I have prepared an example for the first phase of an eight-week training program for runners. This program I am developing assumes that you can run at least 2.0 miles. Please do not attempt to start running if you have no previous training or health issues without consulting a physician.

Phase I of Program Information:

Choose two days out of the week for rest days.  This may very from week to week depending on your schedule and commits.  For example, I like to have Thursdays and Sundays for my rest days.  Remember this is imperative for proper recovery and injury prevention. The muscles in your body actually build and repair themselves during your rest days. So with that said, if you run every day, you won’t see much improvement.

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays: After you warm up with dynamic stretching, run at a relaxed pace for the selected mileage. After you run, make sure you cool down muscles and reduce heart rate prior to static stretching.

The goal is to increase your runs by a quarter mile each week. Can you recall running farther because you feel good from the endorphins kicking in?  Unfortunately, I have found this to not always be beneficial because it’s easy to loose track of your progress and you almost always think you can run more during your next run.  Which leads you down the road for overuse injuries. Running on a track or treadmill makes it very easy to keep track of mileage, but it is also really monotonous.  Trail running is very adventurous, dynamic and, challenging.  The surface is usually easy on the joints, unless the terrain is rocky.  When trail running, I use time to keep track of my distance.  If you find that most of your runs take place on the road and you’re not sure how far you ran, there is a website that figures out the mileage, MapMyRun.com. My last option is to drive my running route and measure the mileage using my car’s odometer.  But, who wants to do that with the outrageous gas prices and when they tired from running.  

Tuesdays: Cross-training activity (biking, swimming, elliptical trainer, roller blading) performed at easy to moderate effort for 30 to 60 minutes. If you're feeling very lethargic or sore, take a rest day.

Saturdays: This is an active recovery day. Your run or walk/run combination should be at an easy, comfortable pace, which helps release muscle tightness.

 Example

Running Program

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