Trying to run again (and the run/walk method)

Boy, take six weeks off from running and it's almost like you've never done it before! 

At the end of May I took a break from running. I was having some ankle soreness and swelling, we were going to be doing some traveling, and it just seemed like a good time to give my legs and feet a rest. I was maybe logging around 30 miles per week at the time, and actually rode my bicycle to try to maintain some semblance of fitness.

Geezaroo... Starting back left my legs a little more sore than I anticipated!

The last thing I wanted to do was start back by trying to do too much too soon (that's nothing but a recipe for injury and disappointment), so...

I'd recently read a bit about the Run/Walk method in Jeff Galloway's book 'Running Until You're 100' and decided to give it a try. It really is as easy as it sounds. You simply run/jog for a set time or distance, and then walk for a set time or distance. That's it! Apparently there is an app you can download, or, if you have a watch like mine (a simple Garmin Forerunner 45) you can program it in on there.

My first few run/walk workouts consisted of: 

• Warmup walk for 10 minutes
• Run for 1 minute
• Walk for 1 minute
• repeat the 1/1 for as many times as I wanted (I think it's currently at 19 times)
• Cool down walk for 10 minutes (or sometimes 1 mile)

Today I was supposed to run 3 miles, so I did a 1/10th mile warmup walk, ran for 1 mile, walked for 1/10, ran another mile, walk another 1/10, ran the 3rd mile and walked a little over a mile to cool down.

One thing I noticed about the first workout in 1-minute intervals is that I was running much faster than I normally go, and wasn't really even getting tired.

My watch can be set up to either distance, time, or with timed intervals (it will notify you if you're going too fast or too slow). I opted to shut off the timed intervals because it was a bit too distracting, but there are all sorts of options.

So, I don't know how long I will tinker with this, but for someone just getting back into it, or someone who would like to start exercising or running... this is a fantastic way to do it!