Be sure to obtain your doctor’s permission before beginning any type of exercise program.
Now it’s time to hit the road, literally and figuratively. Whether you’ve read every word in the preceding 38 chapters or not, you’re eager to get started.
Fine. Let’s get going then. But please review the following before you dash off the starting line.
Be sure to obtain your doctor’s permission before beginning any type of exercise program.
1. Use this plan—the 8-Week Training Plan—if you’re under 40, less than 20 pounds overweight, and a regular participant in some form of physical exercise, such as soccer, basketball, bicycling, swimming, or walking. Otherwise, play it smart and turn to the 24-Week Training Plan.
2. Get your doctor’s approval. Unless you have a known health problem or risks, your doctor should encourage you to begin an exercise program. In fact, consider letting your doctor know about this book, so it can be recommended to others who want to get fit, lose weight, and live healthier.
3. Schedule your workouts. You won’t find time for them unless you make time for them. Put them in your PDA, computer, daily appointment planner, on the front of your refrigerator, or wherever else you keep your schedule.
4. Expect bad days. Everyone has them, but they pass quickly, and the next workout is often better than the previous one. So stick with the plan.
5. Don’t rush. In the fitness world, rushing leads to injuries and discouragement. Be patient, and go slow. The goal is to reach 30 minutes of running, not to set any records getting there.
“Sit as little as possible. Give no credence to any thought that was not born outdoors while moving about freely.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche
WEEK 1 |
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| Day | Workout | Comments |
| Monday | Run 1 min; Walk 2 min; Repeat 10X | |
| Tuesday | Walk easy 30 min | |
| Wednesday | Run 1 min; Walk 2 min; Repeat 10X | |
| Thursday | Walk easy 30 min | |
| Friday | Run 1 min; Walk 2 min; Repeat 10X | |
| Saturday | Run 1 min; Walk 2 min; Repeat 10X | |
| Sunday | Rest | |
TRAINING TIP: To fuel up for your workout, have a piece of fruit or an energy bar about 2 hours before you lace up your shoes. An hour later, drink 8 ounces of a sports drink. The drink will ensure that you are fully hydrated, and also that you have sufficient sodium and potassium for a healthy workout. |
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“Don’t bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.”
—William Faulkner
WEEK 2 |
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| Day | Workout | Comments |
| Monday | Run 2 min; Walk 1 min; Repeat 10X | |
| Tuesday | Walk easy 30 min | |
| Wednesday | Run 3 min; Walk 1 min; Repeat 7X; Run 2 min | |
| Thursday | Walk easy 30 min | |
| Friday | Run 4 min; Walk 1 min; Repeat 6X | |
| Saturday | Run 4 min; Walk 1 min; Repeat 6X | |
| Sunday | Rest | |
TRAINING TIP: Always walk 2 to 3 minutes for a warmup before you begin your workout, and walk another 2 to 3 minutes as a cooldown afterward. Don’t stretch prior to running. Save it for after your workout or in the evening while you’re watching TV. |
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“Obstacles are those frightening things that become visible when we take our eyes off our goals.”
—Henry Ford
WEEK 3 |
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| Day | Workout | Comments |
| Monday | Run 5 min; Walk 1 min; Repeat 5X | |
| Tuesday | Walk easy 30 min | |
| Wednesday | Run 5 min; Walk 1 min; Repeat 5X | |
| Thursday | Walk easy 30 min | |
| Friday | Run 6 min; Walk 1 min; Repeat 4X; Run 2 min | |
| Saturday | Run 6 min; Walk 1 min; Repeat 4X; Run 2 min | |
| Sunday | Rest | |
TRAINING TIP: Hold your arms comfortably at your sides while running, aiming for maximum relaxation. Bend them 90 degrees at the elbows, and move them forward and back at your waist. Bend your fingers into a relaxed grasp, and don’t let your hands sway back and forth across the middle of your torso. |
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“When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.”
