Reviewed by: Tim Pittorino, BHSC
Have you ever tried to get back into running after a long hiatus?
Starting back feels like a huge struggle because your body is adapting to rebuilding your cardio fitness and your legs are finding their condition and strength again.
Lacking Motivation
Focusing on how great we feel when we were running fit, helps to keep us motivated and on track.
But what is the best approach when you return? Great question!
Have A Plan To Win
The best way is to follow a specific and structured Running Program. When it comes to fitness, having a plan is key and that’s especially true of the specific fitness of running. If you don’t follow a plan, then you are setting yourself up for injury as well as imbalanced training. Your body needs time to adapt to the rigours of running. That being, the increasing impact on your soft tissues, your joints and the increased demand on your cardiovascular system. Approaching this in a way without rushing is vital and will require taking small steps over time.
12WBT has a number of different specialist Running Programs from Learn to Run, right through to finishing a Marathon. All programs are written by experts who know exactly how to guide you without overtraining you.
With 12WBT, it isn’t just about lacing up your runners and pounding the pavement. There’s specific strength training and stretching scheduled in too. What’s especially great about the 12WBT running programs is that they can used via the 12WBT Daily App to know exactly how long to run in each interval. You’ll receive prompts that will tell you what to do, for how long, and when to change . It can be linked to your playlists on your phone so your music keeps you upbeat and the instructions of my running coach keeps me on track. While you’re rebuilding your base, don’t over analyse your split times (time taken to run a km) at this stage in your training. Over time, you will be able to make that a key focus for you and can do so using a Fitness Tracker or Watch.
Looking for some more inspiration? Take a look at this amazing 12WBTers story.