Everyone knows the age old saying ‘You have to learn to walk before you can run’

Well, this is very true in a sense. Being able to walk for 30-40 minutes is a good foundational base to begin with. If you can’t, then focus on being able to do this first a few times per week to allow the muscles and ligaments time to adapt to increased time on feet.

If you already can do this, or you’ve made it to this point, the next step is to add 3-5 increments of 60-90s of jogging into these walks, getting the rhythm of learning to breathe while the heart rate is increased a little.

An example would be 5mins walk then jog for 60-90s 5-6 times. Do this 3-5 times per week. The next week, increase the jog time by 30-60seconds and decrease the walk time to 3-4minutes.

Building on this over a period of 6-12 weeks, depending on how the body responds, is an ideal way to build aerobic capacity to accumulate a solid 30-45minutes of running.

Choosing one day each week to increase time running is another good way to build to a longer distance or time running.

If you already can run for 30mins a few times per week, pick one day of the week where you have a little more time available. Add 5 minutes to the end of your run on that day for two weeks, then add another 5minutes for the next two and so on. Again, this all depends on individual capabilities. Sometimes the body, joints, ligaments and muscles need a slower accumulation to a longer time on feet, there is no one size fits all.

The secret is….

There is no secret, it takes time, practice and patience and listening to your body along the way to make sure you aren’t increasing volume too quickly and risking injury.

In addition to running longer and further, strength training helps build the muscular endurance and reduces the risk of injury. They are a great combination that goes hand in hand to a healthy long life

If you’ve any further questions, shoot us a DM and we would be happy to help you out.

If you know anyone who’s thinking about starting to run, please share