—Theodore Roosevelt
WEEK 4 |
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| Day | Workout | Comments |
| Monday | Run 8 min; Walk 1 min; Repeat 3X; Run 3 min | |
| Tuesday | Walk easy 30 min | |
| Wednesday | Run 9 min; Walk 1 min; Repeat 3X | |
| Thursday | Walk easy 30 min | |
| Friday | Run 10 min; Walk 1 min; Repeat 2X; Run 8 min | |
| Saturday | Run 11 min; Walk 1 min; Repeat 2X; Run 6 min | |
| Sunday | Rest | |
TRAINING TIP: In hot, sunny weather, wear sunscreen, sunglasses (to relax your facial muscles), and a visor or cap to keep the sun off your face. Expect to run slower in particularly hot, humid weather, and take more walking breaks as necessary. Run in the early morning or late evening if you can. |
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“Sweat cleanses from the inside. It comes from places a shower will never reach.”
—Dr. George Sheehan
WEEK 5 |
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| Day | Workout | Comments |
| Monday | Run 12 min; Walk 1 min; Repeat 2X; Run 4 min | |
| Tuesday | Walk easy 30 min | |
| Wednesday | Run 13 min; Walk 1 min; Repeat 2X; Run 2 min | |
| Thursday | Walk easy 30 min | |
| Friday | Run 14 min; Walk 1 min; Repeat 2X | |
| Saturday | Run 15 min; Walk 1 min; Run 14 min | |
| Sunday | Rest | |
TRAINING TIP: On occasion, skip your running and walking workout and do a cross-training workout instead. Bike for 30 to 40 minutes, try the elliptical trainer in a gym, or join a circuit weight-training class. The break from running will refresh you, and you’ll learn new skills while developing new muscles. |
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“You can have anything you want, if you want it badly enough. You can be anything you want to be, if you hold that desire with singleness of purpose.
—Abraham Lincoln
WEEK 6 |
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| Day | Workout | Comments |
| Monday | Run 16 min; Walk 1 min; Run 13 min | |
| Tuesday | Walk easy 30 min | |
| Wednesday | Run 17 min; Walk 1 min; Run 12 min | |
| Thursday | Walk easy 30 min | |
| Friday | Run 18 min; Walk 1 min; Run 11 min | |
| Saturday | Run 19 min; Walk 1 min; Run 10 min | |
| Sunday | Rest | |
TRAINING TIP: Running is a great way to build strong bones, but you also need plenty of calcium—1,000 milligrams a day, and 1,500 milligrams if you’re over 50. Drink a glass or two of low-fat milk per day, or enjoy a cup or two of low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese. Dark green, leafy vegetables are another great calcium source. |
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“Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.”
—T.S. Eliot
WEEK 7 |
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| Day | Workout | Comments |
| Monday | Run 20 min; Walk 1 min; Run 9 min | |
| Tuesday | Walk easy 30 min | |
| Wednesday | Run 22 min; Walk 1 min; Run 7 min | |
| Thursday | Walk easy 30 min | |
| Friday | Run 24 min; Walk 1 min; Run 5 min | |
| Saturday | Run 26 min; Walk 1 min; Run 3 min | |
| Sunday | Rest | |
TRAINING TIP: Beginning runners often develop shin splints or sore knees. These pains should pass quickly if you treat them immediately with ice packs after your workouts. Put a bag of frozen peas on your shins or knees for 15 minutes. If the pain persists, take several days off before beginning your training program again. |
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“One cannot consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar.”
—Helen Keller
WEEK 8 |
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| Day | Workout | Comments |
| Monday | Run 27 min; Walk 1 min; Run 2 min | |
| Tuesday | Walk easy 30 min | |
| Wednesday | Run 28 min; Walk 1 min; Run 1 min | |
| Thursday | Walk easy 30 min | |
| Friday | Run 29 min; Walk 1 min | |
| Saturday | Run 30 min | |
| Sunday | Rest | |
TRAINING TIP: For clean air and healthy lungs, try not to do your workouts at the side of a busy street or during rush-hour traffic. Find low-traffic streets where any exhaust will be dispersed quickly. Even better, as often as possible, try to run in greenbelts—in parks, on bike trails, around reservoirs, and the like. |
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