Interval Workout: 3 of 27, Nine-Week Program

Workout: Workout C: Scheduled to be a 30-minute slower run. However, I felt good and quick so I decided to push the pace and do a single lap at the fastest pace I could maintain.

Distance/Pace: Covered 1.34 miles in 13:45 minutes for a mile pace of 10 minutes, 15 seconds. Wow, my mile pace has been reduced by a minute, nearly 10%, in only three workouts. This interval training sure seems to work!

Notes: Though I am totally happy about today’s short run, I’ll need to make sure I follow workout C as it is written next time I’m scheduled to run 30 straight minutes.

The Program: I finished the Couch to 5k (C25K) running program April 20, though I was not able to get the full 3.1 miles covered within 30 minutes. Today’s workout is part of a self-created nine-week program that consists of two interval workouts and one longer, slow run each week.

Program’s Goal: Get my 5k time below 30 minutes and lose 18 pounds.

Background: This is the second step I am taking to get back into shape (the first was following and completing Couch to 5k Jogging Program: C25K iPhone app is reviewed here). All my workouts and progress notes are documented on this blog.

Interval Training for Fat Loss

The main focus of the second step to my fitness rebirth is to lose weight, preferably fat. To maximize my fat loss, I am doing two weekly interval workouts, as described in this post, and one longer, slow run. Some might be shocked at how short the intervals, only 10 seconds apiece, are in one of the workouts. However, when considering what I know about Tabata and High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workouts, along with what trainer Yuri Elkaim says in the video below, I believe I am on the right track.

Interval Workout: 2 of 27, Nine-Week Program

run fat boy run0 150x150 Interval Workout: 2 of 27, Nine Week ProgramWorkout: Workout B: Workout B: slow steady pace around the lake with six, fast 10-second intervals interspersed within.

Distance/Pace: Covered 1.34 miles, forgot to time the run.

Notes: This interval stuff is fun. Even my 13-year-old daughter enjoyed it. She never really bought into the long slow distance method I’d been trying to feed her.

The Program: I finished the Couch to 5k (C25K) running program April 20, though I was not able to get the full 3.1 miles covered within 30 minutes. Today’s workout is part of a self-created nine-week program that consists of two interval workouts and one longer, slow run each week.

Program’s Goal: Get my 5k time below 30 minutes and lose 18 pounds.

Background: This is the second step I am taking to get back into shape (the first was following and completing Couch to 5k Jogging Program: C25K iPhone app is reviewed here). All my workouts and progress notes are documented on this blog.

Interval Workout: 1 of 27, Nine-Week Program

sprinting1 Interval Workout: 1 of 27, Nine Week ProgramWorkout: Workout A: Run 60 seconds, walk 90 seconds. Repeat six times for a 15-minute workout.

Pace: Covered 1.34 miles for a mile pace of 11:20.

Notes: Loved today’s opportunity to really push it for 60 seconds at a time. I’m looking forward to deepening my endurance base while at the same time getting some speed (all things relative, of course).

The Program: I finished the Couch to 5k (C25K) running program my last workout, though I was not able to get the full 3.1 miles covered within 30 minutes. Today, I started a new, self-made, nine-week endurance program consisting of these three weekly running workouts:

  • Workout A: intervals of running for 60 seconds and walking for 90 for one 1.34-mile lap around the lake.
  • Workout B: slow steady pace around the lake with six, fast 10-second intervals interspersed within.
  • Workout C: 30-minute nonstop run.

The pace of the workouts will be recorded here making it easy to evaluate the effectiveness of this program.

Program’s Goal: Get my 5k time below 30 minutes.

Background: This is the second step I am taking to get back into shape (the first was following and completing Couch to 5k Jogging Program: C25K iPhone app is reviewed here). All my workouts and progress notes are documented here.


Couch to 5k Running Program: Week 9; Run 3; FINISHED!

finish.line  300x187 Couch to 5k Running Program: Week 9; Run 3; FINISHED!Week: 9

Workout: 3

Date: 4.20.2011

Workout: Jog 30 straight minutes.

Result: I have finished the complete nine-week Couch to 5K program. Hooray! Nine-something weeks ago I started with one-minute jogs and now can comfortable shuffle my way through 30-straight minutes. I feel great about this. Sure, I most likely will never run a 50K again or perhaps, not even a 10k, but being able to move along for half an hour at my current weight, which is still way too fat, is a feat I am proud of.

