The "New Plan"

If you have ever run across another "Newbie Runner" blog, or started running from "scratch" yourself, you are probably familiar with "The Couch-to-5K Running Plan". It's a straightforward, and more importantly, safe way to begin upping your running "time". And let me tell you, I am all about making sure my husband/running partner (we'll call him "J") and I don't injure, or otherwise burn ourselves out before we even get started in this new pursuit.

Why am I so obsessed with preventing injury? Well first of all, I like to avoid any unnecessary pain! (duh!) But it's also because I am a Physical Therapist, and I am very familiar with the kind of injuries that can derail a new runner before they really even get started (i.e. shin splints, stress fractures, patellafemoral pain, hamstring strain, etc.) So I am very diligent about doing everything right, and as a new runner that means starting slow. The plan J and I are following gradually increases running time, and indirectly distance, so that our bodies won't get burned out right away (which may or may not be how J and I have both started running programs in the past...morale of the story, we never made it past a week!)

Here's "my version" of "The-Couch-to-5K Plan" (mmm...math equations ;):

Week 1: Run 2 minutes + Walk 4 minutes x 5 = 30 minutes
Week 2: Run 3 minutes + Walk 3 minutes x 5 = 30 minutes
Week 3: Run 5 minutes + Walk 2.5 minutes x 4 = 30 minutes
Week 4: Run 7 minutes + Walk 3 minutes x 3 = 30 minutes
Week 5: Run 8 minutes + Walk 2 minutes x 3 = 30 minutes
Week 6: Run 9 minutes + Walk 2 minutes x 2 + 8 minutes = 30 minutes
Week 7: Run 9 minutes + Walk 1 minute x 3 = 30 minutes
Week 8: Run 13 minutes + Walk 2 minutes x 2 = 30 minutes
Week 9: Run 14 minutes + Walk 1 minute x 2 = 30 minutes
Week 10: Run 30 minutes + Walk 0 minutes x 1 = 30 minutes

(As previously noted, J and I are currently on Week 5.)

**Let me preface the rest of my "plan" by saying:
1. I am a new Physical Therapist. I graduated in August 2008, and was officially licensed about one year ago, December 2008.
2. Although I did some of my clinicals (as a student) in outpatient/sports therapy clinics, I currently work as a long-term inpatient therapist, so I may not be as up to date with "sports therapy".
Preface over**

Additionally, J and I are doing strength training on our "off" days (Tuesday and Thursday, currently) to build muscles that will hopefully prevent uneven stress on our joints and muscles. What we've been working on thus far (and will continue with tonight):

Quads: I make sure we focus mostly on the VMO, aka the innermost quad muscle. This will hopefully allow us to avoid patellafemoral pain (aka knee pain).
Glutes: In my brief foray into running mechanics research, I found this to be one of the most important muscles to build up for running. Aka: Buns of Steel :)
Shoulder retraction: (aka good posture muscles) I am a sloucher, and I am ashamed of it. I figured whilst performing these other strength training exercises, I could also try to improve my posture, you know, while I am around all those fancy machines!

Besides running 3 days/week and strength training 2 days/week, we are also stretching everyday. Yes. You read that right. Every. Single. Day. 7 days/week. Well, we try to at least. 6 days/week, minimally. And by "we", I mostly mean "me", but J at least does it with me after running! My opinion is that tight muscles = bad running mechanics = injury. Besides, stretching is such an easy thing to do, might as well make it a habit! I found a great yoga (stretch + strength) routine on Runner's World.com. (The video should be included in that link. Trust me, the pictures are not the easiest way to determine the correct form.) It gets all the important areas, including the piriformis (#4) and hamstrings (#6); please, watch the video for instruction!

So that's it. That's the plan. We are nearly to the halfway point of "The Couch-to-5K plan". Once we finish it, we'll start focusing more on mileage vs. time. I'm sure I'll be able to Google myself a good, "newer" plan. Until then, this is where we're at!