Steve running in the back yard. In my last post I indicated that I now have the problem of getting in shape --- again. The hardest thing about exercising is always getting started. It doesn't matter if you're a beginner or someone who has laid off and wants to get back at it again. I'm in that boat now --- and I've been in it countless times before. The way to get started is to simply do something --- ANYTHING! Memorize the motto at the bottom of this page! If you do something, you will always feel better afterward. Just get started!
So, that's where I'm at right now. I'm goofing off a little with my strength work (more about that in my next post), but am seriously walking and/or running for a half hour almost every day. I'm fortunate in that we live on a large piece of land so that, at least two thirds of the year, I can run in my own back yard. And, that's what I'm doing now. Running back and forth on a fairly level course across our property. When I'm in better shape, I'll change direction 90 degrees and run up and down the hill! My hope is to again be competitive in my age group in 5K races. Every year there is a "Turkey Trot" here in Norwich, NY, around Thanksgiving time. So, I have around three months to get in shape. My objective is an eight minute pace. We'll see...
In my training I'm more or less using the procedure for developing endurance that I talk about in the K*I*S*S* Fitness Program book. It's very simple. You walk and/or run for a half hour. As you progress, you gradually replace the walking with running until you're running for the entire time period. The book goes through a very structured program for advancing (that's the engineer in me!). However, this is the basic idea. I'm prejudiced, of course; but it seems that this method works great. I feel that I've already made progress in the few weeks that I've been at it again. Here's hoping that I'll achieve my goal for the coming Thanksgiving race. I'll let you know what happens!
I didn't mention it in the book but a half hour period of walking and/or running is just about perfect for training for 5K races. A fast guy will complete the race in under 20 minutes. Older folks are happy to complete it in a half hour. The eight minute pace (per mile) that I'm aiming for will amount to around 25 minutes. So, you can see that running for a half hour per day is pretty good training for this distance. A thirty minute run is also a very reasonable time period to devote to running every day. It's not very long but it's still long enough for a person to obtain significant cardiovascular benefit.
OK, if you haven't started running yet, get with it. Pick up a copy of the K*I*S*S* Fitness Program if you feel you need help along the way.
So, that's where I'm at right now. I'm goofing off a little with my strength work (more about that in my next post), but am seriously walking and/or running for a half hour almost every day. I'm fortunate in that we live on a large piece of land so that, at least two thirds of the year, I can run in my own back yard. And, that's what I'm doing now. Running back and forth on a fairly level course across our property. When I'm in better shape, I'll change direction 90 degrees and run up and down the hill! My hope is to again be competitive in my age group in 5K races. Every year there is a "Turkey Trot" here in Norwich, NY, around Thanksgiving time. So, I have around three months to get in shape. My objective is an eight minute pace. We'll see...
In my training I'm more or less using the procedure for developing endurance that I talk about in the K*I*S*S* Fitness Program book. It's very simple. You walk and/or run for a half hour. As you progress, you gradually replace the walking with running until you're running for the entire time period. The book goes through a very structured program for advancing (that's the engineer in me!). However, this is the basic idea. I'm prejudiced, of course; but it seems that this method works great. I feel that I've already made progress in the few weeks that I've been at it again. Here's hoping that I'll achieve my goal for the coming Thanksgiving race. I'll let you know what happens!
I didn't mention it in the book but a half hour period of walking and/or running is just about perfect for training for 5K races. A fast guy will complete the race in under 20 minutes. Older folks are happy to complete it in a half hour. The eight minute pace (per mile) that I'm aiming for will amount to around 25 minutes. So, you can see that running for a half hour per day is pretty good training for this distance. A thirty minute run is also a very reasonable time period to devote to running every day. It's not very long but it's still long enough for a person to obtain significant cardiovascular benefit.
OK, if you haven't started running yet, get with it. Pick up a copy of the K*I*S*S* Fitness Program if you feel you need help along the way.
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