Creating A Running Habit Cheat Sheet by vinces

Getting started with running is a lot to do more with running consis­tently than running fast. This cheat sheet has been made to help you create a running habit which will teach you about consis­tency, get you running regularly and hopefully improve your running and health as a result.

Running every day is not really a long term habit and if you commit to continuing with your running, you will most likely try to schedule rest days into your training schedule.

10 - Maximum effort
9 - Very hard intensity
8 - Hard intensity
7 - Requires constant effort
6 - Challe­nging but can sustain for 30 to 60 minutes
5 - Still requires effort
4 - Slight effort to maintain pace
3 - Able to maintain a conver­sation
2 - Gentle and easy to maintain
1 - Very easy pace

For all our runs over the next two weeks, you should be mainta­ining an effort between 2 and 3. This means they are easy runs and you are limiting the chance of injuring yourself and still enjoying the process. Remember, the next two weeks are there to allow you to form a regular habit of running that you will hopefully take with you for years to come

You will need to get ready for the next two weeks of your new running habit. The aim is to run for 20 minutes for every day for two weeks.

1. Find your reason why and remind yourself over the coming weeks.
2. Choose a time of day to run that won't interfere with anything else.
3. Add your run into your schedule, put it in your planner, even into your work schedule so people cannot plan or schedule over it.
4. Tell everyone, your partner, family and friends and why you are doing it.
5. Get a training budy as this could also help you get running on days you are not feeling 100%.

You've done well to make sure you have everything sceduled and ready but make sure you have a backup plan to make sure you get your run in daily. For example, if the weather has turned bad and you can't run outside, maybe you can go to a local gym and run on the treadmill. If you know you have an appion­tment later in the day, maybe change your run to your lunch break at work or earlier in the day.

To get running, make sure you have running shoes that fit well, are not too old and do not rub or cause blisters. Some loose fitting clothing. Make sure you have a few layers in colder weather, so you can strip down a layer or two if it gets too hot. If it is warmer, maybe run in a singlet and shorts. Make sure you are sun smart and wear sunscreen and a hat during the middle of the day. Maybe make sure you have some spare cash to buy a drink if you need one, or need to get the bus home.

We have two weeks of running planned and the following is a checklist for you to cross off each day as it happens. When you finish the two weeks of running, feel free to continue with this daily habit or scale back to running 4 to 5 days a week.

 Day One
 Day Two
 Day Three
 Day Four
 Day Five
 Day Six
 Day Seven

 Day One
 Day Two
 Day Three
 Day Four
 Day Five
 Day Six
 Day Seven

Hopefully by the end of the two weeks, this has been a positive experience for you and you should be almost comfor­table running regularly. Feel free to scale back you running to four or five days a week or look out for more run training plan Cheat Sheets we will have posted here soon.