We were hanging out with friends in the Neiborhood the other day and someone made an offhand comment about starting to run again. I went over a few simple things. Mostly about committing to the craft, buying a decent pair of running shoes then making time to run a few days a week. The conversation led me to research running in more detail.
Before building a running program a few things to consider.
1. Mode.
What kind of cardio are you going to perform? In this case it is running, but it could apply to cycling, swimming or rowing (basically, any type of cardio). For "Mode" it is important to schedule cross training days to break apart the mundane specific activity. For example, a runner could implement swimming or rowing to break apart running activities. Also, since my friend group is older breaking apart pounding the road with days of no impact helps.
2. Training frequency
For more serious runners or athletes the time of season typically dictates the frequency of exercise. This requires more forward planning. Planning training around a race is the best way to ensure progression and prevent injuries. Breaking training down into blocks such as offseason, preseason, in season and postseason will aid in narrowing down intensities, and duration.
3. Training intensity
We will call this the "Goldi locks principle" training has to be at an intensity that is just right. Too little intensity does not create aerobic adaptations, and too much intensity too soon could lead to more days off to recover or in more serious cases lead to injuries. Ideally, you want to use Vo2 max and lactate threshold. Since most of us do have access to a Labatory that can accurately measure this data then next best thing or convergent validity would be to use heart rate or rate of perceived exertion (RPE). Heart rate is the most frequently is method to track intensity. With more and more folks having smart watches that can track that data it is easily tracked. One can use the Karvonen formula to measure heart rate and intensity (more on that later). RPE can be used but know that many factors such as environment (hot, cold, humid, altitude, etc.), music, external feedback such as cheering or having a pacer. Another way and if you work out with CrossFit personal then you have surely heard of METS or metabolic equivalents. 1 MET equals 3.5 ml/kg/min or amount of oxygen prescribed at rest. That means that a MET of 7 is 7x the oxygen used at rest. Various activities at different intensities use different METS. To use METS, you must first know the maximum oxygen uptake which typically requires a lab. In terms of the best way to measure intensity use heart rate, followed by RPE then METS.
4. Duration
This one depends on how you're running. A faster run is shorter than a slower run performed at less intensity. Training history dictates duration. A more experienced, trained runner will hit a duration ceiling and intensity must be manipulated in order to create an adaptation. Duration also depends on time allocation to training. Very few of us workout for a living so we have jobs, hobbies, class, kids, etc. so that will dictate how long to train. Weather is the biggest factor depending on the season. Summertime could be a smaller window depending on where you are in the country or the fall/winter when it gets dark earlier in the afternoon.
5. Progression
Typically, a runner will increase 10% on either frequency, intensity or duration. Smaller, steady gains is better than a sudden jump due to overtraining or injuries. Once a certain level of fitness is reached then running two times a week at a high enough intensity is fine to maintain fitness levels. Keep in mind that incorporating active recovery, or rest day before or after hard training sessions will boast your more intense training days.
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