Future: I am going to redo the C25K program at a fast clip using fartleks and intervals and other methods to increase the intensity of the runs.

Background: The first step I am taking to get back into shape is to follow the Couch to 5k Jogging Program. Its iPhone app is reviewed here. I documented each workout here. All workouts were sandwiched between a pair of five-minute walks.

5 Mistakes New Runners Make

PA270022 150x150 5 Mistakes New Runners MakeRunning seems to be one of the easiest exercises available, yet many are not doing it perfectly. No wonder why many people suffer injuries and other problems. The point here is that running is not simply placing one foot ahead of the other. It is more than meets the eye.

Hence, if you are a new runner, it is imperative that you know the necessary pointers to consider in order to have a good run. To know these things, new runners must learn how to identify mistakes; otherwise, they will never know how to hone their skills.

The problem with most new runners is that they seem to know everything. They never learn the most common mistakes new runners tend to commit. Therefore, history always repeats itself.

It is true that part of the quandaries of learning how to run in the first place is to know the competition itself. Of course, in order to learn the race, one must learn how to avoid the usual mistakes new runners commit.

So to get you started, here are 5 of the most common mistakes new runners make. Knowing these things will enable you to develop your running noticeably.

1. Not being realistic with their goal

Running without a goal is useless endeavor. It is as if you are shooting for the stars without being realistic. Of course, if your goal is too far from being realistic, you will end up just the same.

Moreover, most new runners tend to create goals by distance and not by “goal time”. In this case, people running by miles will only have a propensity to be frustrated, exhausted, and worn out. That is because they have failed to reach their goals.

Keep in mind that running by miles will make new runners see the distance they still have to take before they reach the finish line. This is such a depressing state considering the fact that running by miles makes new runners too ruthless on what their body can do.

Hence, it would be better if they will run by goal time, and not by distance. In this way, new runners can realistically foresee an achievable goal.

2. Too fast, too furious?

Running is not all about speed. It is not even your goal. It is more about how you will be able to build fitness. Hence, running too fast will only make you wince with pain and when everything seems to be too painful to bear, you will simply give up and never make it to the finish line.

Unless it is a competition, running should never be founded on speed. The idea to enjoy the activity and get the best positive results is to be relaxed with your movement. For new runners, swiftness is the key to an enjoyable running.

3. No coaches please!

Are you too arrogant to seek for coaching? Most new runners are! Just because running is such a natural state of activity that is innate with humans, new runners will tend to avoid further coaching. New runners believe it is within their capacity and skill to run.

In essence, the ability to have a good run will always depend on the way people employ their selves throughout the time.

It is one of the greatest problems new runners commit. They believe that anybody can start running just because it is innate within them. What they do not know is that people cannot instantly adapt to the demands of running. They cannot simply modify their way of thinking as well as their body when they have decided to start running.

For instance, if you have always lived a sedentary life, starting to run without proper coaching will only bring more harm than good. Your body is not yet on its proper condition and it does not merely involves a few stretching exercises. A good program with a good coach will be necessary to get you started on the right track.

4. It probably just hurts!

Most new runners fail to see the reality of possible muscle pains within the first two minutes of running. They thought that at any point in time, they can start running and everything will go on smoothly.

Of course, almost 60% of new runners had complained about leg pains and fatigue. This is because their bodies had not been properly conditioned for such activities. It is imperative that they get on the right track first before they even decide to start running.

5. Pressures! Pressures!

New runners are always pressured to keep everything perfect all of a sudden. When they do this, they tend to put a strain on their ability to run correctly.

Keep in mind that pressures can put a strain on your muscles, thereby, creating stiffening sensations on the area. This will only contribute to possible leg pains.

Therefore, it is best to defy their compulsion to get it perfectly on an instant.

New runners should try to remember that running, as much as it seems to be a natural thing for humans, is not a skill they are born with. It takes time and effort to get everything perfectly well.

If you are just starting to run, better take it slow! Now that you know the common mistakes new runners commit, it is imperative that you keep away from doing these things. Learn to run by heart. You will enjoy it more.

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