Questions and Answers

Jenny

I’m a fan of keeping things simple, because, that is exactly how I finally learn how to run without hating it (and crying). Somewhere along the way, I created the K.I.S.S. Program, that is – the Keep It Simple Super-Woman Program guaranteed to help find the joy in running (or at the very least, not hate it anymore).

It’s a strategy that helps you build up to running authentically and by how your body feels. This program will also help tame your inner super hero telling you to run farther, faster and leap tall buildings in a single bound! That part comes later…

Here’s how it works.

Map out three days per week and give yourself 40 minutes for the total time of the workout. Thirty minute for the run and ten minutes for flexibility exercises.

Alternate the days so you’re running every other day. It gives the body the extra TLC it needs to recover from the demands of the workout.

The goal to build up to running 30 minutes. For now, plan for 30 minutes – every other day – 3x per week.

[5 minutes] Start every run with five minutes of walking. Start easy and progress to a brisk walk by the end of the session.

[20 minutes] Sprinkle in running intervals with walking. Run until you hear your breath or until you start to feel challenged. Then walk until you catch your breath (walk with a purpose not like you’re window shopping).

[5 minutes] Cool down with five minutes of walking. Start with a brisk walking effort and then dial it down as you go.

As you progress week by week, your body will ebb and flow through days where you can run a little longer and runs where you feel you are regressing. Keep running, keep listening and keep running by how you feel effort wise.

Pack a little patience and keep track of the distance covered in each session. In time, you’ll begin to see more miles covered in the same time. This = progress! When you reach the point where you can run twenty minutes continuously, begin to tack on 1-2 minutes to the workout and then let it simmer. For example, running 22 minutes plus a warm up and cool down three times per week for two weeks. Then add a few more minutes to the workout (23-25 minutes) and so on. When you hit thirty minutes – do a happy dance and enjoy! You did it!

FYI: When I started running, I hit the “I’m challenged” threshold at 15 seconds into my first run! You may reach it at 30-40 seconds or it may take several minutes. Everyone is different. The secret is to be aware and mindful of how your are feeling. Running longer or pushing it because of the messages in your head (ego) doesn’t work – it only makes you hate running.

It’s all about the journey, not the destination. The idea is to find the joy in running. You can do this by sprinkling running into your workout a little at a time. The aim is to finish feeling good and as if you could go a little farther. If you finish tired and wanting to stop – you’re pushing too hard. I’ll also toss in that fact that when I started my running journey I was so out of shape I had to walk before I ran. That is – I started with walking 30-45 minutes three or four times per week. It not only made a significant difference in my success rate, I found that I loved walking and hiking too.

It may take you a few months or a year to tap into your inner runner but when you let it happen naturally, you will learn to run for your life. Fast or slow, every step moves us forward in health.