is an avid skier in the winter. Before getting into the specifics of returning to run, I have 3 suggestions for anyone over the age of 35 who is returning to running after years off.

• Start running slower than you think you can

• Run shorter intervals than you think you can

• Recover longer in between intervals and runs than you think you need

If you’re not trying to get ready for a race, then there is no rush to run fast, run far, or run often. This is about restoring your ability to run pain free after taking months or years off. Since everyone’s starting place is different, i’ve broken this progression down into 3 blocks. As a former athlete you should have a feel for about what you think you can do. But again remember the 3 suggestions

Block 1 - Build up to moving for 30 minutes

*Start here if you aren’t sure you could run/walk for 30 minutes without it being sore the next day.

In this block there are 12 total progressions. You will run 2-3 times per week with at least 24 hours rest in between runs. So this block will take between 4-6 weeks to complete. The emphasis here is to slowly build up your total time moving to 30 minutes and get your run to walk ratio to a 1:1.

1. 30 second run, 1 minute walk | x10 or 15 minutes total

2. 30 second run, 1 minute walk | x12 or 18 minutes total

3. 30 second run, 1 minute walk | x14 or 21 minutes total

4. 30 second run, 1 minute walk | x16 or 24 minutes total

5. 45 second run, 1 minute walk | x 14 or 24. 5 minutes total

6. 45 second run, 1 minute walk | x 15 or 26.25 minutes total

7. 45 second run, 1 minute walk | x16 or 28 minutes total

8. 45 second run, 1 minute walk | x17 or 29.75 minutes total

9. 1 minute run, 1 minute walk | x14 or 28 minutes total

10. 1 minute run, 1 minute walk | x15 or 30 minutes

11. 1 minute run, 1 minute walk | x16 or 32 minutes

12. 1 minute run, 1 minute walk | x16 or 32 minutes

Block 2: Increase your run to walk ratio

*Start here if you feel confident you can complete the last two progressions in Block 1 but not comfortably complete the last two progressions in this Block.

In this block you wlll continue to run 2-3 times per week with at least 24 hours rest in between runs. Since you have built up your total time moving in the last block you will emphasis increasing your run to walk ratio.

1. 1 minute run, 1 minute walk | x14 or 28 minutes

2. 1:30 minute run, 1 minute walk | x12 or 30 minutes

3. 2:00 minute run, 1 minute walk | x10 or 30 minutes

4. 2:30 minute run, 1 minute walk | x19 or 31.5 minutes

5. 3:00 minute run, 1 minute walk | x8 or 32 minutes

6. 3:30 minute run, 1 minute walk | x7 or 31.5 minutes

7. 4:00 minute run, 1 minute walk | x6 or 30 minutes

8. 4:30 minute run, 1 minute walk | x6 or 33 minutes

9. 5:00 minute run, 1 minute walk | x5 or 30 minutes

10. 5:30 minute run, 1 minute walk | x5 or 32.5 minutes

11. 6:00 minute run, 1 minute walk | x5 or 35 minutes

12. 6:00 minute run, 1 minute walk | x5 or 35 minutes

Block 3 - Build up to Running 30 minutes straight

*Start here if you feel confident you can complete the last progression in Block 2 without difficulty.

Now that you’ve increased your run to walk ratio you’ll increase your total time moving up to 48 minutes and then cut total time down as your interval length gets longer, gradually leading up to a 30 minute run.

1. 6:00 minute run, 2 minute walk | x4 or 32 minutes

2. 6:30 minute run, 2 minute walk | x4 or 34 minutes

3. 7 minute run, 2 minute walk | x4 or 36 minutes

4. 7:30 minute run, 2 minute walk | x4 or 38 minutes

5. 8 minute run, 2 minute walk | x4 or 40 minutes

6. 8:30 minute run, 2 minute walk | x4 or 42 minutes

7. 9 minute run, 2 minute walk | x4 or 44 minutes

8. 9:30 minute run, 2 minute walk | x4 or 46 minutes

9. 10:00 minute run, 2 minute walk | x4 or 48 minutes

10. 12:00 minute run, 2 minute walk | x3 or 36 minutes

11. 13:30 minute run, 2 minute walk | x3 or 42 minutes

12. 15 minute run, 2 minute walk | x2 or 34 minutes

13. 30 minute run | x 1

This is a sample 3-4 month program for the former athlete over age 35 that hasn’t run in years. I used a similar progression with a 42 year old mom of 2 who wanted to train for an 11 mile trail race with 2,500 feet of vert. We started slower and easier than she thought she needed to, built confidence in her body’s ability to handle the stress, and then after 4 weeks readjusted the progressions to prepare specifically for the race.

If you are looking for a specific return to running program for yourself i’m happy to help. Email me your questions: alex@evergreen-performance.com