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'26.2' - The Marathon Training Website: Planes, Trains and Automobiles!* How To Get back in Running Shape After Time Off
Regular Runs are the key to every training program from 5k’s to marathons. So what happens when your training program gets interrupted? I wrote this article after traveling for several weeks and wasn't able to do much running at all.
Too much Travel! Anyway, my first run after this was really terrible. Even going slowly my legs, and hamstrings especially, were sore and hurting. My leg muscles would cramp up at night occasionally. I also had a cross country running event coming up in two weeks time that I was hoping to do...
So how was I going to get back into running form? Well, I decided to try my well tested method of doing walk/run combinations. My first outing went really well using five minute walking breaks. I felt way better than I did on the previous run!
To make this clearer I thought I’d lay out my actual training schedule over several days for you to see.
I was feeling stronger and running better every time out. If you are in a similar situation and need to get back after time away from regular running I highly recommend this method. You don’t have to follow the exact pattern above. Choose the walking and running time that suits you best. The goal is to increase the running sections and decrease the number of walking breaks as you get stronger. How did I make out in the cross country event? I had a great run (although I still had an ache in the left hamstring muscle) and finished just after the first group of runners to make it home. In conclusion then, if you have been away from running regularly, for whatever reason, and are struggling to get back on form I heartily recommend this method. It’s also a good alternative to try once a week or so during your normal training. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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* A very funny 1987 movie starring Steve Martin and John Candy
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